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Killers of a Certain Age–all-female assassin squad
Killers of a Certain Age
by Deanna Raybourn
It is with mixed feelings that I review Killers of a Certain Age. I think I wanted it to have the same vibes as The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osmond, but that is not really fair. I knew going in that the story was about a group of retired female assassins, but that summary does not encapsulate Deanna Raybourn’s story satisfactorily.
The beginnings of the larger group which calls itself by the code name “the Museum” are people who were frustrated at the escape of so many Nazis who were slipping away from (and sometimes with the help of) various governments after World War II. They decided to pursue justice. When most of the Nazis had been tracked down and “disposed of,” they turned their attention to other “targets that had been scrupulously vetted and chosen because their deaths would benefit humanity as a whole.” Their mission was to bring justice, not to pursue what was lawful. Bottom line: the end justifies the means. The philosophy underlying the plot makes me uncomfortable. I am trying to disregard those feelings as I review the book.
Killers of a Certain Age has four main characters, the women who spent the last forty years killing specific targets only as assigned. They were not allowed to have outside contracts. These agents were chosen, recruited, and trained by the administration of the Museum. They trusted the board members and fully expected to live out their retirement years with a good pension. Unfortunately, there are political happenings with the organization and putting out a “hit” on these women is part of the fallout.
The backgrounds of the assassins are interesting as well as their relationships with each other. The story is told by relating current events as well as including chapters that reveal the details of prior assignments. The women are well-trained and use their respective skills to compensate for the decline of physical strength and flexibility brought on by age. The reader has a first-hand view of their plan to save themselves without hurting innocent bystanders.
Although I didn’t enjoy Killers of a Certain Age, I did appreciate the women’s attempts at dark humor. I commend the author for her writing skills and her creation of a complex plot. My favorite aspect of the book lies in the ingenious codes used to communicate secretly. I’m sure that a lot of readers will give the book two thumbs up, but it was just not the right read for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Notes: Lots of violence and bad language
Publication: September 6, 2022—Berkley (Penguin Random House)
Memorable Lines:
The tunnel led into a courtyard bordered by four brick buildings, each one more decrepit than the last. The facades, linked by galleries and staircases, leaned against each other for support like elderly women having one last gossip.
We looked like a girl gang that would have the Queen as our leader, all low heels and no-nonsense curls. Mary Alice had even tucked butterscotch candies in her purse, which she handed out to porters in lieu of tips.
Two good hits and the lock dropped off. “Subtle,” she said. “Natalie, I’m tired, I am covered in mud that is at least seventy percent dead people, and I am hungry. Do not test me.”
What She Found–cold case with coverups
What She Found
by Robert Dugoni
Tracy Crosswhite, with three awards for valor, has moved from working with a team in the Violent Crimes Section to being the only detective in the Cold Case Unit in Seattle. The perks are a private office and more regular hours so she can spend more time with her husband and baby girl. She has just completed a successful investigation into a serial killer bringing closure for a lot of families and good press to the Seattle Police Department at a time when some groups are calling for defunding the force.
Twenty-five years earlier Lisa Childress, an investigative reporter for a Seattle newspaper, had a 2:00 A.M. meeting with an informer in a warehouse district. She also had a husband and young daughter, but she never returned to them. The daughter appeals to Crosswhite for help.
Author Robert Dugoni has created a plot that will set your head spinning with its complications. Themes include police and community politics, ethics, family relationships, the role of the press, drugs, amnesia, and statutes of limitations. Crimes range from blackmail to murder. Crosswhite finds it difficult to get people to talk about old crimes whether from aging memories or shame. Many of the witnesses are dead. Crosswhite, for personal and professional reasons, will not be deterred in her efforts to bring the truth to light. Honor, justice, and truth are important virtues in the way she lives her life. By the conclusion, everyone has a renewed sense of the importance of family. Crosswhite is a skilled investigator—intelligent and clever in her ability to uncover secrets, follow up on clues, and connect disparate threads.
