Murder in a Cape Cottage
‘Tis the day after Christmas, following a wicked-busy time of year for Mac’s bike shop. It’s just as well her Cozy Capers Book Group’s new pick is a nerve-soothing coloring book mystery, especially when she has last-minute wedding planning to do. But all pre-wedding jitters fade into the background when Mac and her fiancé, Tim, begin a cottage renovation project and open up a wall to find a skeleton bride sitting on a stool, dressed in an old-fashioned bridal gown.
As Mac delves into the decades-old mystery with the help of librarian Flo and her book group, she discovers a story of star-crossed lovers and feuding families worthy of the bard himself. Yet this tale has a modern-day villain still lurking in Mac’s quaint seaside town, ready to make this a murderous New Year’s Eve.
The Details
Series: A Cozy Capers Book Group – Book #4
Author: Maddie Day
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496735676
Page Count: 320
Rating: 
The Review
Renovating just after Christmas and two weeks before your wedding is never a good idea. But for Mac and Tim, finding a skeleton bride behind a wall could prove a bigger disaster than either of them know. In the fourth book in the “Cozy Caper Book Group” series, Murder in a Cape Cottage tells the story of love, hate, suspicion, and heartbreak. In other words, life.
Mac finding a skeleton behind the wall of her new home with Tim, dressed as a bride, makes everything about her wedding far more important and seems almost natural. And at the same time, everything feels almost meaningless unless she can find out who killed the young woman and why. But tracking down suspects and evidence from a crime carried out decades ago could be difficult, if not fruitless. Along the way, Mac discovers the secrets of several families and how some of the most respected members of society can hide events and information, sometimes even murder. Families are never what they seem, even when they look normal.
The characters in this series have always been well-written, very likable, and full of inspiration. The age range works well, from young to old; the book club members are a force to be reckoned with and not to be underestimated. The setting of the bike shop doesn’t play a significant role as it has in the past, which is a nice change of pace. The bookshop is always busy and fun, along with the town itself, especially after the holidays. The victim, a skeleton bride, walled up years ago, almost comes to life as you read the sad story of her death. The evidence, although sparse, gives a good idea of who is to blame for the murder of the young woman. Tragedy abounds, not just in the murder of a bride but in the lives of those involved. Of course, Mac and her friends solve the crime, but it changes their view on life in their little corner of the world.
Murder in a Cape Cottage is a very nice addition to this series. Readers will be enthralled by the past and the secret lives of those we live near or see daily. The skeleton bride will never receive justice, but at least she can finally rest in peace. Mac and Tim have a long life ahead of them, and I hope we get to read all about it in many books yet to come. Fans will enjoy every second spent reading this book, and the recipes will have your mouth watering. I hope everyone spends time with Mac and enjoys her continuing story.
The Author
Edith Maxwell (aka Maddie Day) has always been a writer. She made her living writing technical documentation in the software industry, wrote features and essays as a freelance journalist, edited medical texts, and produced several published articles and a doctoral dissertation in linguistics. And before that, she wrote fiction and news articles, with her first paid published story appearing at age 9. Creating fiction, long and short, makes her happiest (although she wrote a prose poem about her late father that she’s rather proud of).
As a former organic farmer, Edith knows the language and tensions of someone like Cam Flaherty, the farmer in the Local Foods mysteries. Edith lived in southern Indiana for five years and loved the slow pace and language of its natives, so it made sense to set the Country Store Mysteries there. In addition, she taught independent childbirth classes. She worked as a doula for some years, giving her insight into the life of a historical midwife as portrayed in the Quaker Midwife Mysteries. And her new Cozy Capers Book Group series comes straight out of her imagination and several solo writing retreats on Cape Cod.
Edith lives in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but is originally a fourth-generation Californian. She has two grown sons and lives in an antique house with her beau and their two cats.
Readers will want to read other books in the “Cozy Capers Book Group” series, such as Batter Off Dead or another book and series from this author, Strangled Eggs and Ham, from the “A Country Store Mystery” series.
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