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Marketplace #1
Murder Goes to Market
A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
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275 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
October 16, 2020
Claudia Simcoe has started her life again in the California coastal town of San Elmo Bay by opening a market where locals can sell their locally produced wares. Most of the offerings are food related, but she has learned that the bags and other items Lori Roth sells are just things she has bought over the internet. The morning after Claudia confronts Lori about this, she finds Lori’s dead body in the middle of the market. The police think Claudia is a great suspect, and they are keeping the market closed until they solve the case. With a double motive to learn the truth, Claudia begins her investigation. Can she figure out what really happened?
It took a bit of work to get into the book. The early chapters, while advancing the story, still fall a bit too much into exposition for me, and the third person narration kept me a little at bay. However, by the time I hit page 50, I was fully hooked. The mystery is complex with lots of puzzling things for Claudia to figure out, yet it all makes sense at the end. Claudia is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her. The rest of the cast still has some room to grow, but I did like what I saw here. Claudia can be sarcastic, and I loved that. Additionally, some lines in the narration made me laugh. I grew up in Sonoma County, the location of the fictional San Elmo Bay, and I really enjoyed spending time in a location I know in real life. This debut grew into a book I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to visit the characters and location again.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
It took a bit of work to get into the book. The early chapters, while advancing the story, still fall a bit too much into exposition for me, and the third person narration kept me a little at bay. However, by the time I hit page 50, I was fully hooked. The mystery is complex with lots of puzzling things for Claudia to figure out, yet it all makes sense at the end. Claudia is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her. The rest of the cast still has some room to grow, but I did like what I saw here. Claudia can be sarcastic, and I loved that. Additionally, some lines in the narration made me laugh. I grew up in Sonoma County, the location of the fictional San Elmo Bay, and I really enjoyed spending time in a location I know in real life. This debut grew into a book I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to visit the characters and location again.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
October 24, 2020
This is my first foray into the cozy mystery genre and it did not disappoint. Loved the characters, the descriptions of San Elmo and of course the food. A few times I thought I knew whodunit but I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Looking forward to the next in the series!
October 7, 2020
MURDER GOES TO MARKET, the first book in a new series by Daisy Bateman, introduces the reader to protagonist Claudia Simcoe. With the seaside setting on the Sonoma coast in California, this book captures the feeling of a rural farm-to-table movement despite being fairly close to San Francisco. One of the things I enjoyed about this book is the way the author showcases each of the vendors’ wares and businesses who do business at Claudia’s market. From cheese making to pickle making and fermentation, there’s something for everyone.
The murder itself starts out early in the story which aided in picking up the pace as it lagged a bit starting out. When the police chief appears to want to pin the crime on Claudia, she has to step in and clear her name. As a former computer programmer, Claudia has the smarts to use technology to assist her in her quest. Along with her investigations, Claudia still has a business to run and vendors to protect which keeps her busy. I admire that she is diligent in her job instead of shirking duties to run off and talk to people. But as she delves into the secretive life of the victim, clues are revealed with plenty of suspects to keep me guessing. With a few huge twists I didn’t see coming, the reveal wrapped up the threads of the story into a cohesive, satisfying read.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The murder itself starts out early in the story which aided in picking up the pace as it lagged a bit starting out. When the police chief appears to want to pin the crime on Claudia, she has to step in and clear her name. As a former computer programmer, Claudia has the smarts to use technology to assist her in her quest. Along with her investigations, Claudia still has a business to run and vendors to protect which keeps her busy. I admire that she is diligent in her job instead of shirking duties to run off and talk to people. But as she delves into the secretive life of the victim, clues are revealed with plenty of suspects to keep me guessing. With a few huge twists I didn’t see coming, the reveal wrapped up the threads of the story into a cohesive, satisfying read.
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 6, 2020
Excellent first book. I look forward to many more. Great plot twist fun read.
July 5, 2020
Good read
First of all, I liked Claudia, the main character. I liked her idea of an artisan's marketplace to give the story many "suspects" for the first murder. As Claudia digs into the murder victim's life, she slowly uncovers the mystery of "why". The "who" comes almost too late, but her way of avoiding death herself is brilliant. Daisy, I hope that you have more stories to tell.
