The Secluded Village Murders
by Shelly Frome
on Tour November 1-15, 2018
Synopsis:
For tour guide Emily Ryder, the turning point came on that fatal early morning when her beloved mentor met an untimely death. It’s labeled as an accident and Trooper Dave Roberts is more interested in Emily than in any suspicions over Chris Cooper’s death. For Emily, if Chris hadn’t been the Village Planner and the only man standing in the way of the development of an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint village of Lydfield, Connecticut, she might have believed it was an accident, but too many pieces didn’t fit.
As Emily heads across the pond for a prescheduled tour of Lydfield’s sister village, Lydfield-in-the-Moor, she discovers that the murderer may be closer than she thought.
Book Details:
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: BQB Publishing
Publication Date: September 1st 2018
Number of Pages: 339
ISBN: 1945448202 (ISBN13: 9781945448201)
Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗
My Review
“No regrets. Stick to it, read the situation. The game will tell you what to do.”
The Secluded Village Murders is definitely reminiscent of those British mysteries that entertain and keep you guessing all the way through. This little mystery is full of twists and turns, which can make things confusing at times but no less interesting.
Emily tries hard to get a handle on the murder of her mentor, but she is constantly pulled in every direction and thwarted at every turn. I was exhausted for her as she juggled non-stop events and dealt with friends and foes alike, all without a moment’s rest. The concept of twinning villages (one in England and one in New England) is fascinating, but that part of the story remains a small subplot, with only a little development. What does take center stage is Emily’s determination to stay on track as a tour guide for three quirky, elderly siblings and play amateur detective to solve a murder and uncover devious plots.
As Emily dives deeper into solving the case, she figuratively runs headlong into a hornets’ nest of lies, subterfuge, and a bit of love. Similar to the classic British mysteries, nothing is as it seems in The Secluded Village Murders. The characters are either trying to hide the truth or reveal it, and figuring out who is good and who is not so good can be quite challenging. But don’t despair! The ending is well worth the effort of unraveling both the mystery and the many characters.
I have to say that Babs might be one of my favorite characters. She is Emily’s friend and a reporter, and I love her constant push to get that story, all with a hilarious attitude and sassy language to match. Will and his dog, Oliver, rank high on my list as well.
The author definitely knows how to keep redirecting the main character and the reader as the clues pile up and the mystery deepens. Emily walks a tightrope of danger from the very beginning, but she is fearless and determined to get to the bottom of it all and expose the truth and still maintain her sanity.
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Read an excerpt:
Picking up speed, she passed the rows of Victorian houses with their pilastered front porches and attached shutters in homage to last century’s Colonial Revival. She’d grown up here, always lived here except for college and her transatlantic jaunts. But at this moment, her village might as well be a scattering of old photos.
Before she knew it, the rain was beating down harder, her wiper blades barely able to keep up. Among the nagging questions flitting through her mind was how could Miranda Shaw have suddenly gotten wind of her leaking roof? Or did somebody just put her up to it, to get Chris rushing pell- mell in the rain so he would…
Emily eased her foot off the pedal, barely able to see through the downpour. She switched the wipers on high and kept her eyes on the road, intent on avoiding an accident.
Minutes later, she pulled into Miranda Shaw’s place at a slow but steady crawl. As she reached the circular drive, straining her eyes through the thwacking blades, she peered up two stories above the stone archway.
There she caught sight of the familiar gangly figure climbing higher toward the peak of an eight-sided turret. At a point where the grayish-blue slate, copper flashing, and a mullioned window merged, the figure suddenly became a shuddering blur.
Emily honked her horn, blasting as loud as she could. But it was too late. The figure flopped over and slid down the turret, glanced off the aluminum ladder and toppled like a broken doll.
***
Excerpt from The Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome. Copyright © 2018 by Shelly Frome. Reproduced with permission from Shelly Frome. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Moon Games is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
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Giveaway:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Shelly Frome. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on November 1, 2018 and runs through November 16, 2018. Void where prohibited
After reading your review, I want to read this one!