Blessed Is The Busybody (Ministry Is Murder Mystery)

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 show more 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. show less

Opening Sentence: "...Teddy was getting ready to bury the cat again, and old moonpie, whose nine lives had been used up before he was fully weaned, was not protesting..."

Aggie Sloane-Wilcox is trying to adjust to small town life in Emerald Springs, Ohio as a both a mother and a Minister's wife. Aggie and her family are constantly under scrutiny from the church members, made worse by the fact that the parsonage is right next to the church. The book opens as Aggie prepares for the arrival of the Women's Society Board who think they need to come over and decide what length the bushes in the backyard should be. Aggie suspects they want them cut so that the Society members can look at the parsonage while in church.

However when the ladies show more arrive, they find a woman's naked body on Aggie's front porch. The ladies are scandalised and blame Aggie for the problem, and it looks like the police think that Aggie's husband, Ed, is a likely killer as he was seen arguing with her the day before. Some of the church board members start agitating for Ed to be fired.

Aggie decides to find the real killer and get Ed off the hook. Despite warnings from the good-looking detective to stay out of it, Aggie just keeps on snooping and asking questions. Who was this woman? Why was she in town? What is her connection to the second murder that Ed is also a suspect for? Can Aggie stay alive long enough to find the answer?

Aggie is a great character. She has lots of courage, a wicked and irreverent sense of humour and a strong sense of justice. The story is told from her point of view.

The other characters are just as well crafted. Ed is a good balance to Aggie, toning down her feet first journey through life. Aggie's best friend Lucy is a perfect match and even more spontaneous than Aggie. Ed and Aggie's two daughters are realistic for their ages, the oldest daughter is entering her teens and already starting to push her boundries. Then the various suspects and church members are all well developed as well. In fact characters are obviously one of the Emilie Richards' strengths because all of the characters were great. I didn't guess who it was until Aggie did, but it did make sense when the reasons were revealed.

I bought this book on impusle as I was looking for books with a Christmas theme, and the second in this series does - so I decided to buy both. I so enjoyed this one I am going to dive straight into book two. show less

The story doesn't stay consistently gripping, but there are a surprising number of actual twists for a cozy mystery later on. Major secrets and things not guessed. The mystery itself is interesting and I liked that it had a dash of humor from time to time. For being a minister's wife, the lead is realistic - she's not pious, she's a bit judgmental at times, she has a sense of humor, she's not afraid to get the groove on with hubby, and the scene where she accidentally mixed in some real-life photos in her powerpoint presentation was the funniest scene. Toss in a mother in law that doesn't like her, feeling used because she's the wife of the pastor, and you have a unique look into her station in life that feels more legit than usual.

Is show more it just me or do I wish she were single and could purse the steam with the local hunky detective? I like beginnings of mystery series to also be beginnings of relationships for the most part, so I had to get used to the husband patrol, as sweet as he may be.

Full review to come. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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.

A lovely little cozy mystery set in Emerald Springs, Ohio. Aggie is the wife of the new Unitarian Universalist minister in town and mother to two daughters. When the naked body of a tatooed young woman turns up on their doorstep, Aggie's inquisitive nature takes over.

Anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with some humor thrown in, will like this one. It is particularly fun to read as a Unitarian Universalist. A pleasant diversion on a winter's day.