Cozy Mystery

1. Death by Didgeridoo

When Jamie’s cousin who has Asperger’s Syndrome is accused of murder, his mother begs her to represent him.  Divorces and custody battles are a long way from criminal law but Jamie knows her cousin is innocent and is determined to protect him –– and with the police adamant that they have their man it’s up to Jamie (with the help of a womanising PI) to find the real killer.

2. The Case of the Killer Divorce

In the middle of a bitter custody battle the former husband winds up dead and the former wife is the prime suspect.  Jamie enlists the help of her friend and PI Duke to get to the bottom of the mystery.

3. Peril in the Park

Vandals have been targeting the public parks and Jamie’s boyfriend Kip is determined to find the culprits.  But when someone is murdered the harmless pranks take on a very sinister edge.  With office politics, property developers and disgruntled former employees there are plenty of suspects.  Jamie and Duke step in to help out and catch the killer.

Novellas by nature are a curse wrapped up in a blessing.  The blessing is that the shorter format doesn’t allow the story to drag.  The writer has to hit the ground running and there isn’t any room for unnecessary details.  The curse is that because of that character and story development are generally quite sparse.

So calling a spade a spade there is all of that, both the blessings and the curses but when taken as a package these three novellas manage to pack in the character development and back story quite well and the author even manages to introduce characters I want to learn more about as the series progresses.

All in all, a very enjoyable mystery series.

Many thanks to Barbara Venkataraman who provided me with review copies.

Orange, Red, Yellow. What it means: YOR-Guide