Murder Actually

by Stephanie E. McCarthy

A light-hearted cozy mystery featuring a small Hudson Valley town and a very reluctant detective.

Romance novelist Elspeth Gray hates mysteries. Not just real-life ones, but the kind with smoking guns, chalk outlines, and Prof Plum in the library with the lead pipe. Luckily, her picture perfect New England home town of All Hallows doesn’t seem the most likely place to find many of those, so Elspeth should be able to get on with her latest novel without anyone finding out that the ‘Queen of Dessert Romances’ is in frequent danger of burning her own kitchen down.

Until, that is, a dead body turns up at her book signing, carefully arranged to give an observant detective plenty of not-so-subtle clues. And then a couple more follow, until All Hallows begins to look like the set of an Agatha Christie dramatisation.

Persuaded and bullied by her clue- and sleuth-mad best friend Julia (who bases her crime-solving techniques on detectives who are (a) fictional, and (b) cats), can Elspeth find the murderer, fend off the unwelcome attentions of her ex-husband and persuade her agent that she is not the stuff of which mystery novelists are made?

Genres: Mystery

262 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Stephanie McCarthy is an attorney and mystery writer in Peoria, Illinois. Her first novel, Murder Actually, is now available at Amazon.

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic send-up of a cozy mystery that had me laughing out loud in many places.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Allison
Book provided by: the author for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Recipe for a delightful read:
• 1 Romance novelist whose books feature decadent desserts, even though she herself can’t boil water.
• 1 Well-meaning friend who decides they can solve the murders by following the detective skills of a mystery-solving cat in a cozy mystery series
• Cast of characters right out of an Agatha Christie mystery
• An ex-husband who won’t leave her alone
• A new man in town that is very attractive but has a mysterious past
• Sprinkle liberally with red-herrings

All of these ingredients make for a fun mystery with numerous red herrings. Several times I thought I knew “whodunit”, only to find I was wrong. The author did a great job with planting clues and misdirection.

I enjoyed Stephanie McCarthy’s debut mystery immensely. This book is written in first person point of view, which takes a little getting used to, but helps us see life from Elspeth Gray’s view.

I like Elspeth: she’s a romance novelist, lives in a small town, lives the way she wants to, and actually calls the police when she needs help or is in trouble!

The door has been left open for future mysteries with Elspeth and her friend Julia. In fact, Julia has business cards printed up for their future “cases”, so reluctant detective or not, Elspeth will be on the case. I hope to read more from this author soon.

[Crystal Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has such a unique view! It was a little hard for me to get used to because it was so different from the things I've read before. I love the way she things and her funny, quirky, personality. The whole book is quirky and fun.

[Kassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Elspeth's character! Her wittiness had me cracking up throughout the book. Julia's character was a little annoying... I mean mystery solving cats. That was a little much, but overall a fun read!

[Selah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, never has such a short, fluffy book been such a slog! Pedestrian writing, horrific editing, and a horrible ebook format.