Death of a Dead Man, by Karin Kaufman (2017)
Colorado native Rachel Stowe has fled a stressful job in Boston to return to her home state, specifically to the endearing small town of Juniper Grove, where the few square blocks that make up downtown are a four-minute drive from her home. She can live simply and write more mystery novels.
Rachel is single, in her forties, and has a fondness for casual attire and cream puffs. I like her a lot.
She doesn’t have it all together, but she’s made some good friends here and she’s not one to back down from a challenge. Like helping clear her neighbour Julia’s name from the local paper’s mud-slinging.
Julia’s husband has finally been declared legally dead after he robbed a bank and went missing seven years ago. Most people think he drowned with his partner. But some, like the paper’s editor, suggest Julia knows something about the missing money.
When the dead man turns up freshly-dead in Rachel’s back yard, she’s more motivated than ever to find the truth.
This is the start of a fun series. The books are short, the delivery is snappy, and there’s even an attractive police chief that Rachel butts heads with so regularly that you just know there’s a relationship coming here eventually.
An abundance of clues and details kept me guessing until the end. I’ll definitely be reading more of this series.
My favourite line, which both describes Julia and says something about Rachel herself:
Most of the time Julia had a grandmotherly air about her, and I liked that, but every now and then she transformed into someone you did not want to mess with. I liked that too. [Page 27]
Karin Kaufman is also the author of the Anna Denning mystery series. Death of a Dead Man is the first in the Juniper Grove mystery series. For more about the author and her books, visit karinkaufman.com.
[Review copy from my personal library.]
Love it when you introduce me to a new mystery writer! Thx for the reviews, Janet!!!!
This is a fun series so far, Bobbi. And book one is only 99 cents 🙂
Yes, like Bobbi said, I love to meet a new mystery author with a series. Thanks, Janet.
I’ve been happy to find a few new mystery series this year that I’ve been enjoying.