What She Found is suspenseful without indulging in graphic violence or stepping over the line into the psychological thriller category. This mystery has more action than an Agatha Christie novel; but, as found in a Christie mystery, it requires a protagonist up to the mental challenge. This is not a “happily ever after” book, but the reader will find satisfaction in the conclusion.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: General Fiction, Mystery
Notes: 1. #9 in the Tracy Crosswhite Series. I read 2 books in Dugoni’s Charles Jenkins Series and liked them enough to try a book relatively late in this series. To my surprise, It worked quite well as a standalone. Although he does characters well, Dugoni’s books are more about the plot than the characters.
2. Another puzzlement for me is that I finished the book and noted that there had been “some mild swearing.” Normally that would mean about 4 or 5 instances. In doing a search, however, I found there were many more examples of inappropriate language (about 30) than had registered with me. So, am I becoming used to that in my reading, was it appropriate to the characters, or was the story so well told that I kept reading without noticing them? I truly don’t know.
Publication: August 23, 2022—Thomas & Mercer
Memorable Lines:
Tracy knew regret was much harder to live with than failure. Regret caused you to second-guess what you hadn’t done.
Honoring her word was more important than pleasing her chief, though it certainly would not be without consequences. It might not be the smartest decision Tracy ever made, but it was the honorable one.
“What I’ve learned is that life isn’t about memories. It isn’t about the past. It’s about living in the present and looking to the future, and what that future holds for each of us.”
A Certain Darkness–could WWI have ended sooner?
A Certain Darkness
by Anna Lee Huber
Lord Ardmore—a good name for an evil person. Although he is not physically present in A Certain Darkness, his influence and machinations pervade the events of this spy novel. Verity Kent and her husband Sidney are a rich and glamorous couple who are both well known in the intelligence circle for undercover work for the British during WWI. Sidney is also a war hero. In this book, they are once more called into service by their country to discover potentially damaging evidence.
In this action packed drama, Verity and Sidney don’t know whom to trust as they try to uncover how a murder occurred on a train and in a jail cell without anyone seeing either crime. Verity is a polyglot, a helpful skill as the couple interacts with French, German, Dutch, and Flemish speakers. One of my favorite scenes involves Verity speaking in their language to someone who is previously unaware that she can understand their conversations with others—rather embarrassing for the speaker.
The plot is complicated because the events that occurred during and after the war are quite complex. Just when I thought I wasn’t enjoying the book because of the intricate historical references, the action and intrigue picked up and I couldn’t wait to read what would happen next.
Both characters suffer from the horrors and stresses of the war, but there are some mental and emotional breakthroughs for both of them in this book. Whereas in the first book I read in the series (#2) I found the couple rather frivolous, I have come to like and respect both of them as I have gotten to know them better. There has also been more character development with each book. If you are interested in history or like spy mysteries, you will enjoy this series including A Certain Darkness. It closes out with a very important hook that will keep me and other readers anxious to read the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Notes: 1. #6 in the Verity Kent Mystery Series. I do not recommend this book as a standalone. There is just too much necessary background provided in the previous books.
2. Clean.
3. One of the themes of this book concerns the ending of WWI. I did an Internet search on this topic and found this is a concern for some historians. In her introduction, Huber lists a recently published nonfiction book on this subject that she used as a resource for her fiction book.
Publication: August 30, 2022—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
Much of intelligence gathering in general was accepting that there were few total victories, few clear choices of right and wrong. Everything was shaded in gray. One had to make judgment calls, constantly wagering possible sacrifices versus gains. Sometimes you got it right and sometimes you got it wrong. But whatever the outcome, you had to swallow the guilt and disgust such decisions and compromises at times wrought.
I recognized what game he was playing, for he’d learned it from the best. After all, Lord Ardmore didn’t simply aim to outwit his opponents, but to corrupt and demoralize them. To turn them against themselves, against their very morals.
“I’d accepted long ago that the war was utterly senseless.” His voice rasped as if being dragged from the depths of his lungs. “That I was simply stuck. Just a little cog in a great monstrous machine that couldn’t be stopped and would one day consume me as well.”
Mischief, Murder, and Merlot–Hallow Wine Weekend
Mischief, Murder, and Merlot
by J.C. Eaton
I enjoyed returning to Two Witches Winery along with Norrie Ellington who is again taking care of the family winery while her sister and brother-in-law fly off to the Philippines in search of a rare insect. She is just in time to manage her part of Lake Seneca’s Hallow Wine Weekend at the same time media arrives to learn about the area’s outstanding Merlot produced this year.