First of all, I liked Claudia, the main character. I liked her idea of an artisan's marketplace to give the story many "suspects" for the first murder. As Claudia digs into the murder victim's life, she slowly uncovers the mystery of "why". The "who" comes almost too late, but her way of avoiding death herself is brilliant. Daisy, I hope that you have more stories to tell.
April 26, 2022
Absolutely loved this book!
March 7, 2022
Murder Goes to Market Earns 5/5 Jars of Pickles…Clever & Engaging!
Thirty-something Claudia Simcoe was forced by circumstances to sell her house in San Francisco, pack up, and head north to San Elmo Bay, a place she had visited often as a child, to contemplate her future. More favorable circumstances led her to buy a local property and renew the original vision to turn it into a marketplace for independent businesses to sell locally-sourced products. The enterprise was well received with vendors from farm-direct produce, cured meats, and artisanal cheeses to pierogis and empanadas and not just pickled pickles, but rules are rules, especially when it’s a vendor contract checked by a lawyer and signed by parties of the first and second part. Claudia received a unmarked Manila envelope with a print out inside showing that Lori Roth’s advertising her products as “Handmade Creations” is false. Her items are really sourced in bulk from a wholesale distributor. Lori begs to be able to stay for awhile longer, even agreeing to drop the “handmade” claim and slash her prices, by no deal. Lori must vacate the premises. However, the next morning Claudia spies Lori’s car in the parking lot, and finds her dead body in the gourmet cheese stall. That’s devastating on its own, but it’s the hostility by the police chief and his assertions Claudia had motive for murder that causes the most concern necessitating her own investigation. She may feel she’s good at puzzles, having solved a few when she was young, and a murder investigation is the ultimate puzzle, but is she out of her depth?
Daisy Bateman’s first book in her Marketplace Mysteries is well-worth a read! The crime occurs early, like I prefer, making the investigation the central element. The mystery challenged Claudia’s efforts to clear her name and reopen her business, incorporated her skills with technology, and escalated hostility with the police chief. She struggles with many questions without easy answers and a victim no one really knew, and has difficulty explaining more evidence that points to her involvement. The victim’s background slowly revealed issues with her last job, a religious cult and its leader recently released from jail, an ex-husband, and a photo and curious notation in a date book along with all leading toward a “couldn’t put it down” conclusion. Claudia is a strong female lead with realistic challenges in her personal life, finds herself adopted by an abandoned dog, and shunned by a pair of geese, yet has many endearing friends, with their own backstory, on whom she can rely. Throughout the story, we are introduced to a diverse set of characters and relationships that will evolve in the series, and along with a descriptive writing style, some comic relief, and a closer look at some of the vendor’s wares (pickled kelp?) this is a must read book!
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publishing team. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.
Thirty-something Claudia Simcoe was forced by circumstances to sell her house in San Francisco, pack up, and head north to San Elmo Bay, a place she had visited often as a child, to contemplate her future. More favorable circumstances led her to buy a local property and renew the original vision to turn it into a marketplace for independent businesses to sell locally-sourced products. The enterprise was well received with vendors from farm-direct produce, cured meats, and artisanal cheeses to pierogis and empanadas and not just pickled pickles, but rules are rules, especially when it’s a vendor contract checked by a lawyer and signed by parties of the first and second part. Claudia received a unmarked Manila envelope with a print out inside showing that Lori Roth’s advertising her products as “Handmade Creations” is false. Her items are really sourced in bulk from a wholesale distributor. Lori begs to be able to stay for awhile longer, even agreeing to drop the “handmade” claim and slash her prices, by no deal. Lori must vacate the premises. However, the next morning Claudia spies Lori’s car in the parking lot, and finds her dead body in the gourmet cheese stall. That’s devastating on its own, but it’s the hostility by the police chief and his assertions Claudia had motive for murder that causes the most concern necessitating her own investigation. She may feel she’s good at puzzles, having solved a few when she was young, and a murder investigation is the ultimate puzzle, but is she out of her depth?
