Publication Jan. 17, 2025
haMay Day is a fun, busy day in Hope Eaton. It's full of ceremony and a time to share old beliefs and lore. It's not a time for murder. So, who was taunting and basically terrorizing Mary Roberts the school secretary? A former student is openly taunting her with little doll meant to resemble Mary and call to mind a frightening legend. When she's found dead the next day, suspicions flare. Who'd kill the somewhat reclusive woman? But, wait. Was she killed or was it natural? Is it murder if you frighten and terrorize someone to the point they die?
As it turns out, there are several viable suspects, among them the young man in question and Mary's vindictive ex-husband. Main character Bella Winter doesn't let the little fact that the coroner says Mary died of natural causes detour her. As Barry Dixon, the police officer in charge points out, of course, they can't do anything based on suppositions. They need hard evidence. Mary was prone to report even the most minute of wrongdoings, so they are wary of rumors of her being recently harassed by someone. In fact, it sounds so far out, based on old, spooky legends, that some suspected Mary was losing her mind, so to speak. Not Bella. She's determined and begins snooping, er, asking questions and poking about. Her late father was a police investigator and she seems to have inherited his sleuthing genes. Will it lead her into danger? Oh, boy, will it.
I won't detail the plot further but will say that despite periodic lulls in the plot, the story mostly kept my attention. I didn't feel like I knew much about Bella other than her father's job or, for that matter, the characters about her but that would probably be a result of not having read book one. While I ultimately was able to sort things out, while it worked as a standalone, I might have been able to make sense of who was who much sooner if I had. Her friends, especially co-worker at the antique store John, are likable and I liked that while her interactions with Barry Dixon weren't genuinely positive that he also was painted in a likable way, including his family situation. One of the benefits of Bella's late father's job was that she did have some connections, an idea of who to call on for help, which was a bonus. The murder itself was cruelly done, quite diabolical, even without the murderer striking a blow. The ending was also quite tense, showing Bella's quick thinking on her feet when pressed as well as the fortitude of her friends and associates. Thanks #Bookouture for the early introduction to Bella and friends. Lots of twists and red herring after red herrings in this one despite the occasional lull in pace. I'll definitely make a point of checking out the next book in the series. Quite the intro to Sweet Agnes and Hope Eaton's May Day celebrations.
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