Stephanie McCarthy

Reviewed by: Allison
Book provided by: the author for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Recipe for a delightful read:
• 1 Romance novelist whose books feature decadent desserts, even though she herself can’t boil water.
• 1 Well-meaning friend who decides they can solve the murders by following the detective skills of a mystery-solving cat in a cozy mystery series
• Cast of characters right out of an Agatha Christie mystery
• An ex-husband who won’t leave her alone
• A new man in town that is very attractive but has a mysterious past
• Sprinkle liberally with red-herrings

All of these ingredients make for a fun mystery with numerous red herrings. Several times I thought I knew “whodunit”, only to find I was wrong. The author did a great job with planting clues and misdirection.

I enjoyed Stephanie McCarthy’s debut mystery immensely. This book is written in first person point of view, which takes a little getting used to, but helps us see life from Elspeth Gray’s view.

I like Elspeth: she’s a romance novelist, lives in a small town, lives the way she wants to, and actually calls the police when she needs help or is in trouble!

The door has been left open for future mysteries with Elspeth and her friend Julia. In fact, Julia has business cards printed up for their future “cases”, so reluctant detective or not, Elspeth will be on the case. I hope to read more from this author soon.… (mehr)