Daisy Bateman’s first book in her Marketplace Mysteries is well-worth a read! The crime occurs early, like I prefer, making the investigation the central element. The mystery challenged Claudia’s efforts to clear her name and reopen her business, incorporated her skills with technology, and escalated hostility with the police chief. She struggles with many questions without easy answers and a victim no one really knew, and has difficulty explaining more evidence that points to her involvement. The victim’s background slowly revealed issues with her last job, a religious cult and its leader recently released from jail, an ex-husband, and a photo and curious notation in a date book along with all leading toward a “couldn’t put it down” conclusion. Claudia is a strong female lead with realistic challenges in her personal life, finds herself adopted by an abandoned dog, and shunned by a pair of geese, yet has many endearing friends, with their own backstory, on whom she can rely. Throughout the story, we are introduced to a diverse set of characters and relationships that will evolve in the series, and along with a descriptive writing style, some comic relief, and a closer look at some of the vendor’s wares (pickled kelp?) this is a must read book!
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publishing team. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.
September 20, 2020
Murder Goes To Market is a murder mystery set in a small town.
Murder? Who dunnit? Yes! Right away things start rolling and the mystery begins. The pacing of the story was really slow. I really had trouble relating or connecting with the main character. I did think her special skills was cool. I did like some of the characters and of course Teddy!
The ending and big reveal just fell flat for me. I think by then end of the book, I didn’t care who did it. I really wanted to like this book but sadly it just didn’t deliver. I think others may enjoy this book but it’s wasn’t for me. I give this 2 stars.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
Murder? Who dunnit? Yes! Right away things start rolling and the mystery begins. The pacing of the story was really slow. I really had trouble relating or connecting with the main character. I did think her special skills was cool. I did like some of the characters and of course Teddy!
The ending and big reveal just fell flat for me. I think by then end of the book, I didn’t care who did it. I really wanted to like this book but sadly it just didn’t deliver. I think others may enjoy this book but it’s wasn’t for me. I give this 2 stars.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
November 23, 2020
The excellent start for a new cozy series.
I found it compelling and entertaining.
I liked the well thought characters, especially the MC, the lovely setting and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I can't wait to read the next instalment.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I found it compelling and entertaining.
I liked the well thought characters, especially the MC, the lovely setting and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I can't wait to read the next instalment.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine
September 25, 2020
Charming, clever, and the perfect escape when all you want is to savor an heirloom tomato and put right the ills of the world (or your purveyors' market).
March 22, 2021
Delightful! Will keep a lookout for the next one.
May 13, 2021
3.75 stars
Entertaining series debut featuring former San Francisco techie Claudia Simcoe. When the start-up she was working for failed and her relationship soured, Claudia left the city for small town life and bought a building which she turned into a local artisan market.
She puts in long hours, and it's more hand to mouth than lucrative, but Claudia likes what she is doing and is beginning to settle in. As the book opens, she has just terminated the lease of one of the artists who turns out to have bought her wares mass-produced in China, strictly against the rules of her lease.
But when the woman is found dead in the market the next morning, Claudia falls under suspicion. The local police chief is inexperienced and judgmental, so Claudia decides she better start asking questions before her situation worsens.
Unusual and interesting setting, some humor and some plot twists combine to make this one fun.
Entertaining series debut featuring former San Francisco techie Claudia Simcoe. When the start-up she was working for failed and her relationship soured, Claudia left the city for small town life and bought a building which she turned into a local artisan market.
She puts in long hours, and it's more hand to mouth than lucrative, but Claudia likes what she is doing and is beginning to settle in. As the book opens, she has just terminated the lease of one of the artists who turns out to have bought her wares mass-produced in China, strictly against the rules of her lease.
But when the woman is found dead in the market the next morning, Claudia falls under suspicion. The local police chief is inexperienced and judgmental, so Claudia decides she better start asking questions before her situation worsens.
Unusual and interesting setting, some humor and some plot twists combine to make this one fun.
December 21, 2021
This book was a fun read for me. I love how vividly the world is built. The details really made the story come alive for me. Pace picks up quite a bit in the last 45 pages and makes for a fun and unexpected finish.
January 1, 2021
I enjoyed this cozy. It was a quick read with interesting characters and sites. I will read more of these.
If you had asked computer programmer Claudia Simcoe what she expected to come of her leaving San Francisco for the California coast to open a farm-to-table marketplace, “assembles a mismatched team to investigate a murder” would not have been her first guess.
