Book Review: STICKY INHERITANCE - Maple Syrup Mysteries by Emily James

About the Book (from Amazon)

Knowing the truth… …is sometimes worse than believing the lie. Especially when murder is involved. 

When Nicole’s uncle dies and she inherits his maple syrup farm, she thinks it’s time to leave her career as a criminal defense attorney behind for a life that allows her to stay far away from murderers and liars. For half a day at least. 

Her uncle’s suicide looks like it wasn’t a suicide at all. The local police chief doesn’t want to reopen the case. Murder’s bad for business in a tourist town, after all. The handsome county medical examiner—who’s exactly her type and all wrong for her—is willing to help. 

But that means returning to the world of justice that Nicole hoped to leave behind forever. When the truth’s a sticky thing, it’s hard to know what’s worth risking your life for.

Review

Stanley Dawes disappointed the family when he gave up a lucrative career to run a maple syrup farm. Although many in the family would have nothing to do with him, he kept in touch with his niece Nikki (Nicole), a criminal defense attorney. He tells her how much happier he is, away from the criminal element and stress. When he's found dead, the family lets Nikki handle everything. He's left her the farm and the expectation is she will sell it and return to her law office in short order. 

Only Nikki doesn't think her uncle committed suicide. As she puts her criminal defense and investigative skills to work, she has to deal with the police who like the idea of suicide over homicide, and the very people who work on the maple syrup farm. Only she's in search for the killer and delays any plans to return "home" to the law office.  

This is well-written, with a few quirky characters and a likable main character in Nikki. The pace is good and the plot has the occasional red herrings and twists. It is the first in the series and my first read by Emily James. A clean, cozy mystery with a female sleuth to keep you interested. If you're a cozy mystery fan, you're sure to enjoy this one. I know I've just added a few books to my TBR list.

AMAZON

About the Author (from Amazon)

Emily James grew up watching TV shows like Matlock, Monk, and Murder She Wrote. (It's pure coincidence that they all begin with an M.) It was no surprise to anyone when she turned into a mystery writer. She writes books with quirky characters and a touch of romance. She keeps them clean because she wants her books to be the kind you could share with your teenager or your mother. 

If you'd like to know more about Emily or send her an email, check out her website: authoremilyjames.com.