Ed Wilcox and his wife Aggie Sloan-Wilcox have been in Emerald Springs for a little over a year. The congregation at their church seems to have taken to the new minister and his family, but now Gelsey Falowell, the matriarch who is a major benefactor and also runs the Women’s Society, seems bent on getting the minister fired. Aggie is doing her best to smooth any ruffled feathers but things take a turn for the worse when the naked body of a murdered woman is found on the parsonage’s front porch. Rumors circulate quickly, and suspicion falls on Ed, who had been counseling the victim before her death.

This is a cozy mystery featuring an unlikely amateur sleuth – the minister’s wife. Of course she is helped by her new best friend who is a realtor in town and privy to lots of secrets and “under the covers” relationships. She stumbles on the first clue and despite being warned to stay away from the investigation by the local detective, she cannot help but follow her nose.

I liked that Aggie and Luce are intelligent women with a great deal of common sense. I also liked the portrayal of a strong family – there were several parent/child issues that were handled quite well. I don’t think there was any need to introduce the underlying attraction between Detective Roussos and Aggie (nothing happens, it’s just mentioned – more than once). I had guessed part of the mystery pretty early on, though frankly it was a lucky wild guess. On the other hand, I was surprised by a significant turn of events.

Final verdict – an entertaining, fast read with characters I like and enough twists to keep me interested. I’ll probably read more of this series.
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Fun little cozy, interesting enough characters, a little familiar in form, have to see ( )

After working in a church in Boston and another in Washington, D.C., minister Ed Wilcox and his family have transferred to the Consolidated Community Church in Emerald Springs, Ohio. His wife, Aggie, initially has her doubts about settling down in a small town, but eventually she, Ed, and their two young children find themselves making friends, except for elderly parishioner Gelsey Falowell who despises Ed and wants to get rid of him. Gelsey's wish may come true when the naked body of a murder victim is left on the Wilcox's front porch and Ed, who had been counseling the dead woman, is the chief suspect. Aggie knows that Ed is innocent but wonders why Ed is keeping secrets from her especially when her daughter Teddy tells her she saw her father fighting with the dead woman. When a second murder is committed and detective Kirkor Roussos seems to suspect Ed committed both crimes, Aggie, with the help of her friend, real estate agent Lucy Jacobs, begins investigating the murders. The more Aggie looks into the crimes the more she realizes that people, especially Gelsey, have secrets that have been buried for years and some people will kill to have them remain secret.

"Blessed is the Busybody" is a good beginning to what looks to be a good mystery series. The characters are well written and well defined. The mystery is written from the view point of Aggie, revealing various bits of her unconventional childhood, plus her struggles to raise her children especially oldest daughter Deena, who at eleven is just starting to rebel a little bit. Both Teddy and Deena are well written and come across as real children. Aggie's friend Lucy is so well written that I could picture here while reading the book. Ed comes across as a bit bland, but I suspect that will change in future books. Author Emilie Richards does a good job describing small town life and the secrets hidden there and the town itself was like a character in the book. The mystery is well written with plenty of surprising secrets slowly revealed as the book goes on. The mystery is complex yet satisfying, if a bit sad. But there's a nice gentle humor throughout the book that takes the edge off the sadder elements.

"Blessed is the Busybody" is well worth reading. ( )

This was the first book that I read for the 12 hour mystery-thon. It had numerous entertaining moments and a well-crafted mystery that centered around a minister's family that lives in a small town in Ohio. It all starts with a naked body being found on the front porch of the vicarage. Aggie and her husband Ed have to ride the scandal as the police try to solve the murder that literally lands on their doorstep. The Women's Society for their church is not happy about the scandal and are tempted to relieve Ed of his position and then one of their own is murdered and things get even more complicated and Aggie sets out to clear her husband's reputation. ( )

In this series debut, minister's wife Aggie Sloan-Wilcox turns sleuth after a dead body is discovered on the parsonage doorstep. Her husband, Ed, becomes one of the suspects for the murder when he reveals that he has been counseling the victim. Aggie, who knows that Ed isn't capable of murder, fears that he may be in danger because of something the victim might have revealed to him during counseling. Her search for answers becomes more urgent after a second murder occurs.

I was completely surprised by the villain's identity. The clues were there, but I missed them. This book is everything the first book in a cozy series should be. It introduces a likable amateur sleuth, a best friend who serves as investigative sidekick, a local cop who recognizes the sleuth's intelligence and would prefer her to leave matters to the professionals, two bright and precocious daughters, and a charming small town in Ohio. I read the second book in the series first and enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed this one. I'll definitely be picking up more of the books in this series. ( )