I love mysteries... all sorts of mysteries, all shapes and sizes. Hardboiled, crime noir, historical, humorous, futuristic, paranormal... I adore them all. I particularly relish a good cozy mystery. So when I saw the first book of Joyce and Jim Lavene's newest series in the "just released" bay at my bookstore, I had to take a look at it. And let me tell you, they don't get much cozier than this.
Dae O'Donnell, mayor of the tiny Outer Banks town of Duck, NC and proprietor of "Missing Pieces" (not an antique shop or a thrift store. but a kinda' combination of the two), has the remarkable gift of being able to locate lost objects by touching the one who's looking for them. When Miss Mildred, one of the two town sister matriarchs, asks Dae to find her mother's watch, which she loaned to her sister Miss Elizabeth (who did not return it), she readily agrees. The sisters have a history of sibling rivalry and while Dae is not keen on refereeing, she can see how much the watch means to Miss Mildred. She sees that the watch is in a dark place. She finds it buried in the sand on the beach. What she doesn't count on is finding the dead body of Miss Elizabeth still attached to the watch.
Miss Mildred is accused of the murder. The murder weapon, a pair of bloody work gloves and her sister's purse are all found in her home. And she insists that her dead sister delivered the purse to her for safekeeping. She is sent to a forensic psychiatric facility to await a competency hearing.
None of it feels right to Dae and she is certain that someone is setting Miss Mildred up to take the rap for the crime. With the help of the new guy in town, she begins her own investigation and uncovers a decades old mystery. The obligatory happy ending is complete with some well deserved come-uppance for several unsavories.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are engaging and the setting is believable. The supernatural aspect enhances the storyline without turning it witchy. If you like cozies, this new series might interest you. I certainly will be on the lookout for the next installment.