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SYNOPSIS
With her own wedding fast approaching and her mother-in-law dating an unexpected beau, the last thing Natalie Barnes needs is to find a young man shot dead in a dinghy. A note she finds with the body suggests the dearly departed had a secret rendezvous planned with somebody on the island. But when suspicion is cast on a fisherman Natalie believes to be innocent, she begins to wonder if the murder was the result of a lover’s quarrel . . . or a lobsterman’s disagreement gone horribly wrong.
REVIEW
Unlike some of the other tour participant-reviewers, this is my first experience with the Grey Whale Inn Mysteries. Luckily, "Adrift" stands quite well all on its own, and not having read the previous installments is no obstacle to having a great time with this book.
Having said that, if any of you want to TBR the whole series on GoodReads, like I did, you can visit the "Grey Whale Inn Mysteries" page to get info on the whole series: #1 - "Murder on the Rocks, #2 - "Dead and Berried", #3 - "Murder Most Maine, #4 - Berried to the Hilt, #5 - "Brush with Death", in addition to "Death Runs Adrift".
Maybe the 'B&B cozy' has been 'done before' as an agent at a Writers' League Conference in Austin told the Ms. MacInerney (see the entire interview at Kelly P's Blog). But just as the Atlantic coastline is vastly different from the Pacific coastline, so are MacInerney's cozies different from the rank and file examples of the genre. Borrowing a comparison from the folk tale genre, the writing in "Adrift" is neither too hot, nor too cold; it's just right.
If the Grey Whale existed in real life, and Natalie Barnes was a real person, I would definitely stay at her bed and breakfast when I went visiting friends in the area. Since it is not, and she is not, I can not. But I can do a virtual equivalent and recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries (in general) and cozies (in particular). If you like the smell of home-baked goods, farm and sea-fresh recipes and the tang of salty sea air, do not walk to the Grey Whale. Run. Or better yet, take a boat ... just don't peek in any adrift skiffs.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Critically acclaimed author Karen MacInerney also teaches writers’ workshops and drives a mean carpool. Her book Murder on the Rocks was selected as an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. When she’s not writing or chauffeuring children, she loves to read, drink coffee, attempt unusual recipes, and hit the local hike-and-bike trail. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children, and escapes to Maine as often as possible.’
I'll have to check out this series. I love stories about bed and breakfast inns.
ReplyDeleteAlways glad to have another "cozy sister" on the back porch, Angie. C'mon back any time! :O)
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