Eve Mallow fascinates me. On the one hand she lives a buttoned up life as she keeps her private life and growing romance with Robin shrouded in secret. On the other, she's outgoing, well known and liked as a community friend, worker, and volunteer. She definitely more observant than the average person. I mean, who else would spot a tiny hole in a juice bottle and connect it to murder? Or think that a discarded gum wrapper might lead to a meaningful clue? An excellent writer and interviewer, her obituary writing job gives her the perfect excuse to ask questions without being looked askance at. She displays dogged determination to find the truth, even when it puts her in danger, too.
I loved the fact that in her quest to find the truth behind the murder of celebrity dare-devil Cammie, that there were no big reveals. Yes, she gets tiny bits of information here and there, but it's up to her to put it all together. It's fascinating to watch. Death by hot-air balloon isn't exactly a common murder tactic, you have to admit. Toss in a grand, stately home, competing personalities, and the possibility money and prestige is involved and Eve is in the midst of a volatile situation. Then the dead bodies start piling up. What secret could be so dangerous, so harmful, that it has lead someone to commit murder to keep it from being revealed? Or, hmm, was it all about money? Maybe love, or rejected love?
It seemed like for every legitimate clue Eve found, it only lead to more questions. What, if anything, had Cammie discovered in her research? Was Raven friend or foe or, for that matter, even really Raven? Could Diana be involved? How about successful model Sebastian? How could someone ignite the leaking gas from the balloon from the ground? Why was Ralph Roscoe insistent he jump into the balloon basket with Cammie? As the murders pile up, so do the suspects but, then, so does the business for the funeral director. Was he for real? Was he trying to ask Eve for a date or to buy a casket? And....oh, so many more questions, all of which we ponder both on our own and inside Eve's mind as we read.
Despite a deceptively slow beginning as the hot-air balloon murder plot plays out, the plot moves along quickly as Eve pursues gathering info for the obituary she's to write on Cammie. The twists, turns, and misdirection kept me guessing until the end. I liked Eve and Robin, not to mention Eve's little dog Gus. I loved the plot and pace, which kept my attention. even though I didn't guess "whodunit", it all made sense at the end. Nicely done, Clare Chase. I highly recommend "Mystery at Lovelace Manor".
Thank you #NetGalley and #Bookouture for inviting me into Eve's world again. You can almost see the wheels turning in her brain, even when running for her life.
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