Lori Roth is one of the tenants of the market, or she had been until Claudia learned that the hands making her “hand-dyed” textiles belong to overseas factory workers. Claudia terminates Lori’s lease, but her hopes that this will be the last she sees of her problem tenant are dashed when she arrives at the marketplace the next morning to find Lori dead, hit over the head with a jar of pickles and strangled with a cheese wire.
The police chief thinks Claudia looks like an easy pick to be the killer, and he closes the marketplace to put the pressure on her. So, Claudia has no choice but to solve the mystery herself. Relying on the tech skills from her previous life and some help from her quirky new friends, Claudia races to save her business and herself before the killer adds her to the region’s local, artisanal murders.
If you had asked computer programmer Claudia Simcoe what she expected to come of her leaving San Francisco for the California coast to open a farm-to-table marketplace, “assembles a mismatched team to investigate a murder” would not have been her first guess.
Lori Roth is one of the tenants of the market, or she had been until Claudia learned that the hands making her “hand-dyed” textiles belong to overseas factory workers. Claudia terminates Lori’s lease, but her hopes that this will be the last she sees of her problem tenant are dashed when she arrives at the marketplace the next morning to find Lori dead, hit over the head with a jar of pickles and strangled with a cheese wire.
The police chief thinks Claudia looks like an easy pick to be the killer, and he closes the marketplace to put the pressure on her. So, Claudia has no choice but to solve the mystery herself. Relying on the tech skills from her previous life and some help from her quirky new friends, Claudia races to save her business and herself before the killer adds her to the region’s local, artisanal murders.
June 19, 2020
Murder Goes to Market will make you want to book a trip to the Sonoma coast! I really liked the characters and the setting and hope there will be a sequel so that I can spend more time with them. The combination of a rural setting and the latest in social media and online searching was a nice change from the usual cozy mystery. I couldn't put it down and completely failed to figure out who the murderer was. Altogether a great fun read!
January 11, 2021
An enjoyable cozy mystery set in Northern California. When the owner of a farmers' market complex (like many, it includes craftspeople as well as farmers) finds a problem client murdered on the premises, all sorts of complications ensue. I enjoyed the creative ways the protagonist finds to solve both her business problems and the mystery. Recommended.
January 7, 2021
Loved it! First of all, I am a sucker for well-written cozy mysteries and this was a really great one to start the new year. The plot is not terribly original but Bateman's dialogue was so much better than most. The characters came alive through their conversations.....we knew who they were. We cared about them, even if we didn't like them....if you are a cozy fan, you won't be disappointed!
November 21, 2020
Good, light read with a great setting and mostly likable characters. I do hope there is a second book starring Claudia.
December 2, 2020
This is a charming cozy mystery set in a Northern California beach town. Great main character and a really lovely sense of place. I’ll definitely pick up the next one!
April 11, 2021
Really good. I like how Claudia's past life as a computer whiz and her present life as market maven both played into solving the mystery, and I didn't guess the killer at all.
October 11, 2020
While a decent debut novel for a cozy mystery series, there were a few red herrings that seemed superfluous and far stretches to be the solution to the murder of the artisan within the market that the lead character, Claudia Simcoe, runs. I also thought the ending wrapped up a little too nicely but without enough explanation to the reasoning behind the outcome.
I never really connected with the main character, as much as I wanted to, and her misplaced humor in some of the situations threw me off as to what sort of person she actually is. While I like a certain amount of sarcasm in a character, there were times when it came off as too much and made her seem a little too cold and uncaring for my liking. I also didn't appreciate how little she involved actual law enforcement in some of her discoveries as she really could've allowed for even more disastrous situations to occur in doing so.
I will say that I greatly enjoyed the community members of the market that the author created as they were intriguing and quite fun to learn about. I would actually keep reading more books in the series because I loved the side characters so much and thought they added a great deal to the story and mystery overall and the concept of the artisan market in general is a setting that I had not seen before. I could totally see how it could be a beneficial setting for future novels.
