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Murder on a Winter Afternoon
Melissa Craig #5
Cozy mystery
Bookouture
December 18th 2018
Kindle
200
NetGalley
A snow-covered cottage is nestled in the hills, all ready for Christmas… but inside a body lies dead upon the floor.
Melissa Craig is enjoying her first winter in the Cotswolds, taking brisk walks through the snowy fields and basking in the winter sunshine. The only thing Melissa is plotting is her Christmas shopping.
But after the unexpected death of local writer Leonora Jewell, Melissa is asked to complete Leonora’s final book. However, on her first visit to the cottage, she finds a gruesome object overlooked by the police: a metal bar covered with dried blood.
Terrified, Melissa rushes to the nearest telephone box to call the police. But by the time they reach Leonora’s cottage, the murder weapon has mysteriously vanished.
With no murder weapon, the detective in charge of the case scoffs at Melissa’s suspicions. Furious and frustrated, Melissa focuses on finishing Leonora’s novel. But as she reads Leonora’s notes for the book, she starts to wonder… did Leonora accidentally plot out her own murder?
As Melissa does some investigating of her own, she uncovers some pretty suspicious local characters. But with the police unwilling to help, can Melissa solve this vicious crime alone? By hook, by crook, or by the book, Melissa must find the killers before they strike again…
If you adore Faith Martin, Joy Ellis and P.D. James, you’re in for a treat with this unputdownable mystery novel!
This book was previously published as Deadly Legacy.
Hi, there.
Happy Saturday!
I hope you are having great time!
Today I am reviewing #5 of Betty Rowlands’cozy mysteries, Murder on a Winter Afternoon. Remember Melissa Craig, the cozy mysteries writer who solves real murders too? Well, guess what! She can’t stay out of a murder even if she wants to.
This time, Melissa is hired to finish a mystery novel started by another writer who recently passed away. The lady writer Leonora Jewell was old and everyone assumed that she died of natural causes. But, Melissa, in order to finish the book, visits Leonora’s house and there she finds something that looks like a murder weapon. She reports her finding at the police station, but the police can’t find a thing. The murder weapon is gone! So, Melissa, even when specifically ordered not to, starts her own investigation.
Maybe, it was a burgler? Or maybe it has something to do with the book Leonora was writing?
Melissa is not going to involve in the investigation. No, she is just going to satisfy her own curiosity and sense for justice. Just that!
I absolutely love Melissa Craig as a main character. Stubborn, smart, full of imagination, a woman whose fantasy works well both in her books and the real world outside. A younger version of Miss Marple. I love the witty neighbor Iris and her cat. I love these cozy mysteries, written in a old-fashioned way, settled in a rural place, where characters don’t use the modern technology. I know, this story was originally published in 1995 and many things are changed since then. But these cozy mysteries are great relaxation after reading a hard-core thriller with a serial killer in it. This is a perfect read for a cold winter afternoon, settled in an armchair with a cup of warm tea.