Jen is asked to spend the summer helping out at her grandmother Kay's bed and breakfast, and finds out Kay suspects Jen’s mother didn’t disappear but was murdered. Kay uses her annual mystery dinner theatre weekend to try to get to the bottom of the case.
This is a short, satisfying teen mystery that would definitely be classified in the cozy genre. Although the focus is possible murder of the main character’s mother, there is nothing disturbing or overly emotional about the novel. The tone is light for the most part as the various characters converge at the bed and breakfast – all of them ready for a fun weekend of play-acting, most not realizing there could be a killer in their midst.
Though my favorite part was probably the setting, I also really enjoyed the relationship between Jen and her “uncousin” Mark. Ok, so it might have been because it got me thinking about George Michael and Maeby’s “forbidden cousin love” on Arrested Development (one of my favorite series ever!) and I couldn’t help suspecting it might the author paying homage.
This line was always going through my head whenever I read the word “uncousin”:
"It was a love between two cousins that the world thought was wrong, but it was the world that was wrong..." (from the fictitious movie Les Cousins Dangereux (a.k.a Dangerous Cousins) that George Michael sneaks into with Maeby on an episode of Arrested Development)
If you’re looking for breezy mystery with an engaging setting and characters, then SUSPECT might just do the trick.
SUSPECT is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the publisher's website.
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7 comments:
I loved Arrested Development as well, and thought that Tobias joing the Blue Man Group was probably the funniest thing I had seen in a long while.
I also love books that feature bed and breakfasts, and have a couple on my shelves, so this one sounds like it might make a cute read for me.
I like that it's a lighter take on the whole mystery angle, and since it's been a long time since I have read a cozy, this one goes on my list. Thanks, Lenore!
I really enjoyed Suspect as well! Glad to hear you did too.
This sounds like a good little mystery, I would have thought it to be tragic since it involved the death of the main characters mother.
This is the first time I've heard about Arrested Development, I have to keep that series in mind :)
I'm taking notes for my daughter. She is in a phase right now where she would probably like a murder mystery.
A YA cozy? this one sounds like a fun read!
The lovely Erin sent me a copy of this as well. Looks like I'm going to have to bump it up on my list!
This book is really nice. Its subtle yet sweet in the relationship between Jen and Mark but light enough in the emotion part!
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