I never really connected with the main character, as much as I wanted to, and her misplaced humor in some of the situations threw me off as to what sort of person she actually is. While I like a certain amount of sarcasm in a character, there were times when it came off as too much and made her seem a little too cold and uncaring for my liking. I also didn't appreciate how little she involved actual law enforcement in some of her discoveries as she really could've allowed for even more disastrous situations to occur in doing so.
I will say that I greatly enjoyed the community members of the market that the author created as they were intriguing and quite fun to learn about. I would actually keep reading more books in the series because I loved the side characters so much and thought they added a great deal to the story and mystery overall and the concept of the artisan market in general is a setting that I had not seen before. I could totally see how it could be a beneficial setting for future novels.
January 10, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s a debut author writing the first in what is projected to be cozy mystery series. In this case, it’s a “foodie mystery” but with a unique angle: the heroine is a former tech person who left that world to open a small market specializing in local artisan foods and crafts. So there is business and computer and social media mixed in with the descriptions of delicious food, which may sound odd but is instead highly engaging!
The author’s writing is just to my taste: she creates a great blend of humor, insight, detail, and action. The murder motivation aspect was slightly wavery, the WHY of the murders I mean, once the reasons were revealed, but I barely cared: she makes her characters real and interesting like people we know. She’s great at deftly describing settings as well. Having finished the book I already miss the characters and their little town. Can’t wait for the second installment in this series!
The author’s writing is just to my taste: she creates a great blend of humor, insight, detail, and action. The murder motivation aspect was slightly wavery, the WHY of the murders I mean, once the reasons were revealed, but I barely cared: she makes her characters real and interesting like people we know. She’s great at deftly describing settings as well. Having finished the book I already miss the characters and their little town. Can’t wait for the second installment in this series!
April 6, 2025
A good read enjoyed the plot and it has some very good characters.
July 31, 2021
I enjoyed this book, I would have enjoyed a little more backstory instead of jumping in with both feet and this is a first in a new series. Claudia is not warm and fuzzy but she's smart and I want to see her succeed. We know that she is being set up but from where was really an interesting question and I definitely didn't know who did it until Claudia did!
I like the food talk, other vendors and her good friend Betty, happy she found Teddy, we are left with some interesting place for the next book to go, I will look forward to it. Let's hope they solve the police chief problem, I am not crazy about cozy series that portray the police as dubes.
I like the food talk, other vendors and her good friend Betty, happy she found Teddy, we are left with some interesting place for the next book to go, I will look forward to it. Let's hope they solve the police chief problem, I am not crazy about cozy series that portray the police as dubes.
February 22, 2022
4.5 stars - entertaining cozy murder mystery, good cast of characters, good setting, several funny lines which you will appreciate even more if you have visited a coastal California city. All of the food references will make you hungry.
A tiny spoiler
A super gigantic spoiler
I particularly enjoyed this part since I had just finished watching the Winter Olympics.
A tiny spoiler
A super gigantic spoiler
I particularly enjoyed this part since I had just finished watching the Winter Olympics.
October 9, 2020
Murder Goes to Market it's the first in the Claudia Simcoe Mystery, as well as the debut for a cozy mystery series. Claudia Simcoe, moves from Silicon Valley to a small community in northern California, St Elmo's Bay, California. She goes from computer programmer to the owner of a farmer's market, specializing in local and artisan products. I really enjoyed this protagonist. She's great as far as amateur sleuth and cozy protagonists go. One of Claudia's tenants tries to imported silks and fabrics as her own homemade wears. They have a fight in front of everybody and Claudia tells her to move it. That's when Claudia finds her murdered. And the chief of police has an ax to grind. It goes far behind your basic cozy and the story is Well written and paced well.
May 31, 2021
I wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. It took me several "pick up and put away" attempts to read past the first few pages. I wish we had more of the main characters back story to really relate to them and feel like we were immersed in their world.
November 5, 2020
This was a nice light mystery, with some decent writing and a number of plausible suspects. While not the most spine-tingling mystery ever, it was a good story with a main character that has potential to be a decent amateur detective if the series continues.
