Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen

 

First Line: January 6, 1947. When the knock came at her door, Maple Bishop was in her living room staring at a tiny family.

Maple Bishop's dollhouse business is thriving, and she even has a second "career" as a crime scene consultant for the local sheriff. When the body of an aspiring firefighter is discovered in a burned cabin, she's called in to help determine if the fire was an accident or arson. This case has even more importance because the dead man was a close friend of Kenny, the sheriff's deputy, and Maple's confidante.

After creating the cabin in miniature, the investigation leads Kenny and Maple to Maple's old Boston neighborhood, so not only must Maple solve the crime, but she must also confront the past she wants to forget.

~

Having had mixed reactions to the first Maple Bishop mystery, Death in the Details, I was interested in what the second, Murder in Miniature, had in store. I'm happy to say that all systems are go, and I'm looking forward to the third book.

Watching Maple create the dollhouses that people want, as well as her miniature crime scene models, fascinates me. This is the major reason why I was first intrigued by this series. Still grieving the death of her husband, Maple has made friends in this small town, and being able to help the local sheriff helps satisfy her in other ways. After all, she's a trained lawyer who's had no success in finding a firm that wants to hire a woman, hence her move to Vermont.

When the complicated investigation takes Kenny and Maple to Boston, we learn more about Maple's past, setting her up for a major decision in the next book in the series. I'm looking forward to finding out the choice Maple makes.

Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen

eISBN: 9798892421829

Crooked Lane Books © 2025

eBook, 288 pages

Historical Mystery, #2 Maple Bishop

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor

 

First Line: The day was hot and clear, the sky overhead a thick blue traced here and there with ragged wisps of stringy clouds that reminded Sylvie of the bloody scratches she got when pruning brambles.

 

In the summer of 1965, the small town of Bethany, Vermont, is on the verge of change. Although the interstates under construction will bring new people, new opportunities, and new problems, the Cold War and Vietnam protests have already reached this quiet corner.

 

Bostonian Frank Warren is a new detective with the state police. He's barely unpacked his bags before he's called to a remote farm up on Agony Hill. Highly unpopular back-to-the-lander Hugh Weber seems to have barred the barn door from the inside and then set fire to both himself and the building, but things aren't adding up for Warren. 

Several of the townspeople-- including Weber's wife-- clearly have secrets they'd like to keep, but Warren can't tell if the truth about Weber's death is one of them. 

 

Yet.

~

While some readers will find the setting of Sarah Stewart Taylor's Agony Hill a strange and unfamiliar world, for me, being back in the days of Woodstock, draft dodgers, and communes-- let alone no cell phones-- was a blast from the past. (And one that I enjoyed revisiting because Taylor skillfully puts readers in her setting without a bit of "information dump.")

 

The cast of characters is interesting. Frank Warren is no stranger to tragedy, and he's taken the job as a detective for the Vermont State Police to get a fresh start. He's not familiar with small towns and farms, and there's a scene where he gets lost in the woods that both made me laugh and gave me chills, and that's a rare reaction indeed. 

 

Warren finds himself drawn to the dead man's wife, Sylvie, an enigmatic woman who's a capable yet fearful wife, mother, and poet. The fleeting scenes when she tries various wordings to set her surroundings into poems were among my favorites in Agony Hill.

 

As for my favorite character, that would have to be Warren's next-door neighbor, widow, and amateur detective Alice Bellows. There's much more to this woman than her amazing gardening skills. 

 

Frank Warren did want to learn how Agony Hill got its name, and, unfortunately, we never did find out. Taylor uses misdirection to good use, and although Agony Hill is a good, solid mystery with interesting characters, I find myself uninterested in reading more. I've read two previous books by this same author with much the same reaction, so... although she's good and I have friends who love her writing, she's just not my cup of tea. Don't be surprised if your mileage varies!

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor

eISBN: 9781250826633

Minotaur Books © 2024

eBook, 368 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #1 Frank Warren

Rating: B-

Source: Net Galley

Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen

 

First Lines: Wednesday, October 16, 1946. "Twelve dollars and sixty-seven cents?"

