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Sunday, January 2, 2011

mortar and MURDER by Jennie Bentley

A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
A Division of Penguin Publishing
A Do-It-Yourself Mystery
4th in the Series
Release Date: January 4, 2011

  • ISBN-10: 0425239268
  • ISBN-13: 978-0425239261

Avery and Derek are back and they are renovating a 225 year old Colonial on Rowanberry Island just off the coast of Maine.  It is going to be a monumental renovation, but the sister house across the island shows what a great beauty it will be when complete.

On their way to work one day, boating across the water, they find the body of a woman in the water, not far from the island.  A few days later another woman is found floating close to the harbor.  Then Avery finds a secret room in the house they are renovating.  As Avery tries to stay out of the police investigation of the found bodies, she tries to keep busy learning the history of her house and the island.  She learns about the island's long tradition of smuggling different things over the past 200+ years.  It doesn't take her long to hammer out the details and find a connection between the dead women and the island history.  As much as she wants to stay out of the case she finds herself trapped right in the middle of it.


My first "I LOVED IT!!!!!" of 2011.  Jennie Bentley writes another wonderful whodunit.  This one takes on a current world problem and serves it up cozy style. We have come to love Avery and Derek and their love story too.  All the other characters we love are back too, with the addition of an eccentric thriller writer who is as mysterious as his books.  The house and the island are much more than the settings for the story, they are both integral to the plot and keys to solving the mystery. The home renovation tips and descriptions of Derek and Avery's work will be enjoyed by any do-it-yourselfer and are a true bonus to this fast paced story.  A must read series and this latest edition is definitely the perfect story to start off the new year.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime,  a Division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is not a series I've read as yet. There are so many great cozy series out there now. It's hard to pick and choose. Wish I could read them all. Thanks for sharing, Lori!

Julie P said...

Nice review, Lori! Hope you have a wonderful week....

dollycas aka Lori said...

It still amazes me every day the number of wonderful authors and books for us to read. It is true, there are so many good books and never enough time to read them all.

Tami said...

This looks like a fun series that I'll have to check out. Also, I was thrilled to see that J. J. Murphy will be guest-posting here. I'm about halfway through "Murder Your Darlings" and loving it. Can't wait to read her post.