The book follows Claudia Simcoe, a former San Francisco tech employee who decided to uproot herself and move to San Elmo Bay, a small coastal town, in order to open a market space for vendors selling artisanal and locally-made items. Claudia soon discovers that one of the vendors to whom she rents space has been lying about her products, obtaining them from factories in Bangladesh instead of from local handicrafters or making them herself, and informs the vendor that her lease is being terminated. When Claudia later discovers that vendor's body in her market, strangled to death with a cheese wire from one of the other stalls in the market, she immediately becomes Suspect #1 in the eyes of the less-than-professional police chief. She decides to clear her name by discovering the real killer, and has to deal with a cast of characters including an intriguingly attractive and kind deputy, an ex-boyfriend of the murdered vendor, an enigmatic and cantankerous neighbor, and her other tenants at the market, some of whom are her close friends. When another body is found, the stakes are raised, and Claudia's amateur sleuthing skills are put to the test.
The plot was nice and light, with plausible suspects, well-placed clues, and an adorkable main character in Claudia. It's not terribly action-packed (although there are some moments of tension), nor is the conclusion a Usual-Suspects-level surprise twist, but the writing was good, bouncing between humor and seriousness along the way. While not the most innovative or original mystery I've ever read, I enjoyed it enough to want to see where other books might take Claudia and the motley crowd inhabiting San Elmo Bay.
As for mechanics of writing, it was mostly clean -- a few minor issues that probably stand out to me only because they're personal pet peeves ("a couple" instead of "a couple of," misuse of apostrophes for plurals, etc.), but nothing major enough to take away from story.
Overall, it was a good, easy mystery that could probably be read over a long weekend, and is decently enjoyable. I would definitely read another in the series.
Thanks to Seventh Street Books (and my Queen of the Book Fairies) for providing me with a copy of this book.
The book follows Claudia Simcoe, a former San Francisco tech employee who decided to uproot herself and move to San Elmo Bay, a small coastal town, in order to open a market space for vendors selling artisanal and locally-made items. Claudia soon discovers that one of the vendors to whom she rents space has been lying about her products, obtaining them from factories in Bangladesh instead of from local handicrafters or making them herself, and informs the vendor that her lease is being terminated. When Claudia later discovers that vendor's body in her market, strangled to death with a cheese wire from one of the other stalls in the market, she immediately becomes Suspect #1 in the eyes of the less-than-professional police chief. She decides to clear her name by discovering the real killer, and has to deal with a cast of characters including an intriguingly attractive and kind deputy, an ex-boyfriend of the murdered vendor, an enigmatic and cantankerous neighbor, and her other tenants at the market, some of whom are her close friends. When another body is found, the stakes are raised, and Claudia's amateur sleuthing skills are put to the test.
The plot was nice and light, with plausible suspects, well-placed clues, and an adorkable main character in Claudia. It's not terribly action-packed (although there are some moments of tension), nor is the conclusion a Usual-Suspects-level surprise twist, but the writing was good, bouncing between humor and seriousness along the way. While not the most innovative or original mystery I've ever read, I enjoyed it enough to want to see where other books might take Claudia and the motley crowd inhabiting San Elmo Bay.
As for mechanics of writing, it was mostly clean -- a few minor issues that probably stand out to me only because they're personal pet peeves ("a couple" instead of "a couple of," misuse of apostrophes for plurals, etc.), but nothing major enough to take away from story.
Overall, it was a good, easy mystery that could probably be read over a long weekend, and is decently enjoyable. I would definitely read another in the series.
Thanks to Seventh Street Books (and my Queen of the Book Fairies) for providing me with a copy of this book.
March 27, 2021
I'm starting to get really irritated by cozy thriller novels that throw common sense and reality out the window for the sake of wholesomeness.
Murder Goes to Market is exactly what it sounds like: a book that revolves around a murder and a marketplace. Set in a sleepy beach town in northern California, Claudia runs a local vendor market that's tragically become the location of the first major murder in town. Unfortunately, Claudia has also become the prime suspect. This would be such a cool premise if the author just stuck with how this would actually work out in real life. An innocent woman seemingly framed for a crime she couldn't have committed in a small town where everyone wants to know everyone's business. However, this book becomes more of a story on how Claudia will save her market because the police are going to close it while they investigate the murder. It's closed for 5 days in the book and Claudia reacts as if it's been closed for six months. She then spends the entire novel figuring out ways to reopen her market and solve the crime of the murder on her own so that she can reopen the market.