 

Maple Bishop is no stranger to death. Her mother died. So did her brother. Now her husband has died in service to his country. But the discovery that her husband left her penniless puts everything into sharp focus for the grieving woman: she must find a way of earning money so she doesn't lose her home in this small Vermont town. 

 

Maple is the first female Boston City Law School graduate, but no one in town wants to hire her. Fortunately, her eye for detail and her skill have led her to craft intricate dollhouses, and she begins selling them. At first, business is going well until Maple delivers a dollhouse to a customer and finds him dead, hanging from a rafter in his barn.

 

Something about the supposed suicide doesn't seem right to Maple, and in an attempt to figure it out, she recreates the death scene in miniature-- what she calls "death in a nutshell." With the help of a rookie police officer, Maple uses her miniature to dig into the town's secrets... and that makes a murderer very unhappy.

 

~

 

With my interest in dollhouses and miniatures and the author finding inspiration in Frances Glessner Lee, the mother of forensic science, Death in the Details was a book I could not resist. For the most part, this is a very promising start to a new historical series.

The mystery is a strong one and used a factor in World War II life on the homefront that I seldom think about.  The cast of characters is also strong. Maple is smart, has a very handy photographic memory, and has a knack for gathering friends around her-- something which she doesn't seem to be completely aware of.

Her best friend Charlotte and Charlotte's husband Hank run the diner in town, and although I do like Charlotte, if she kept walking into my house unannounced, she wouldn't be my friend for long. Ben, a half-Japanese hardware store owner, Ginger Comstock ("Gossip Central"), and rookie police officer Kenny Quirk round out the major players. Oh, I almost forgot one! Sheriff Sam Scott started life as a cardboard lawman, but I am happy to say that he didn't stay that way.

But... as strong as the mystery and the characters are, one thing really annoyed me: slipshod editing. The book takes place in 1946. When the sheriff tells Maple "Don't get your pantyhose in a twist," it stopped me in my tracks. Did they have pantyhose in 1946? I had to stop and do a little investigating. No, they did not. So... when I find an error like that, it makes me suspicious. Yellowjackets that were hereafter referred to as bees didn't help, and then I found myself doing some digging on the subjects of seatbelts and plywood among other things.

Death in the Details is a strong mystery with a good cast of characters. Unfortunately, it is a bit weak in the details. Will I read the next book in the series? Yes, but I won't be in a rush to do so.

 

Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen

eISBN:  9781639107193

Crooked Lane Books © 2024

eBook, 288 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #1 Maple Bishop mystery

Rating: C+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Art of the Decoy by Trish Esden

 

First Line: The brrring of the phone bounced off the van's metal walls.

 

Now that Edie Brown's mother is in prison for art forgery, she heads back to northern Vermont to rebuild her family's antiques business. She's very optimistic about her chances now that her mother is out of the way. After all, her mother's bad business practices were responsible for a screw-up that landed Edie on probation for selling stolen property.

 

When she gets the opportunity to appraise a potentially priceless waterfowl decoy collection, she knows this could be her chance to bring in badly needed income as well as knock some of the tarnish off the family business's reputation. 

But the collection vanishes and Edie is accused of its theft. With the help of her Uncle Tuck and Kala, their new employee, Edie knows she has to work fast to clear her name. 

~

If you like your mysteries to have a background in the world of art and antiques-- like the books by Connie Berry and Jane K. Cleland for instance-- you should enjoy the first Scandal Mountain Antiques mystery, The Art of the Decoy by Trish Esden. 

Edie Brown and her mother are a bit unusual in the world of cozy mysteries due mainly to their both being in trouble with the law. Edie's mother-- now in prison for art forgery-- was responsible for Edie selling stolen property and being put on probation. And she's just the sort of mother that makes you want to roll your eyes: she refuses to admit that she's ever done anything wrong and is still full of hare-brained ideas for the business. Edie, on the other hand, has worked hard to become an expert in New England folk art and furnishings so that, if she can't revive her grandparents' antiques business, she'll still have a good shot at working for a top-notch auction house or museum.

Edie's family home was built in the 1830s, and its beautiful gardens are modeled after Monet's at Giverny. The mystery itself revolves around a legendary collection of waterfowl decoys that hasn't been seen for decades. With so many people either openly hostile or obviously up to no good, it takes Edie a while to sort them all out, and I appreciated learning about the antiques as the story unfolded.

