Murder of a Good Man by Teresa Trent
Publisher: Camel Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (258 pgs)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by SnowdropWhen Nora Alexander arrives in Piney Woods, Texas, to fulfill her dying mother’s last wish, she has no idea what awaits her. First she is run off the road, then the sealed letter she delivers turns out to be a scathing rebuke to the town’s most beloved citizen and favored candidate for Piney Woods Pioneer: Adam Brockwell. Next thing you know, Adam has been murdered in a nasty knife attack. Suspicion instantly falls on Nora, one of the last people to see him alive. After all, everyone in Piney Woods loved him. Or did they? Nora learns that her mother had a complicated past she never shared with her daughter.
Told not to leave town by Tuck the flirty sheriff, Nora finds a job with Tuck’s Aunt Marty trying to get the rundown Tunie Hotel back in the black. The old hotel was Piney Woods’ heart and soul in its heyday as an oil boomtown. Now the secrets it harbors may be the key to getting Nora off the hook. She’s going to need to solve the mystery quickly to avoid arrest, or worse: becoming the killer’s next victim.
Good books have a rhythm and this one never lost a beat.
Books really do have a rhythm. There are those which seem to stop and start and those which flow as smoothly as a waltz. There is nothing more enjoyable than to read a book with no “hiccups” in the rhythm. Well, this first book in the Piney Woods Mystery Series was a waltz. I enjoyed every moment of it and the author truly never missed a step.
This small town setting with a nice mix of warm people has a lot in common with many other small towns trying to stay alive in today’s world. The story has a few characters that are immediately likeable and each has their own distinct personality. A lawman of course, gossipy old ladies, a sweet old couple nagging at each other lovingly and a smart lady trying to rebuild a life and a business. Well, you know, all the characters that make a good book. Don’t fret though, the story has its own set of dastardly characters too.
I guess this could be defined as a cozy. It did make me curl up and read. It was one of those books you can’t wait to finish but are sad when you actually do because it’s over. I hope there is a follow-up.
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