There are shenanigans centered around the cauldron of her winery’s Hallow Wine welcoming display, but the other wineries have vandalism as well. It isn’t too bad until Norrie discovers a fourth person in her display. There were originally only three, and this addition can only be described as dead.
This mystery rates high in complexity as there are several people with possible motives for the murder, including the victim’s wife, mistress, and girlfriend. There are business associates that could be involved and a few of them disappear. Fortunately, Norrie has a great crew who keep the winery, tasting room, and café running as Norrie tries to track down the criminal. She also has a lot of friends who support and help her from neighbors Theo and Don to the gorgeous Stephanie who can distract men with a flip of her hair.
I enjoyed the book; the mystery was well plotted with humor sprinkled throughout. The thing that kept it from being a five star book for me was the number of times Norrie stepped over lines of legal and ethical conduct. As Norrie herself says, “The hamburger bounced around in my stomach the more I thought about what I was going to do. Words like illegal, felony, and incarceration came to mind and they were only a sampling.” A lot of cozy mysteries have the protagonist edging up to conduct that is dangerous and deserves rethinking. Norrie goes too far, and she involves others in activities that could cost them their livelihoods and reputations.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Cooking, Humor
Notes: 1. #8 in the Wine Trail Mysteries, but could work as a standalone as the authors are good at explaining the background and characters.
2. The “season” is Halloween and two of the characters are participants in paranormal activities, but the book is definitely not a paranormal book. All of the other characters roll their eyes at and disregard the actions and thoughts of those two characters.
Publication: August 30, 2022—Beyond the Page Publishing
Memorable Lines:
“And you know what the worst part is?” “All the nutcases it will bring out?” “Nope. All the suspects. It’ll be like one big knotted ball of yarn that gets more tangled as soon as someone tries to unravel it.”
I dreamt Donovan’s wife, mistress, and girlfriend had taken over our cauldron, making Macbeth’s witches look like Disney princesses.
Fortified by a second pot of coffee, the six of us sketched out a surveillance plan that we thought would work. Funny, but on paper it was logical and feasible. In reality, it was neither.
Deception–things are not as they seem
Deception
by Patricia Bradley
Action and tension are abundant in Patricia Bradley’s Deception, the fourth book in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers Series. Madison, the protagonist, is a special agent with the Investigative Services Branch. After the bust of a human trafficking ring in Big Bend in which Madison’s partner is killed, she decides to switch gears and work in a white collar crimes division. She is good at both jobs.
In Mississippi she goes to visit her beloved grandfather, a retired judge, and things turn ugly and violent. A woman who could be Madison’s doppelgänger is attacked. Who is she and which one of the two was actually targeted? There is also a missing girl who was being rescued from her pimp. Could she have been the target? Madison is convinced that a suicide being investigated is in fact a homicide. This novel borders on being a police procedural as there are so many agencies involved.
The book has some romance as Madison is helped by Clayton, a former childhood friend, who is now a ranger in charge of a district in the Natchez Trace. Another interesting character is Nadine, the judge’s longtime housekeeper. She is in her eighties. She doesn’t say a lot, but she is a very careful observer and has great hearing.
Deception has lots of twists to the plot, and the characters not only have secrets, but many really do actively deceive. Madison turns to Clayton to try to understand forgiveness. He explains how he has forgiven others who have hurt him: “Because God forgave me for all the ways I’ve hurt others.” “I didn’t [do the forgiving]. God did it in me. But I had to give up my right to be angry and resentful.”
A huge part of the plot involves adoptions and family history, but all of these seemingly disparate threads tie together quite dramatically when the mysteries are resolved. Deception is my first exposure to this author. I definitely plan on reading more by her. It was an exciting book, and I like the way she gently wove Christian beliefs into a suspenseful tale.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Suspense, Christian, Romance
Notes: #4 in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers Series. It is enjoyable as a standalone, but I wish I had read the first ones. The first chapter dives into a previous time frame that sets up Madison’s reason for turning to white collar crime investigation and is easily understood. Then as the plot turns to current events, a lot of characters are introduced (or maybe reintroduced?). I pushed through that and because the plot is the focus, it all sorted itself out. I’m glad I persevered for a few chapters.