Only two things bothered me. One, I don't care much for romance in my mysteries, and there was a bit too much burning and yearning between Edie and her Hollywood handsome ex-probation officer. (Aw come on... fall for a homely guy with sticky-out ears once in a blue moon!) The other thing that bothered me a bit was Edie and her mother's well-known tangles with the law. This is no secret, and I really can't see Edie being able to revive the family business. Also, I have a feeling that these troubles are going to rear their ugly heads over and over again in future books, and a little of that can go a long way.

So, although there's quite a lot of potential in The Art of the Decoy, I do have my concerns. I'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next book in the series.

The Art of the Decoy by Trish Esden

eISBN: 9781643859651

Crooked Lane Books © 2022

eBook, 336 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #1 Scandal Mountain Antiques mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

First Line: Summer 1999. Beautiful women kept you waiting with a clear conscience because they really believed that the party didn't start until they got there.

 

When her late grandfather's dying deputy hands Mercy Carr the cold case that's always haunted him, the timing couldn't be worse. The man who murdered her grandfather has just escaped from prison, and a fellow Army veteran has turned up, claiming that Elvis is his dog, not hers. What does finding Beth Kilgore twenty years after she disappeared got to do with these events that are threatening everything she holds most dear?

 

It's the last straw when her beloved grandmother goes missing. Mercy needs help, and it means that she has to forgive Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner long enough to enlist his aid. With time running out, Mercy and her dog Elvis must team up with Troy and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to unravel long-buried secrets and find her grandmother.

~

Paula Munier's Mercy Carr series gets stronger with each book. In this third entry, The Hiding Place, much of the mystery and the action concern Mercy's relationships with all the people in her life. A great deal of tension also comes from Hallet, the Army veteran who is determined to take Elvis away from Mercy. Readers of the series will know how important woman and dog are to each other, so I have to admit that I was often more concerned with deducing how Hallet could be convinced to leave well enough alone than I was with all the other elements in Munier's multi-layered mystery.

 

There's much to like about the "bones" of this series. Mercy herself is a strong, fascinating character as are others like game warden Troy Warner. Munier also brings her setting of the Vermont outdoors to life. Of course, there is also the very strong draw of the resident working dogs: Elvis the Belgian Malinois, a former war dog suffering from PTSD, and Troy's search-and-rescue Newfoundland mix, Susie Bear. (I do wish that Munier would stop referring to Susie's "pumpkin head" so much, however.) There's even the added bonus of a third dog, a gorgeous golden retriever, Sunny, whom Mercy calls the "mood ring of dogs."

If you enjoy multi-layered mysteries set in the great outdoors and filled with marvelous dogs and strong humans, you should become acquainted with Paula Munier's Mercy Carr series. Do that, and you've set yourself up for some mighty fine reading.

 

 

 

The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

eISBN: 9781250153081

Minotaur Books © 2021

eBook, 336 pages

 

Law Enforcement/Working Dog, #3 Mercy & Elvis mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

 

First Line: Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share.

Twenty-five years ago, five-year-old Maggie Holt and her parents moved into Baneberry Hall, a Victorian mansion in the Vermont woods. Three weeks later, they abandoned it in the dead of night. Maggie's father, Ewan, recounted their ordeal in a massive bestseller, House of Horrors. That book is the bane of Maggie's life. She hates it and believes that her father-- whom she does love unconditionally-- is the most dishonest man she's ever known because she doesn't remember anything in the book actually happening. As far as she's concerned, it's all lies.

When Ewan Holt dies, Maggie (who is now a restorer of old homes) returns to Baneberry Hall to renovate it for sale. She finds that the locals hate the book as much as she does, and that leads to an uneasy homecoming. Then strange things begin to happen-- straight out of her father's book-- and Maggie begins to wonder if the fiction is really fact.

 ~

I was in the mood for a scary house book, and Riley Sager's Home Before Dark delivers. Baneberry Hall (why would someone name his mansion after poisonous berries?) joins the ranks of my favorite spooky abodes with Shirley Jackson's Hill House and others. The first sentence pulled me right in because I do believe that houses can have stories and secrets to share, that people's experiences can somehow soak into the plaster and beams. One of the locals tells Maggie, "From what I've heard, that house hasn't witnessed a lot of love. It remembers that pain. What you need to do is make it forget." The question is, does Maggie have what it takes to make Baneberry Hall forget a very painful past?

