In this cozy murder, Emily Ryder, a tour guide turned amateur sleuth, attempts to solve the murder of her mentor, Chris Cooper. His death has been ruled accidental. Murder just couldn’t happen in the small town of Lydfield, Connecticut, but Emily believes that Chris was murdered.
So why does Emily believe that Chris has been murdered? There are too many things that don’t make sense. And Chris had been standing in the way of a development company that wants to build an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint little town.
The cover of this book shows what looks like a beautiful and peaceful place to live, but looks can be deceiving. Lies, bribery, and deceit are running rampant in this little town. Is there anyone that Emily can trust? Twists and turns are around every corner. If you read carefully enough, you might even be able to figure out who the guilty party is. If you don’t read carefully enough, there is a chance that you will lose track of what is going on.
The town of Lydfield has been twinned with Lydfield-in-the-Moor in England. Twin villages or sister towns was something that I wasn’t familiar with. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a twin town is a town or city that shares planned activities and visits with a similar town in another country. The following article might help you gain a better understanding of twinned towns – Odd couples: 16 weird and wonderful twinned towns.
When Emily visits Lydfield’s sister town in England, she discovers that she has not left behind the danger.
I was sent a copy of this well-written mystery in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to buy your own copy, I’ve provided an Amazon link for you below.
Amazon Link: The Secluded Village Murders
Recommended Article: Shelly Frome Interview – Twin Cities, Inspiration, & Dinner with a Character
Favorite Sentences:
Whatever way she looked at it, there was no way she could get her mind around this tangle of loose ends while groping for some way to deal with her obligations.
He couldn’t help wondering who would fancy this mass of mock-masonry veneer, fake timber framing, cross-hatched windows, and overblown space.
From this angle, the octagonal turret formed a third story like a fairy-tale tower where the princess waited for her knight in shining armor.
Doc shambled off, announcing to no one in particular that English food was lousy, which included fisherman’s pie, sausage and mash, and bubble and squeak, “whatever in hell that was.”
The prospects and cheap thrills in the offing were her only compensation for a lousy love life.
Honesty Box at the pay-what-you-like cafe in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, flickr
New Words Learned:
farrago – a confused mixture; hodgepodge; medley
futzing – passing time in idleness, usually followed by around
glom – to steal, catch, or grab
honesty box – a container into which members of the public are trusted to place payments when there is no attendant to collect them
intrepid – resolutely fearless; dauntless
leaf-peepers – people who visit particular areas, especially in New England, to view the autumn foliage
loquacious – talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative
montbretia, geograph
montbretia – an extremely popular garden plant, widely grown for its sprays of reddish-orange flowers that appear in late summer. It’s most usually found on roadside verges and hedge banks, along cliff tops and woodland edges and on waste ground where garden plants are discarded.
pixilated – slightly eccentric or mentally disordered
settle – a long seat or bench, usually wooden, with arms and a high back
sphagnum moss – any moss of the genus Sphagnum, of temperate bogs, having leaves capable of holding much water: layers of these mosses decay to form peat. Also called peat moss or bog moss.
snug – a small, secluded room in a tavern, as for private parties
About the Author:
Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also the film columnist for Southern Writers Magazine and writes monthly profiles for Gannett Media.
His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, The Twinning Murders, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of nonfiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Website: http://www.shellyfrome.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellyfrome
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellyFrome
Thanks for reviewing ‘The Secluded Village Murders’!