If I was the prime suspect in a murder, I guarantee I would not be galivanting around town trying out artisanal cheeses and new ways to pickle kale. I also guarantee that I would be way more cooperative with law enforcement and probably really try to get a lawyer instead of reaching out to press contacts to promote my market. There are just so many basic flaws with how Claudia reacts to her investigation that no normal person would seemingly ever do.
Murder Goes to Market has its heart in the right place, as Bateman tries really hard to craft convincing red herring plot lines, though they tended to fall apart as the reveal got closer and closer. And I did enjoy the ending, which was both funny, cute and made a lot of sense. So I don't want to turn anyone away from Bateman's writing. She could grow into a great mystery writer, but she isn't there quite yet.
Murder Goes to Market is exactly what it sounds like: a book that revolves around a murder and a marketplace. Set in a sleepy beach town in northern California, Claudia runs a local vendor market that's tragically become the location of the first major murder in town. Unfortunately, Claudia has also become the prime suspect. This would be such a cool premise if the author just stuck with how this would actually work out in real life. An innocent woman seemingly framed for a crime she couldn't have committed in a small town where everyone wants to know everyone's business. However, this book becomes more of a story on how Claudia will save her market because the police are going to close it while they investigate the murder. It's closed for 5 days in the book and Claudia reacts as if it's been closed for six months. She then spends the entire novel figuring out ways to reopen her market and solve the crime of the murder on her own so that she can reopen the market.
If I was the prime suspect in a murder, I guarantee I would not be galivanting around town trying out artisanal cheeses and new ways to pickle kale. I also guarantee that I would be way more cooperative with law enforcement and probably really try to get a lawyer instead of reaching out to press contacts to promote my market. There are just so many basic flaws with how Claudia reacts to her investigation that no normal person would seemingly ever do.
Murder Goes to Market has its heart in the right place, as Bateman tries really hard to craft convincing red herring plot lines, though they tended to fall apart as the reveal got closer and closer. And I did enjoy the ending, which was both funny, cute and made a lot of sense. So I don't want to turn anyone away from Bateman's writing. She could grow into a great mystery writer, but she isn't there quite yet.
September 22, 2020
I was super excited to read this one and unfortunately it fell flat for me. This was a 2.5 stars that I rounded up. The cover is beautiful, it grabs the readers attention and the reader dives in thinking that it is going to be an amazing read...but once the reader starts, it is a slow start...the writing is monotone, there is little excitement in the writing.
The main character, Claudia, moves from San Francisco and uses her last bit of money to purchase two cottages and a marketplace. Her theme is all handmade local items and she rents to several vendors...upon discovery that Lori is selling already made items, a fight ensues and Lori is found dead the next morning. The local cops aren't sure how to run an investigation, but Claudia is the main suspect...again with little excitement.
This is where the unrealistic parts come in...a huge outdoor festival is planned in 3 days, Claudia finds a dog, Teddy, and isn't super excited - because who doesn't love dogs?!?! Someone else is found dead, Claudia has an alibi...all still in a solid monotone with no exciting words...and then BAM the ending...but by this point the reader is just plugging along and almost misses the culprit...I applaud this for being the author's first book, but it just needs more for me to love it. A solid, albeit slow read, but not my favorite. I look forward to seeing this author grow and improve her stories in the future.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
The main character, Claudia, moves from San Francisco and uses her last bit of money to purchase two cottages and a marketplace. Her theme is all handmade local items and she rents to several vendors...upon discovery that Lori is selling already made items, a fight ensues and Lori is found dead the next morning. The local cops aren't sure how to run an investigation, but Claudia is the main suspect...again with little excitement.
This is where the unrealistic parts come in...a huge outdoor festival is planned in 3 days, Claudia finds a dog, Teddy, and isn't super excited - because who doesn't love dogs?!?! Someone else is found dead, Claudia has an alibi...all still in a solid monotone with no exciting words...and then BAM the ending...but by this point the reader is just plugging along and almost misses the culprit...I applaud this for being the author's first book, but it just needs more for me to love it. A solid, albeit slow read, but not my favorite. I look forward to seeing this author grow and improve her stories in the future.
**Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng**
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