Publication: August 2, 2022—Revell
Memorable Lines:
“He was this important businessman, and Mom always told me not to bother him. When he was at home it was like tiptoeing on eggshells, but at least he wasn’t home much.”
Sister. She loved the way the word wrapped around her heart. It sounded as though neither of their lives had been rosy, but perhaps this could be a new start for both of them.
He got the impression Madison didn’t trust many men. And after meeting her father, he could understand why. And then there was a the FBI agent who tried to ill her.
Peanut Butter Panic–complicated, but humorous, mystery
Peanut Butter Panic
by Amanda Flower
I always enjoy the novels in Amanda Flower’s cozy mystery series The Amish Candy Shop Mysteries. Peanut Butter Panic is no exception.
Bailey, an Englisch chocolatier, is co-owner with her grandmother of Swissmen Sweets in the tourist town of Harvest. There is a lot going on for Bailey. Margo, the town event coordinator, has organized a Thanksgiving celebration for the whole area that unifies the Amish and the Englisch in one big celebration. The arrival of Margot’s mother Zara, a fierce retired judge who is remembered for the harsh sentences she passed on Amish defendants, arrives suddenly and is unexpectedly accompanied by a much younger boyfriend. Her appearance throws Margot into a panic as Zara has made it clear that Margot has never lived up to her standards. When a murder occurs at the dinner, both Margot and Zara appeal to Bailey who has a reputation as a successful unofficial sleuth.
Other complications in the plot for Bailey include the intense sales period of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. It is difficult to produce enough sweets for all of these events in addition to the Jethro bars made for tourists in honor of the pot-bellied pig Jethro who has appeared on Bailey’s cooking show. Add in the difficulties of Bailey’s semi-long distance relationship with Aiden who has accepted a position with the Ohio BCI. She is also considering expanding Swissmen Sweets which would be a big change for her and for her grandmother.
There are a lot of twists and turns as hidden relationships and identities emerge. When the book appeared to be at a point of closure, I found myself wondering if I had missed something as I read. I still didn’t know whodunnit! But the last pages hold yet another surprise, the mystery is solved, and some real justice is done.
Characters are vital to this story. The reactions of people to Margot and to her mother Zara speak volumes. There is animal humor in the book as Jethro the polka-dotted pig plays an important role along with Puff the rabbit and a new character, Gator, a rather vicious little purse dog. Another character I enjoy is Charlotte who has a recently decided to leave the Amish way and is gradually transitioning to the Englisch way of life. This is a fun cozy with interesting characters and a good plot. I recommend the whole series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #7 in the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, but could be read as a standalone
Publication: August 23, 2022—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
Amateur sleuthing required a great deal of balance I realized. Enough meddling to get the answers but not so much as to obstruct justice or negatively impact the prosecution of a criminal.
I did notice that the shouts and cheers for the little bacon bundle were a tad more jubilant than they had been for me. I understood. I wasn’t an adorable little comfort pig. It was difficult to compete with such cuteness.
“…Zara was the kind of person who could have a terrible time just about anywhere. She complained about everything, even when it was done just as she liked it. She found fault with just about everything I did.”
Murder Spills the Tea–baking competition
Murder Spills the Tea
by Vicki Delany
The way I judged Murder Spills the Tea was by my increasing frustration at the end of the book. With about 90% of the mystery read, I experienced an almost comical series of interruptions—the dogs wanted to go for a walk, my husband came in to say “hi,” the dryer buzzed urgently, and the timer for the tub of vegetables I was disinfecting dinged. I finally gave up and handled each issue culminating with the dog walk. I’m a fairly patient person, so I must have been really into the novel to get so irritated.
Lily is busy enough baking for and managing her own tea shop, but she also makes breakfast for her grandmother Rose’s B&B in exchange for lodging in a separate cottage on the grounds. All is well until her best friend Bernie and Rose convince Lily that participating in America Bakes!, a cooking “reality” show, will help promote her business. The event turns out to be rigged and full of competing ego-filled personalities. Lily does her best to “keep calm and carry on,” but that becomes difficult when she finds one of the judges dead in her tearoom. Sparks fly during the filming, some of the characters are less than truthful, and Lily is sure that the wrong person has been arrested.
