Nancy Martin (1) (1953–)

The first book in what would become a 10 book series (not counting novellas) sets the tone. Nora is the middle sister of three who were raised in a blue-blood Philadelphia Main Line family to be debutants, but whose parents spent all the fortunes, raided their trust-funds, then stole enough money from friends to leave the country, leaving the oldest with the family furniture, the youngest with the family’s art collection, and Nora got Blackbird Farm, complete with a 2 million dollar tax show more bill.

With no skills but great connections, she’s given a job as the assistant to the social columnist at the tabloid newspaper, owned by a family friend. At a party celebrating the newspaper’s longevity, she finds said owner dead in his bedroom and its obviously murder.

I like that Martin chose to make Nora the opposite of the clichéd amateur sleuth: she’s not fragile at all, takes Krav Maga for exercise, but she has a fainting problem, and being kind and classy is deeply woven into her dna. But she can’t help but want to help people when they ask her to, and her job attending parties gives her a ready made opportunity to ask questions and listen to gossip. I like that Nora’s obvious romantic interest is the son of a mob boss who is fighting to stay out of the family and against the criminal instincts he was raised with, and that he shows his interest with sincerity instead of braggadocio.

The mystery was well plotted with a resolution that neither transparent nor obvious, and it made sense at the end. show less

This series is one of my top cozy favourites and I always look forward to the next one. A Little Night Murder, though - this one was just chock full o' surprises.

Lexie's back! Nora's (the MC) best friend is out of prison early for reasons unexplained and Nora's helping her hide from the press and all the former clients who lost their fortunes when Lexie's partner's embezzlement came to light. Nora is 7 months pregnant and her constant financial worries have reduced her to wearing her show more sister's old maternity t-shirts sporting such gems as "Let Me Out, It's Dark in Here!" Nora and Mick are trying to prepare for the birth of not only their biological daughter, but for the adoption of Nora's grand-niece whose biological mother is in prison and due the week after Nora. Speaking of biological mothers: Mick's mom is in town and Nora's meeting her for the first time.

Nora's sisters aren't left out of the angst either: Libby is imploding over becoming a grandmother and Emma has reached the pinnacle of unsuitability in her lovers.

Those are just the things mentioned on the front flap. I'm not mentioning anything else because if you enjoy this series, I don't want to take anything away from the surprises awaiting you. Suffice it to say there are more than a fair few.

In the midst of all of this, Lexie's neighbour, an old showgirl has-been is trying to revive her career, claiming she has found an unpublished musical left in her late husband's papers. He was famous for his musicals and everybody is buzzing about this new find. Until the man's daughter is found dead and oddities and absurdities surrounding the production become apparent. Nora's editor has given her an ultimatum: a story about Lexie and her whereabouts, or a story about Jenny's murder.

Generally speaking, this was a wonderful romp of a story and I didn't want to stop reading it once I started. The mystery plotting is always well done, but my investment is 100% in the characters. The sisters and the people surrounding them are all fleshed out characters with realistic lives, if sometimes their names are a little out there. (I went to school with a Binky and Bubba (sister and brother) so I won't say the names are unrealistic.)

My only harumph: Nora's boss/editor is an Aussie and perhaps in an attempt to avoid the cliched Aussie slang terms such as Bonzer!, Fair Dinkum! etc. etc., the author has chosen to skate a bit close to the obscure. The one that sticks out the most is "dinger" - which I had to look up. It's recognised slang for "condom" but my Aussie born-and-bred husband has never heard of it. Perhaps some of my BL Aussie friends are more familiar with it? There were a couple of others as well, but I forgot what they were and I'll never find them again. Also, in a book with no swearing, I snickered over the author's liberal use of "bugger", but I'm assuming she's well aware of the word's meaning and is banking on most of her readers being unaware. I'm choosing to see it as a quiet little rebellion on her part. :)

The mystery is tied up at the end but the characters are left with a shock - not a cliffhanger, but definitely a story to be continued. Which makes me happy, because it means there's another Blackbird Sister adventure on the horizon. Somebody pass me the champagne and a tacky t-shirt.

NB: I've been googling the surprise at the end of this book and personally I think it's a tissue paper dragon based on the holes apparent after a quick search. But such a thing does exist, who knew? show less

A lovely start to a mystery series, and exactly the kind of light reading I needed at the exact moment I picked it up. So it might have gained a half star for being perfectly fitted for the moment.

I loved most of the characters, particularly Nora the protagonist, and her slightly but not overdone snarky outlook on life. I liked that there's no romance triangle in sight, and I liked that I totally didn't see the murderer coming (but props to me, I did suspect an eventual accomplice.)

Sadly show more my library seems to have a fairly random selection of these books, or I'm pretty sure I'd just have got them all and read them end to end. show less

Nothing like a spot of blackmail amongst the upper classes. It’s all fun and profit until someone is murdered, and Nora’s youngest sister is a suspect because she was found passed-out drunk next to the body.

Martin continues to address the themes like addiction and abuse that most cozy mysteries wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pen, and she continues to do it in a way that lends the gravitas these issues demand, while keeping the overall read cozy. She also explores the hypocrisy of class show more double-standards, as Nora and Michael hash their way through why some illegal activity (mob crime) is considered worse that others (crimes of the upper crust), and how that criteria can suddenly change when it becomes convenient. She offers no answers, just plenty to chew on for those that feel philosophical.

The plotting was good; I felt sure I knew who the murderer was – or, who I wanted the murderer to be, but I was wrong. The murderer was craftily unexpected and, in the end, tragic, with Martin once again playing with reader expectations by questioning the meaning of justice. show less