This book is the second in the “Imogene and the Boys” series of mystery books by Hunter Murphy. I hadn't read the first book before starting this one, but I found that this book had enough backstory worked in that I wasn't lost. It's a refreshing change of pace to have an elderly Southern woman as the protagonist and detective in a mystery story. Imogene, Agnes, Jackson, and Billy were just trying to have a relaxing vacation when a grim discovery pulls them into a murder investigation. Together the gang must unravel a web of secrets and lies stretching back to the 1970s and solve the murder by finding the truth.
Who it's for: Anyone looking for a different approach to a classic murder mystery
Pros:
• Imogene, Agnes, Jackson, and Billy: These characters make for great protagonists. In the investigation itself, Imogene and Agnes take the lead while Jackson and Billy play supporting roles. That's good since having four main characters would be overwhelming for this particular book. Since a large part of the story focuses on Jackson's actions, one can argue that he's the main character. However, Imogene does most of the investigating, so I think she deserves to be the main character.
• Scene descriptions: Mr. Murphy can really lay out an area. He describes locations in beautiful detail without getting bogged down in the tiny stuff. He does color really well too, so you can practically see the lush greenery and sparkling water.
• Unpredictability: It was pretty much show more impossible to know who the killer was since he provided so many compelling suspects.
Cons:
• Typos: There weren't so many that it affected comprehension, but there were definitely more typos than I'm used to seeing in published works.
• Action: The only true failing in the writing. There wasn't technically anything wrong with the action, but more often than not it wasn't believable. It felt like the characters were all overreacting all the time. It would go from conversation to altercation without a logical buildup. I found myself thinking “chill out, can't you just have a normal conversation without freaking out?” pretty often. I get that everyone was in a very stressful situation, but I've never seen such a collection of hair-trigger tempers
Even with the flaws, this was an enjoyable read. The mystery was engaging, the characters invited more exploration, and the scenery might inspire a few visits to Florida. Definitely a unique read, check it out. show less
Who it's for: Anyone looking for a different approach to a classic murder mystery
Pros:
• Imogene, Agnes, Jackson, and Billy: These characters make for great protagonists. In the investigation itself, Imogene and Agnes take the lead while Jackson and Billy play supporting roles. That's good since having four main characters would be overwhelming for this particular book. Since a large part of the story focuses on Jackson's actions, one can argue that he's the main character. However, Imogene does most of the investigating, so I think she deserves to be the main character.
• Scene descriptions: Mr. Murphy can really lay out an area. He describes locations in beautiful detail without getting bogged down in the tiny stuff. He does color really well too, so you can practically see the lush greenery and sparkling water.
• Unpredictability: It was pretty much show more impossible to know who the killer was since he provided so many compelling suspects.
Cons:
• Typos: There weren't so many that it affected comprehension, but there were definitely more typos than I'm used to seeing in published works.
• Action: The only true failing in the writing. There wasn't technically anything wrong with the action, but more often than not it wasn't believable. It felt like the characters were all overreacting all the time. It would go from conversation to altercation without a logical buildup. I found myself thinking “chill out, can't you just have a normal conversation without freaking out?” pretty often. I get that everyone was in a very stressful situation, but I've never seen such a collection of hair-trigger tempers
Even with the flaws, this was an enjoyable read. The mystery was engaging, the characters invited more exploration, and the scenery might inspire a few visits to Florida. Definitely a unique read, check it out. show less