Although other architectural details-- like the interior of the town library (!), that armoire in the Indigo Room, and others that shall remain nameless-- have landed firmly in my memory, Maggie Holt's journey to enlightenment has, too. She's a woman who doesn't know how to quit, especially when three momentous weeks of her childhood are coming to light. She's stubborn and distrustful, and she needs a lot of convincing, but Baneberry Hall gets the job done. Just how it does that, you'll have to find out for yourself.

Probably the best thing about Home Before Dark should please all those who don't care for any paranormal elements in their reading. Logic plays a very large role in uncovering the truth of Baneberry Hall's history-- but that doesn't mean I'd walk into that mansion without feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up. If you like being pleasantly spooked and solidly entertained, this is the book for you.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

ISBN: 9781524745172

Dutton © 2020

Hardcover, 400 pages

 

Standalone Thriller

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

Blind Search by Paula Munier

First Line: Henry Jenkins was lost.

It's a bad time to be lost in the Green Mountains of Vermont: it's hunting season, the most beautiful and dangerous time of the year. It's not the first time nine-year-old Henry has been lost, but this time he's seen something terrible.

Former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis have found Henry after discovering the body of a young woman killed with an arrow to the heart. Mercy thinks the woman was murdered. She also thinks Henry knows something about it. But the young autistic math genius isn't talking.

It soon becomes clear that there's a murderer hiding among the hunters in the forest, and it's up to Mercy and Elvis and their other crime-solving friends, game warden Troy Warner and search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear, to find the person before the death toll gets any higher--and to protect Henry at all cost.

A strong mystery combines with strong characters in Paula Munier's second Mercy & Elvis mystery set in the Vermont wilderness. Speaking of that wilderness, it comes to life under Munier's pen. I can feel the snowflakes on my face, smell the trees, and hear the crunch of the snow under my boots as I follow the characters along on their search for a killer.

For those of you who may worry about a child being endangered in Blind Search, I want you to know that I was wondering about that myself. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that you shouldn't worry too much about that. Munier has it covered, and covered well-- and she still keeps the story exciting.

She also has her characters covered well. Henry took center stage for me, and I really liked how both Mercy and the two dogs related to the young boy. Elvis and Susie Bear are stars, which should please dog lovers everywhere. Troy and Mercy have their own baggage to deal with which makes a relationship between them somewhat prickly, and if there's anything that didn't sit well with me in Blind Search, it's the appearance of a character from Troy's past. It's something that's been done so often that it's tired and worn out.

If you're in the mood for a fast-paced, exciting story with strong, likable characters and two marvelous dogs, it sounds to me like you should pick up a copy of Blind Search. As for me, I'm looking forward to my next visit to Vermont to see Mercy and Elvis.

Blind Search by Paula Munier

eISBN: 9781250153067

Minotaur Books © 2019

eBook, 352 pages

Law Enforcement/Working Dogs, #2 Mercy & Elvis mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley


 

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

First Line: Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not.

In an attempt to walk off grief, ex-military policewoman Mercy Carr and ex-military bomb-sniffing dog Elvis go deep into the Vermont woods every single day. Each day reminds Mercy that Elvis, a Belgian Malinois with canine PTSD, was her fiancé's partner, and-- now that Martinez is dead-- to Elvis, Mercy is never going to be more than second best.

It's the busy Fourth of July weekend and the entire town of Northshire has been gearing up to celebrate for days. To Mercy and Elvis, it's just another walk in the woods until Elvis alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave that appears to contain human bones.

U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue dog Susie Bear respond to Mercy's 911 call, and the four of them find themselves working together to find a missing mother, solve a cold case, and keep the citizens of Northshire safe on what could be an incendiary holiday weekend.

