Charlotte Ross sees her world about to crumble when the man she’s in love with–her mysterious boss, John Trent— announces his engagement to someone else.
Charlotte’s best friend, dubious globe-trotter and mystery author, Jane Marshall, arrives back in town only to stumble across the gruesome corpse of the town’s millionaire industrialist. When Jane becomes determined to find the killer, Charlotte joins forces with her friend to ease her heartbreak. In the process, the two self-appointed sleuths turn their small town upside down.
Charlotte is endearingly impractical as her impulsive choices lead her into and out of peril, with only the wry and often-misguided advice of the capricious Jane to guide her. Eldridge Corners is rich with quirky, small town personalities who both aid and thwart the young women’s quest as they discover that people are not always who they seem, and a single error in judgment can prove fatal.
Review
Eldridge Corners is a well-established small town with lots of history, some of which is a bit shady. Charlotte had no clue until the head of Longbourne and Payne is murdered and she starts asking questions and reading the manuscript of Carlton Witherspoon (the deceased).
With her friend Jane looking for the plot of her next mystery novel and the need for a distraction as she is betrayed by John Trent, Charlotte reluctantly gets more involved. Her curiosity extends to the questionable accidental death of Carlton's wife and unknown heir to Carlton's estate.
This was a fun read, well-paced with interesting characters. Although sometimes a bit impractical and impulsive, Charlotte's heart is in the right place. She is loyal to a fault but even she has doubts. In LOVE, LIES, AND MURDER, part of her motivation is her love for her immediate boss, John Trent, and his betrayal - but what about his role in Carlton's murder?
This is one of two in the Charlotte Ross Mysteries, but easily read as a stand alone. MASTERPIECE OF MURDER was the first published in the series - and yes, my TBR list just keeps growing! I've provided the link for both - hopefully there are more to come in the Charlotte Ross Mysteries.
A wonderful book in a wonderful series!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree based on this one --- got the first one to read --- hoping for a third one!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the wonderful review, Christa. But I'm afraid you have the series a little out of order. While Masterpiece of Murder was released first, it's actually the second in the series after Love, Lies and Murder. So you will be reading them in order. Hope I haven't confused you too much.
ReplyDeleteThat's great!
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