When Landry Burk's loveable Aunt Tilde passes away, she finds out she has inherited her entire estate. Not knowing what to expect, she arrives in Bobwhite Mountain, exhausted after driving through the night from Bent Branch, South Carolina. She wanted to make sure she was early to meet with Aunt Tilde’s lawyer, Adam Wilcox. Landry is shocked that Aunt Tilde not only left her Jasmine Bloom Books but the five-story apartment building, Magnolia Place, directly across from the bookstore. The only stipulation, she must show a profit from both buildings in a year. Landry is pretty confident she can accomplish that until she and Adam discover the dead body of one of the employees, in the event center kitchen on the top floor of the building. Will this be an obstacle to overcome in order to keep the apartment building profitable? Landry is determined to find the killer, bringing peace of mind to her residents, as well as locating an art piece from Aunt Tilde’s priceless collection that went missing.
Jamie Rutland Gillespie, is a new author for me. As with many new authors, I never know how the story will unfold, and hold my attention. Well, Inheriting Murder certainly did! Landry is a very likable protagonist, with characteristics that many can identify with. Landry can get panic attacks, which she is trying to get a handle on, as well as what she refers to as being a klutz and a jinx, bringing harm to those around her. We see this in various activities she participates in, making her completely relatable. The secondary characters are well suited and add a fun element to the story. Besides Adam, who is very patient with Landry, one of my favorite characters is Miss Millie, a childhood friend of Aunt Tilde’s, she had me laughing throughout the book,
I was so pleased with this book. Jamie brought the area and characters to life, with her descriptions and endearing personalities. Visiting the town of Bobwhite Mountain would be a great place to go and I look forward to reading the next in the series. There are currently three books in the series, and I highly recommend starting them.