Monday, May 12, 2014

A Classic Mystery

Death by the Book
Julianna Deering




Book Summary: With Farlinford Processing and the family's good name safe again following the events in Rules of Murder, Drew Farthering wants nothing more than to end the summer of 1932 with the announcement of his engagement to Madeline Parker. Instead, he finds himself involved in another mysterious case. The family lawyer has been found dead in a Winchester hotel room, skewered through the heart by an antique hat pin with a cryptic message attached: Advice to Jack. Evidence of secret meetings and a young girl's tearful confession point to the man's double life, but what does that have to do with the murder of a physician on the local golf course? Nothing, it would seem. Nothing except for another puzzling note and the antique hat pin affixing it to the doctor's chest. Soon the police make an arrest in connection with the murders, but Drew isn't at all sure they have the right man. Could the killer be one of his society friends, or is it someone much closer than that?

Book Review: I will confess that I started with this book. I heard all the hype from the first in the series and was interested. I found the book to be easy to get into and the main characters of Drew, Nick and Madeline were likable and fun to get to know. It was obvious I came into the series late, but enough details were given about the first book, but not so much to spoil reading it. I liked Madeline’s aunt who was a great catalyst for the author to use to explain to those who joined the party late, like myself some of the background. This new mystery was a real puzzle. The entire book was well written and had an authentic historic British feel to it. While I enjoyed the book very much as a mystery I did not feel a tremendous suspense that anyone was truly in danger except for people that were introduced as peripherally. It was easy to read, but it was not till the last 10 pages that the mystery twisted to become exciting. Yes, it had a tremendous Agatha Christie feel to it at times, but the suspense was not that intense.

I would like to thank Bethany House Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.

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