Murder, Mayhem and Monet

by Karen Hudgins

Diane Phipps, P.I., bounds into investigative action when Arabella Lauren, a noted art restorer in historic Manitou Springs, is found strangled. Slumped over a Claude Monet masterpiece, had she intentionally left a clue? Or had she merely grabbed a paint tube during her struggle with the murderer? Moreover, was Diane solving a homicide where Arabella was targeted for death, or had she died because of a bungled grand theft? Diane searches for answers while in unfamiliar mountain country. Motives are buried deeply. Although Arabella was immersed in saving beautiful art, all was not pretty. But things had looked up when she’d met James, the gallerist. Yet, Arabella’s brother Leo was dismayed over their new friendship. His girlfriend Willow, whose dad owns the Monet, resents his excessive time with a farrier and also the private collection curator. When Arabella’s journal falls into Diane’s hands, some of her sleuthing conclusions are confirmed...but not all. Diane boldly wears the murder weapon, a silk scarf, to the Front Range Art Society Gala to shake up a possible prime suspect. Answers rise, except what’s this about a secret daughter? Diane intrepidly sifts through all this and more to find out Whodunit and Why?

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2021

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece in Crime

Private Investigator Diane Phipps is hired to assist local police solve the murder of a woman who cleans and restores valuable paintings. In this case, a Monet. The police investigation has run into practically a dead end as Phipps is called in to bring a fresh perspective on the case that involves several suspicious characters in a small Colorado community. Karen Hudgins has written a colorful crime novel that will delight and entertain readers.

[Mary Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m ready for more of Diane Phipps!

We recently moved to Colorado and now I want to find all the places Diane visited.
This was a fun mystery that lets the reader collect clues along with the PI. I figured out the murderer about 3/4 of the way through, but the final reveal still had a surprise!

I wish the book had photos though. I want to see the Monet and the butterfly scarf!

Good mystery. Try it!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a big mystery fan but Karen Hudgens does such a good job of introducing her characters that I immediately cared for Arabella and her intriguing occupation. That care continued as the mystery unfolded. Freelance detective Diane Phipps is called in to add her skill to the small town police force in the shadow of Pike’s Peak. The townspeople and Aldridge characters are also skillfully drawn and by the end even the red herrings are accounted for.

[Barbara Whitaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I kept turning pages to find out what happened next. In Hudgins' cozy mystery the clues unfolded a bit at a time so the reader is trying to figure out who done it. Just what I like.

[Susan Jahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more!

I enjoyed the story particularly because I have visited the area.
I also love Monet and the waterlilies
I wish I could have seen the butterfly scarf

[Karri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Diane character and loved reading about beautiful Colorado! I thought I knew who was the killer but I was wrong so I really loved the ending!

[R.L. Ashly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mystery