Two Murders Too Many by Bluette Matthey
Publisher: Blue Shutter Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by SnowdropBarn burning in a sleepy farming community is a serious enough matter, but a grisly murder or two in a small midwest town is a showstopper. Throw in a serial blackmailer who has his claws in some of the town’s leading citizens and you have one big recipe for disaster.
Charlie Simmons, newly sworn in as Shannon’s policeman, takes on the challenge of investigating this cauldron of crimes in stride, untangling one thread after another from the fabric of the town of Shannon to find the simple truth.
When I got into what I will call her working story, I found a suspenseful tale full of twists and turns, with blackmail and murder mixed in.
I always have a fondness for a small-town sheriff and this story has one, one that has just been sworn in before the gruesome crimes. Matthey did not craft a slow-minded small-town cop but a good sheriff, well-defined in words and busy with incidents. Probably many more incidents than he ever thought he would have in a small town.
I wasn’t crazy about Matthey’s picture of a small Midwestern town. I suppose because it was personal; we weren’t all interbred in the town where I grew up, or at least I don’t think we were.
I won’t hide that there are some very quirky characters invented in this book. Some fun; some quite irritating. The story kept me turning the pages and for some readers the ending will seem satisfying, for others…they’ll want more. Actually, I bet everyone will want more anyway. It was a good read.
