Happy December! I can’t believe the year just about over now and the snow is here. This is one of the only times I’m alright with snow because it worked so perfectly for this photo.
Thanks to the SoHo Crime and AustenProse PR for the gifted copy and spot on the blog tour in exchange for my honest review
DEATH ON A WINTER STROLL – Francine Mathews (Released November 1st, 2022)
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
While I’m in the camp of wanting books having to do with the pandemic to be done, this one was done very well and wasn’t the same as all the others. I completely understand why authors are using COVID and the post-COVID world in their books because that’s what we’ve all been going through and experiencing, but it can feel overdone. While I was hesitant, I’m really happy that I decided to give this one a chance. This is book seven in the Merry Folger Nantucket Mysteries series but you can jump in with this one without feeling lost – so perfect as a standalone. The characters came to life and while there were a lot of moving parts to this book, everything fell together so well and complex mystery woven so perfectly. Nothing overly predictable and it kept my attention from the very first chapter (and after a few slow books, this is exactly what I needed). Highly recommend and I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more of the series.
Book Description:
No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.
Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land,
where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’ Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.
Advance Praise:
“This fast-moving mystery packs in a lot, but never too much, and will work for fans of coming-of-age stories, police procedurals, and romance.” —First Clue
“Fresh, well-wrought prose brings the setting of Nantucket to life. Mathews consistently entertains.” —Publishers Weekly
“Christmas and death come to Nantucket . . . Plenty of fascinating characters and myriad motives make for an exciting read.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Mathews consistently places relationships at the forefront of her mysteries, and Merry’s unique blend of tenacity and humanity makes her a heroine to root for.”—USA Today bestselling author Karen Odden, author of the Inspector Corravan mysteries
Where to Purchase a Copy:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS
About the Author:
Francine Mathews was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written thirty books, including six previous novels in the Merry Folger series (Death in the Off-Season, Death in Rough Water, Death in a Mood Indigo, Death in a Cold Hard Light, Death on Nantucket, and Death on Tuckernuck) as well as the nationally bestselling Being a Jane Austen mystery series, which she writes under the pen name Stephanie Barron. She lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
Connect with the Author:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS
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