Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Scheduled to Death by Mary Feliz


First Line: I couldn't be sure where the line was between a mansion and a really big house, but I knew I was straddling it, standing on the front porch of the gracious Victorian home of Stanford professor Lincoln "Linc" Sinclair.

Professor Lincoln Sinclair is up for a Nobel Prize, and he's just the sort of high-profile client that Maggie McDonald needs to get her new organizing business off to a good start. 

For an academic, Sinclair has more than his fair share of enemies, so when his fiancee is found dead on the floor of his home laboratory, the first thought in everyone's mind is that Sinclair was the actual target. Unfortunately, the detective in charge of the investigation is so bad that Maggie dubs him "Detective Awful," and she knows that if the real murderer is going to be found, she's going to have to put all her organizing skills to the test.

Mary Feliz's second Maggie McDonald mystery is one that will keep you guessing, even though it's saddled with the ubiquitous vile-tempered, dumb cop. (Luckily, he's shuffled off to the shadows rather quickly.) I'm still very impressed with Maggie. She's calm under fire, she's caring, smart, and level-headed. In other words, she's a "Mom," and the best kind of mother there is. 

The author has created a first-rate cast of characters, so much so that-- although I enjoyed getting to know more about Maggie's husband Max-- I missed the interactions with her sons and her best friend. I know everyone in the cast can't be in the spotlight all the time, but these characters are so good that I just get greedy.

Scheduled to Death may have a good mystery, a very good car chase scene, and a fine cast of characters, but Feliz also takes the time to deal sensitively with other issues like homeless children and the world of academia. These topics are woven into the story to give it even more depth and texture.

If you're on the lookout for a good cozy mystery series to read, you know what I'm going to say. Give Mary Feliz's Maggie McDonald series a try with the first book, Address to Die For before you move on to this one. I think you'll enjoy the characters as much as I do.      

Scheduled to Death by Mary Feliz
eISBN: 9781601836656
Lyrical Underground © 2017
eBook, 238 pages

Cozy Mystery, #2 Maggie McDonald mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Net Galley  


  

2 comments:

  1. Ah, the world of academia.... I have to admit, Cathy, I'm a sucker for plots that involve academics. Glad you thought this one was good.

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