Jane Darrowfield and the Madwoman Next Door

by Barbara Ross

If you want a solid mystery with good writing and a well-crafted plot, if you are in search of a cozy mystery that has tension, but is not too dark, give Barbara Ross’ Jane Darrowfield and the Madwoman Next Door a try. A young lawyer seeks out her next door neighbor Jane, whose business cards read “Professional Busybody,” to help her determine the cause of some unusual symptoms. Jane, retired from her first career, has helped informally with a murder investigation before, but her real focus is smaller, neighborhood problems. She charges a fee that is high enough to discourage those who are just irritated over a frivolous situation.

The young neighbor’s problem is sufficiently bizarre to attract Jane’s interest, especially when she disappears the next day. In her investigation, Jane uncovers a sad past for this woman who is an overcomer. There are a lot of potential suspects, and as an older woman, Jane is not shy about getting in their faces with her questions or finding her way around guard dog secretaries. There are surprises along the way and the plot is not simple. Jane and the reader learn together about the suspects with various ones narrowed down and then eliminated…or not. The kidnapper seemed suspicious to me early on, but so did a lot of other people. The ending wrapped things up well.

I was unable to find plans for a third book in the series, but I hope there will be one. Meanwhile, I think I would enjoy reading other books by this author who will be publishing the eleventh book in her Maine Clambake Mystery Series in June.

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: Always in search of a good, clean mystery with a plot Agatha Christie would be proud of, I took fellow blogger Jay’s advice and read this book. He also suggested that I might enjoy it more if I read the first in the series. I have requested it from my library, but didn’t want to wait for it. I am happy to announce that I had no problem reading and enjoying the second book in the series as a standalone.

Publication: December 28, 2021—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

As for her son, Jonathan, he and Jane had not spoken for more than ten years. It was a source of daily heartbreak for her. Parenting was the one area in her life where she had most desperately wanted to succeed. And the one where she had most spectacularly failed.

He was a medium-height man and very square. Square head emphasized by close-cropped brown hair. Square shoulders emphasized by the cut of his sports jacket. Even his manicured fingernails were squared. Not a bad-looking man, despite the squareness.

“But embracing a new way of life means giving up an old vision of how our lives will be. It’s hard to let go, but it’s necessary to do so to live in and enjoy a new reality.”