3 out of 5 stars
The four Blackmoore sisters live in Noquitt, Maine in a home that has been in their family for over 200 years. The two oldest, Morgan and Fiona, are the main focal point in this story and they have their own shop on the property, Sticks and Stones, an herbal remedies and jewelry store. It is no secret that the Blackmoore's and the town shrew, Prudence Littlefield, don't like each other. When oldest sister, Morgan, is overheard threatening Prudence at a local coffee shop, and then Prudence ends up dead, Morgan is the first and only suspect for the inept town Sheriff. Luckily, Jake, a detective who recently moved from Boston, is also on the case. With his help, the sisters start investigating into who killed Prudence, and why Morgan was set up to take the fall.
This was a quick, cute, and fun little read. I finished it in one day. It wasn't the best cozy mystery I have ever read but it also wasn't the worst. It was a little clunky at times and you never did get to find out what happened to their mother. According to the book, she committed suicide by jumping off the cliff that runs along their property years prior, but it's never stated why or given any type of backstory. It was also ridiculous the way the Sheriff didn't follow some of the most basic and commonly known police procedures while investigating the murders. Which was another thing that bothered me a little. There were 2 murders that occurred, but the focus was mostly on the first one.The second murder really wasn't necessary in order to tie up the investigation and I was able to figure out who the killer was immediately. Even with all that, it was still a pretty decent book.
As far as the characters, I liked all the sisters even though I felt like they could have used a little more development. Jake, the detective, was a nice, if not somewhat predictable, love interest for Fiona. When it came to Sheriff Overton, I had the hardest time with his character. Mostly due to the fact that you never find out his reasons for disliking the sisters so much. You also get a sense that he has involvement in the murders, but you never find out what that is. He seemed to create more questions than answers.
I was a bit disappointed that this was not a witchy or paranormal mystery. Something about it made me think it was. Maybe because the shop the two sisters own is a very New Age type store. There was a feline who was fairly present in the story however and continuously "assisted" the sisters in their investigation so that made up for some of that. I am always up for a good cat cozy and this could almost be classified as such.
All in all if you are looking for a light, rainy day read, then I would recommend this book. Just don't go into it expecting too much.
Total pages: 252, Kindle edition
Available on Amazon at the link below:
Dead Wrong
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