Following the investigation is like watching a tennis match where the ball is lobbed all over the place. Things turn dangerous as the murderer gets more and more desperate. There are connections among the residents that are uncovered as Lily’s informal investigation progresses. Suspicions arise too about the film actors and crew, some of whom are staying at the B&B. Lily, Bernie, and Rose work well together as a team with Rose playing the age card when it suits her purposes. Murder Spills the Tea is an engaging and fun cozy mystery.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #3 in the Tea by the Sea Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone.
2. I have a particular fondness for tearooms, so I especially enjoy cozy mysteries set in tearooms.
3. Includes recipes for Herbed Cucumber Sandwiches, Coconut Lime Cake, and a coffee cake that is served at the B&B.
4. Lily has a dog that is featured throughout the book and Rose has a cat that, despite Health Dept. regulations, finds its way into the kitchen regularly. Both add interest to the book.
Publication: July 26, 2022—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“This is called reality TV,” he said. “In reality, it’s anything but. The show’s not concerned about the quality of your food or the arrangement of the flowers on the table. It’s about creating drama and interest. Reality’s boring.”
“Afternoon tea’s all about tradition. About hospitality and taking time to gather with friends to enjoy the finer things in life. Afternoon tea, in my opinion, anyway, is a delicacy, an indulgence, and it should be treated as such.”
Robbie jumped onto the floor and hissed at Detective Williams. “Do pardon my cat, Inspector,” Rose said as she made her way out of the room. “He likes most people.”
Edge of Dusk–Murder on Lake Superior
Edge of Dusk
by Colleen Coble
I am not a fan of thrillers as the intensity can negate the reading pleasure for me. I have made an exception for Colleen Coble’s suspense books. They are extremely fast-paced, the plots are complex, but they don’t leave me with nightmarish visions. The characters have depth and potential for growth—the protagonists anyway. Coble has previously set a series in Rock Harbor, Michigan, but Edge of Dusk starts a new series, the Annie Pederson novels, using the same setting which has already been proven popular with her readers. I like the main character Annie Pederson; she is a Law Enforcement Officer with the parks services. She has one child, and she recently lost her husband and both parents in an accident. She is trying to maintain the family business, a marina and cabin resort, while keeping her day job.
Annie lives with guilt because of the death of a little sister when they were both young. This novel involves repercussions from that tragedy and revives another cold case in which two teenage girls disappeared. On that backdrop there is a new murder of a camper and an attack on another one in remote areas of the lake. Annie’s life becomes more complicated with the return of her ex-fiancé, now a successful orthopedic surgeon. Their breakup nine years earlier was messy, sudden, and not handled well by either party. They now have to face the past and decide if they have a future together going forward.
The more Annie investigates the murders and disappearances, the more dangerous her life becomes with vandalism, arson, stalking, and other kinds of threats. She will do anything to keep her daughter safe. Fortunately, she has friends who gather round her as things become increasingly dangerous. Annie and her ex-fiancé use these difficulties as opportunities to grow in their faith.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery and Thriller, General Fiction
Notes: #1 in the new Annie Pederson Series
Publication: July 12, 2022—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
Memories pummeled her like a tsunami, and bile burned the back of her throat. That last night here had ruined everything—her purity, her self-respect, relationship with Jon and with her parents.
“I’m not going to sit in judgment over your mistakes. We all make them. That’s between you and God.” And she’d asked God many times to forgive her. She knew he had. The problem was she hadn’t been able to forgive herself, and this new wrinkle brought all her sins out into the light to be examined.
The lake was the embodiment of their relationship: turbulent and calming, exciting and steady. She could look at Lake Superior on a stormy day and remember that last violent argument. She could glide on its glassy surface on a calm morning and remember how his strength would calm her fears.
Through the Liquor Glass–—not the author’s best
Through the Liquor Glass
by Sarah Fox
Sadie and Grayson find a food critic’s body under a cask at Grayson’s brewery. It soon becomes clear that someone is trying to frame Grayson for the murder. He goes into hiding, and Sadie, owner of the Inkwell pub, tries to find the real murderer. She is also dealing with maintaining the Inkwell’s booth at the local food and drink festival, and running her business during this top tourist season. Add to that her mother’s first visit to Sadie’s new home and business in Vermont. Sadie wants her mother’s approval on her new life and her new boyfriend who is currently on the run from law enforcement.
