It's gonna be a busy month here on my blog. I've got a bunch of reviews for you over the next few weeks ranging from murder mysteries, biblical fiction, contemporary, and some good ole fashion historical romance.
Today's book is Death by a Book, the second in Julianna Deering's Drew Farthering Mysteries series, which I received from the publisher, Bethany House via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. The first book, Rules of Murder, can be found at your local bookseller, and is a fun mystery. This book is even better than the first! These books take place in England during the 1930's, and are quite enjoyable! While the mysteries are separate, the main characters are the same, and some of the previous mystery is discussed in the second book, so I'd recommend reading it first. You don't have to, but it helps with side details.
Summary: Some say that meeting with a lawyer can be hazardous to your health, but Drew Farthering didn't expect it to be deadly - especially not to the lawyer! Arriving to meet with his late parent's solicitor, Drew arrives to find him dead - murdered - with a nonsensical message attached to the body with a hatpin. Dubbed the "Hatpin Murderer" by the locals, Drew suddenly finds himself pulled into the murder's web, and feels compelled to help the police solve the mystery before more people end up dead.Meanwhile, Drew is still waiting for the lovely Madeline to agree to marry him, which becomes complicated further by the arrival of two Americans. The first, Madeline's Aunt Ruth, is a grumpy spinster who has the disposition of a porcupine, and who believes Drew's only motivation is to ruin and destroy her niece's reputation and break her heart. The second, a handsome American who is on holiday, takes an interest in Madeline as a fellow American - too much of one in Drew's opinion. Drew must balance his quest to find the truth with his desire to woo Madeline while avoiding her aunt's barbs and prickles. Hopefully, our dashing hero can do it all while not falling victim to the "Hatpin Murderer"!
What I liked: First off: GREAT mystery! For those of you who have read my blog, you know that i'm generally pretty good at figuring out the whodunit, or at least the motive, fairly quickly. Well, not this time! Ms. Deering totally stumped my on both counts this time. Her first book, I figured out pretty quickly, and was expecting the same thing here. Boy was I fooled! I had NO CLUE who the murderer was or why, and for that reason alone, I LOVE this book! The clues were awesome, the murderer was a surprise - but at the same time, it totally worked. There were several plot twists, and in the end I am completely satisfied with the overall story. I also enjoyed the wit and the one liners. The characters were well developed, and while some were annoying, they served their purpose.
What I didn't like: Aunt Ruth grated on me for a bit at first. She was almost too well written, if that makes sense. Her grumpiness and general behavior was frustrating, especially since she was a guest! However, she eventually mellowed out, which was a VERY good thing. Also - I had to stop myself from googleing the clues to find out where they came from. I realized if they couldn't use Google, then I couldn't cheat and use it either!
Overall, a fun murder mystery with plenty of plot twists, red herrings and just a touch of romance! This book is for anyone who enjoys mysteries, and since it is written from a man's perspective, it might draw in male readers as well. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
Happy Readings!
Sarah K
I'm so glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you! :D
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