The story revolves around a novelist and amateur detective, Hazel Martin. She is invited to Lowry House by her friend Mrytle Pembroke not only for the woman’s eightieth birthday but because she has been at the center of some mysterious accidents around the house. Once there, Hazel meets the rest of the family Gloria, Fran, Ed, Wes, and Vera. A rather boring cast of characters all of whom seem to be obsessed with the family money and antiques in one way or another aside from Gloria.
The murder doesn’t happen until after the halfway mark so I almost forgot I was reading a murder mystery. Instead, the majority of the focus was talking about the previous attempts on Myrtle’s life and getting ready for her eightieth birthday. Why this woman is having a party when there have been attempts on her life, I don’t know. In fact, I don’t think it was ever brought up or explained.
Between investigating the goings on at the house with the help of Gloria, Hazel writes her novel and we find out which pen she uses whenever she does so. How is that important ma’am? But not only that we learn that Hazel had helped out the police/Scotland Yard in the past because of her late husband was a police officer. Honestly, why aren’t we reading about her first time doing that instead of learning about it?
Finally, at the birthday party, someone is murdered and it’s Vera. At first everyone suspects it was meant to be Myrtle because they have the same hair color and Vera had Myrtle’s gloves. But then Hazel discovers they were looking at the case all wrong and realizes who the murderer is. Yeah, I figured that out because the murderer wouldn’t stop pushing Hazel to look at the others and pretty much throwing others under the bus all while being stuck to Myrtle’s side like glue.
And again I need to write down notes while I read so I can write better reviews. One day I will get this right. Hopefully.
I am either going to read Love's Prophecy by Brenda Dyer or a book to indulge my nostalgia I don't know yet.
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