First, a bit of a disclaimer. I apologize for the super-long delay in posts. I’m back on blogging after a break over the holidays and some much-needed family time.
Why did you choose this book?
It sounded like an intriguing semi-cozy mystery. Which it was. More on that later.
What’s it about?
Rosalie Hart is living in her aunt’s historic home in Eastern Maryland after discovering that her husband cheated on her. She’s finding it hard to fit into the community, so she joins a memoir-writing class at the local college. When she finds the body of a teenage girl on her property, she decides to investigate. With the help of her writing class colleagues, she begins to look into the situation…
Categories
Cozy mystery, mystery
Similar reads?
I’m a lover of most cozy mysteries. This one doesn’t quite fit that genre for a couple of reasons. First, the sleuth manages to investigate without the aid of any law enforcement officers (though she does get a couple of clues from the sheriff’s secretary). Second, there is a little more detail of the gore involved (for example, that the body was bloated and starting to decompose). That type of information isn’t usually part of a cozy. That being said, some of my favorite cozies are Virginia Lowell’s Cookie Cutter Shop mysteries and Lucy Arlington’s Novel Idea mysteries.
Review
Overall, a well-structured cozy. One of my favorite things about cozies is the richness of their language. I just love the way the authors describe the characters and scenery. I also really liked the supporting cast of characters and the fact that it was a group of amateur sleuths rather than a solo endeavor. I wish we’d spent a little more time around the culprit, but I had trouble solving the crime (which is a good sign!). I’ll definitely be reading the next book in this series!
Next up?
Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten. I know I said last time I’d be doing Mission: Hindenburg but it’s been so long since I read it that I’ll wait and review the next 39 Clues book I do instead. It’s coming out this spring.
biblioventuring 
[…] This is the best historical mystery I’ve read in a while. Another series set in historic London is the Lucy Campion series by Susanna Calkins, though that series is set much earlier. If it’s the writing style you like, try Wendy Sand Eckel’s Murder at Barclay Meadow. […]
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