I've quickly become hooked on mysteries featuring working dogs-- especially military or police dogs. I think it's because the bond between human and dog is so strong and because the dog's capabilities are extraordinary. When I learned of this first Mercy and Elvis mystery, I knew I had to read it, and the only thing I can say now is that I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

A Borrowing of Bones is fast-paced and well-plotted, with a mystery that keeps readers guessing. Munier also makes her Vermont setting come to life, so much so that I wanted to book the next flight there. Not only do you get a feel for the lifestyle of the people living there, you can also do a bit of fantasizing since the main characters have what would be to me dream homes. (Mercy and Elvis in a perfect cabin deep in the woods complete with a fireplace and a wall of books, and Troy and Susie Bear in a converted fire lookout tower.)

However, the characters of Mercy, Elvis, Troy, and Susie Bear are what really matter. Mercy has a lot of sharp edges and bad memories. With the special bond between Martinez and Elvis, she's always felt like an outsider, as though the man and his dog were a closed circuit. She's got a lot to work through, and Troy quickly discovers that it's going to be a challenge to get to know her. I also liked the fact that Elvis has canine PTSD since most people probably aren't aware that dogs can suffer from it. Yes, compared to Mercy and Elvis, Troy and Susie Bear are big softies, so this is a relationship that's going to be fun to watch develop.

If you like fast-paced, intriguing mysteries in vivid settings that are filled with multi-faceted characters and wonderful working dogs, I strongly recommend that you get in on the ground floor of the Mercy and Elvis series. A Borrowing of Bones is a winner.

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

eISBN: 9781250153043

Minotaur Books © 2018

eBook, 352 pages

Law Enforcement, #1 Mercy & Elvis mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Architecture of Snow by David Morrell

First Line: On the first Monday in October, Samuel Carver, who was 72 and suddenly unemployed, stepped in front of a fast-moving bus.

Normally I don't review single short stories, but I had to make an exception for David Morrell's "The Architecture of Snow." In this gem, Morrell uses J.D. Salinger's withdrawal from the world of writing and humans to give a loving farewell to the golden days of publishing. The way publishing is being run now, we are all the poorer for it.

Samuel Carver is a legendary Maxwell Perkins-type figure in this story, renowned for being the editor of the fabled R. J. Wentworth, an author who stopped writing and has been a hermit somewhere in Vermont for several years. But when Carver dies, Tom Neal is given the task of cleaning out Carver's office and therein he discovers a recently delivered manuscript. Neal reads it and is enchanted. He's also convinced that it was written by Wentworth.

When he informs his superiors, millions of dollar signs start flashing before their eyes, and they immediately send Neal to Vermont to take care of all the legalities they need from Wentworth. What follows is a beautifully written and bittersweet tale of the love of books and words and humanity itself. It's one of the best short stories I've ever read.
   

"The Architecture of Snow" by David Morrell

ASIN: B007D07SNC

Morrell Enterprises © 2013

Digital short story, 47 pages

Short Story, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.    

 

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

First Line: My beloved aunt, Sara Harrison Shea, was brutally murdered in the winter of 1908.

The death of Sara Harrison Shea-- months after the death of her young daughter-- is just one in a long line of strange deaths and disappearances in the area around West Hall, Vermont.

One hundred years later, nineteen-year-old Ruthie is living with her mother and little sister in Sara's house. When Ruthie's mother vanishes into thin air, the young woman searches desperately for some sort of clue... and stumbles over a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary.

Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery of what happened to Sara, and she soon realizes that her mother may not be the first person to disappear from the area around the Devil's Hand, but Ruthie may be the only person to stop history from repeating itself.

This is a nicely creepy little ghost story with a small and sterling cast. Although the shifts in point of view are sometimes awkward, the story of Sara, her husband Martin and their daughter Gertie builds the sense of dread and foreboding and nicely compliments the present-day story of Ruthie, her mother Alice and her sister Fawn.  

Not much can be said of the story without giving away key points, but let me say this. It is reminiscent of some of Stephen King's writing, and the setting is perfect for a ghost tale: atmospheric, claustrophobic, and chilling. The Winter People strayed into the paranormal just a bit too much for me, but I still found it to be a compelling-- and nerve-tingling-- story.
  

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

ISBN: 9780385681476

Anchor Canada © 2015

Paperback, 400 pages

Paranormal Thriller, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet 


 

The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas

First Line: "What does it mean when someone calls you swine?" Simon Horowitz asked suddenly, as his father's black Mercedes-Benz rolled to a stop at the top of a blind alley off the Friedrichstrasse.

