Death by Intermission
The Blurb
Ushered once again onto another committee by the mayor of Snowberry Creek, Washington, Abby is tasked with keeping the box office receipts of the town’s Movies in the Park nights. Cut to the director’s chair from where she’s suddenly organizing the summer’s last feature. From the opening scene through the final credits, Abby feels she’s earned nominations for best volunteer, best movie date with her tenant Tripp Blackston, and best daughter for ignoring her mother, Phoebe’s own movie date with Owen Quinn.
Unfortunately, Abby and the others are treated to a post-credits scene: the body of local insurance agent Mitchell Anders. This discovery is followed by a plot twist revealing that the murder weapon comes from Owen’s food truck. With her mother’s boyfriend suspected of murder, Abby starts her own investigation, determined to shine a spotlight on the real killer.
The Details
Series: An Abby McCree Mystery – Book #4
Author: Alexis Morgan (Pat Pritchard)
GenreCatagory: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 9781496731258
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
The Review
Death by Intermission is an average story with a few issues. But none of the problems compare to the dynamics achieved in mother/daughter relationships. Or the damage the main character and her mother do to what equates to complex relationships, to begin with. As an amateur sleuth, Abby always finds herself in a murder investigation. She gets stuck in the middle of them and feels that she doesn’t have a choice but try to figure it out on her own.
This time we find that Abby’s mom has come for a visit; she managed to find a boyfriend and a dead body. She isn’t a suspect, but her new beau is, and Abby isn’t sure that he isn’t guilty. The amateur sleuth in her comes to the foreground. One way or another, she has to find out who killed a local insurance agent before her mother does something stupid. Other suspects are present but aren’t as easy to connect to the dead man until some secrets come to light.
The killer’s identity is revealed and doesn’t really come as a surprise. I thought it was evident from the beginning. Some of the secrets that seem so important turn out to be easy to figure out. The constant bickering between Abby and her mother gets old quickly, and it doesn’t help that they are acting like teenagers and have the attitude to go with it. This makes it difficult to get to know Abby’s mom, which would have made the story more interesting if the reader could know what type of person she is instead of who she is presented to be by her biased daughter. Kids have an odd idea of who their parents are to begin with, adding murder and a boyfriend into the mix makes it even more skewed. Abby isn’t a very good sleuth as she doesn’t figure out who the killer is; she sort of falls into the killer’s line of sight and almost becomes a victim.
I have enjoyed this series from the beginning. Even though I found Death by Intermission to have some issues and a few unanswered questions, it hasn’t changed my opinion or enjoyment of the series or the author. This is still one of the better amateur sleuth series on the market and one of the best writers. However, isn’t it time Abby gets some life goals, maybe a job, or starts a business, and she and Tripp need to stop pretending to be landlord and renter?
The Author
Alexis Morgan graduated from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, with a B.A. in English. She has always loved reading and now spends her days imagining worlds filled with strong alpha heroes and gutsy heroines. She is the author of over forty-five novels, novellas, and short stories that span a variety of genres: American West historicals (as Pat Pritchard), paranormal and fantasy romances, and contemporary romances.
Other books in the “An Abby McCree Mystery” series readers will enjoy include Death By Auction book #3 or start at the beginning with book #1 Death by Committee.
Represented by: 3 Seas Literary Agency
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