I have enjoyed all of the cozy mysteries in The Literary Pub Mystery Series by Sarah Fox, but this one was disappointing for me. The plot was well-conceived, but the execution was repetitious. Just how many times do I want to read about Sadie drinking coffee at her apartment, at her pub, and at the local coffee shop? How many times does the author need to verbalize Sadie’s emotional distress over missing her boyfriend? They were only separated for a little over a week. Sadie, in her efforts to clear Grayson, does a number of stupid, dangerous and illegal things. One example is stealing a hotel key card, breaking into a guest’s room, and returning the key card—actions which she repeats! Grayson purposely does not tell Sadie where he will hide out so she can truthfully relate that to the police when she is questioned. Despite the police having surveillance over her pub and apartment, she works as hard at discovering his location as she does at uncovering the murderer, putting herself and Grayson in even more threat of being arrested unless the murderer finds them first.
The whodunnit part of the book is interesting and surprising, but not really worth the read for me. I want to read the next book in the series as I hope this was a one off.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. Contains two recipes—a snack: Maple Butter Popcorn and a cocktail: Kiss of the Cider Woman
2. #5 in The Literary Pub Mystery Series, but can work as a standalone because the author does a great job of supplying information about each character as they appear in this book.
Publication: November 29, 2022—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
Even with my back to what was likely the murder weapon, I was keenly aware of its presence. It was almost as if it were emitting a palpable and dangerous energy.
When we left the cidery a few minutes later, I had a snack in hand to assuage any physical hunger pangs that might strike, but my appetite for clues remained unsatisfied.
Silence settled over our table, but it was a silence fraught with tension and apprehension. My mother stared at me from across the table and I had to fight to keep from sliding down any farther. I was already in danger of falling off my seat.
Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody–cliques in a 55+ community?
Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody
by Barbara Ross
Shortly after I reviewed the second book in the Jane Darrowfield Mystery Series as an ARC, the first book became available in my local library. Since I was reading a very intense, nonfiction book at that time, I decided to make Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody my nighttime reading. I find cozy mysteries help me unwind.
I stand by my recommendation that the second book in the series makes a good standalone. Although I enjoyed reading about Jane’s adventures in this book, I did not learn anything critical to my understanding of the second book. It was amusing, however, to learn how Jane met Harry, her love interest in this series. I was disappointed that there was not more information on her estrangement from her son whom she raised as a single mom. I’m hoping there will be a third book in the series that will address that issue which is quite painful for Jane.
In Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody, Jane is hired to find out what is going on at Walden Spring, a senior living community where some of the residents’ antics are more appropriate to high school cliques. At the request of the manager, she is temporarily living on the property when a murder occurs. She may even have witnessed the murderer walking across the golf course in the darkness of night. What could have motivated the murder? What is the real identity of the murder victim and who is his supposed wife who is living in the Alzheimer’s floor of the longterm care unit? There are lots of characters and entanglements along with suspicions and motives. Even Detective Alvarez from her hometown of Cambridge is on the scene acting in a limited capacity. So many puzzles and surprises! Just when the case seems solved, Jane brings up continuing suspicions and the action ramps back up.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery for a relaxing read. It won’t change your life, but it can provide a great escape.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #1 in the Jane Darrowfield Mystery Series
Publication: 2019—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
Marge took another hit of the Ben & Jerry’s…Jane left her on the couch in an eighty-four percent butterfat haze. That afternoon she’d seen three stages of grief—anger, denial, and ice cream.
The silver tea service and tiered china dishes were elaborate; they obviously hadn’t come from the Walden Spring corporate catering service….Why did we keep these things, Jane wondered. So appropriate to our Victorian grandmothers’ grandmothers, so out of place in a room that looked like a teachers’ lounge in an upscale high school.
Jane had observed this phenomenon before. If one called out “Mary!” or “Joseph!” in certain neighborhoods around Boston—in doctors’ offices, diners, grocery stores—half the people would turn their heads.
education pathways 