Pamela Burford

I DNF this book when the “friends” told her she had to stay with a guy who was serial cheating on her because she was supposed to hopefully marry him now that she was a spinster at 30.

I’m content warning this Bc there are serious consent issues. Saying no and physically resisting does not mean, “keep going, I will decide I like it.” A whole lot of plot would have been fixed by 1)clear consent 2)getting rid of the age stereotypes (26 is too young for a guy to marry, but 30 is on the show more shelf for a woman) 3)fixing role stereotypes just…ugh couldn’t take it.

Merged review:

I DNF this book when the “friends” told her she had to stay with a guy who was serial cheating on her because she was supposed to hopefully marry him now that she was a spinster at 30.

I’m content warning this Bc there are serious consent issues. Saying no and physically resisting does not mean, “keep going, I will decide I like it.” A whole lot of plot would have been fixed by 1)clear consent 2)getting rid of the age stereotypes (26 is too young for a guy to marry, but 30 is on the shelf for a woman) 3)fixing role stereotypes just…ugh couldn’t take it. show less

Jane Delaney makes a business of doing the ridiculous things some people want to have done in memory of the dead. While pouring good wine onto a grave she sees a big tree blow down in a storm, revealing the skeleton of an unofficially buried body among its roots. This was Ernie. Finding out who Ernie was and how he died gkves Jane a valid reason to talk to older people in her community and learn about local events before her birth. The stories are mostly funny--I laughed so much I forgot to show more try to solve the mystery, but my guess is that it will keep reders guessing, if they remember to try. show less

This mystery was a delight!

The plot is very twisty indeed! and that's just how I like them.

While it was a bit challenging to keep the various family trees straight- and that's important!- it was manageable.

All the characters are complex and come across as real people, even fairly minor ones. The dog is a dog, and acts like a dog- both messing things up and helping the humans, according to his own canine logic.

Add in some good dialog, and a convincing sense of place, and it all makes for a show more very entertaining mystery that is full of surprises!

Recommended for mystery fans! It is at the writing available for free in Kindle form on Amazon.

I look forward to the next in this series! show less

A good mystery with plenty of twists, off-beat characters and a comic undertone. It felt, at times, like watching a classic Three Stooges hallway scene with Larry, Moe and Curly popping in and out of doors. More Janet Evanovich than Coen Brothers, but still a fun read.