Simon is about to find out exactly what that means, as his world rapidly descends into nightmare. Instead of learning to play his father's priceless and beloved 1742 Guarneri del Gesú violin, he and other members of his family are sent to Dachau, and the precious violin finds its way into other hands.

In the present day, a fourteen-year-old violin prodigy has a chance to make a name for himself on the world stage, and renowned conductor Rafael Gomez wants to help young Daniel Horowitz realize the dream. When Daniel rebels and refuses to play, Gomez is determined to do whatever it takes to make the boy play again. When the conductor learns that Daniel's family once owned an incredible violin, he thinks he has the answer: the story of what happened to the Horowitz family and their Guarneri del Gesú violin.

Although I've never been a real fan of the violin, I do enjoy stories about a house or an object that has survived through the centuries passing through various owners. The Keeper of Secrets is a welcome addition to this literary tradition.

The cast of characters is an interesting one. Simon Horowitz and his family react too slowly for most to survive the Holocaust. Simon has the character, the intelligence and the strength of will to do so, and he must use all of that in order to walk out of the infamous concentration camp known as Dachau. Daniel Horowitz, who has a once-in-a-lifetime talent, wants to be an ordinary boy who plays baseball with his friends. Daniel's mother is a woman who insists everything be sacrificed to Daniel's talent. The boy's father is a man who's torn between wanting his son to have a normal childhood and wanting his son to use his gift to its full potential. Rafael Gomez  is a man whose love of music has ruled his life, and he wants Daniel to be a sort of gift to the profession he loves.

All these characters blend together very well within the author's framework. Germany in the 1930s came to life as I read; the burgeoning power of the Nazis, the people who saw what was happening and got out, those who refused to see and stayed. Two elements in particular impressed me. One was the inclusion of various German characters who helped those being persecuted in whatever ways they could. The second was the fact that the chapters of the book involving Simon's internment in Dachau were horrible without being graphic. Thomas didn't candy coat anything, but she didn't feel the need to bury readers in the details of all the atrocities.

Perhaps music was the most profound element of The Keeper of Secrets, and I'm not just talking about learning the business aspects behind world-class orchestras. I've never read another book that made me feel even the tiniest bit like a gifted musician would feel as he played, what a piece of music can tell him, and how different instruments playing the same piece of music can sound differently. Somehow Thomas managed to convey all that and more.

The power of good characterization, of a good story, and of music combined to make Julie Thomas's book a virtuoso performance.

The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas

ISBN: 9780062240309

William Morrow © 2013

Paperback, 384 pages

Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers program 

Moonlighting in Vermont by Kate George

First Line: "Why. Won't. You. Open!" With every word I pushed my shoulder into the door.

It's not easy being Bree MacGowan. She works two jobs in an effort to keep her farm going, her vehicle running, and her menagerie of stray animals fed. About the only time she's not covered in mud is when she's working one of her jobs as a maid in a nearby five-star resort. And when you live in the small town of South Royalton, Vermont, everybody knows you... and everybody feels comfortable telling you what you should be doing.

When a universally disliked supervisor at the resort is murdered, Bree is first in the line of suspects. All her co-workers points fingers at Bree. Her boyfriend the lawyer dumps her. A reporter at the newspaper where she works lists Bree as the primary suspect. Even the police officer in charge of the case seems intent on pinning the murder on her. What else can Bree do but conduct her own investigation? If she goes to jail, who will take care of all her animals?

Moonlighting in Vermont won the 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence in mystery and suspense. It is a cozy with an engaging main character. Kate George has a light, humorous touch, and I liked the way she developed Bree's character. Bree's bright, funny, and good-hearted. She makes mistakes, but she learns from them. It was easy to find myself rooting for her to uncover the real killer.

If you're in the mood for something light and fun, you'd do well to make the acquaintance of Bree MacGowan. I know that I look forward to reading more books in this series.

Moonlighting in Vermont by Kate George

ISBN: 9781482709230

Createspace © 2013

Paperback, 258 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Bree MacGowan mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased as an eBook from Amazon.