Murder of a Mail-Order Bride by Mimi Granger

 Murder of a Mail-Order Bride

Book Summary

When real life starts mimicking the plot of one of the romance books that line the shelves in her bookstore, it's up to Lizzie Hale to catch the killer, in this riveting new Love is Murder mystery.

Lizzie Hale thought mail-order brides existed only between the pages of the historical romances she stocks in her bookstore, Love Under the Covers. But when not one, but two local men introduce her to their respective new wives, she's forced to reevaluate that notion. 

Lizzie is surprised when Al Little, the owner of the local hardware store, asks Lizzie and her aunt Charmaine to help Svetlana, his new bride straight from Russia, to settle into Tinker's Creek, but they agree. 

Everything is going swimmingly—until a wrench gets thrown into their plans when Svetlana is found drowned in the creek. 

With Al's suspicious best friend—who has his own mysterious mail-order bride—and the secretive matchmaker who put them together, Lizzie's got more suspects than she knows what to do with. But she'll have to nail down who the killer is fast, before someone else winds up dead.

My Thoughts

Murder of a Mail-Order Bride by Mimi Granger is a lighthearted cozy mystery.  Lizzie Hale owns Love Under the Covers a romance bookstore in Tinker’s Creek, Ohio.  Lizzie along with her aunt, Charmaine finds themselves helping Al Little welcome his Russian bride.  He wants Svetlana to feel comfortable in her new home plus Al needs their help with the wedding preparations.  Svetlana, Al’s Russian bride, arrives and announces the wedding will take place in less than a week.  Charmaine throws herself into planning a wedding in the park.  Lizzie finds herself appointed the maid of honor and begins hunting for an appropriate pink dress (Svetlana insists on pink).  The ceremony is just lovely.  Before the cake can be cut, Lizzie finds Svetlana dead in the creek.  Who could have wanted Svetlana dead and why?  Al asks Lizzie to don her sleuthing cap once again and learn who killed his Russian bride.   

Murder of a Mail-Order Bride is the second book in A Love is Murder Mysteries.  It can be read as a standalone if you did not read Death of a Red-Hot Rancher.  We learn more about Lizzie in this book.  The story is told from Lizzie’s perspective which makes us privy to her thoughts.  Lizzie is attracted to Max Alvarez, the local park ranger.  He definitely consumes her thoughts (and her daydreams).  There is chemistry between the pair.  I can tell that the author wrote romance novels before embarking on cozy mysteries.  The proportion of romance to mystery is out of balance (way too much romance).  The mystery is straightforward with a dead woman and an amateur sleuth looking into the crime.  The solution was obvious.  There are pointed clues to help the reader solve the crime.  The mystery did have some interesting bits and there was a unique clue.  I do like how the more obscure clues lined up. Charmaine is an over-the-top character.  She is one of those people who do not take no for an answer (she is quirky, dresses outlandishly).  There are a couple of other off-beat characters in the story.  There is humor sprinkled throughout.  There is the requisite small town, charming shops, and a cute dog.  I wanted to give this series another shot (which I did).  I discovered that it is not the right fit for me.  For those who enjoy quirky characters, first person point-of-view, a heaping helping of romance, silly humor, and a light mystery, then A Love is Murder Mysteries is for you.  Murder of a Mail-Order Bride is a giddy tale with a surprise Russian bride, rapid wedding planning, a quarreling couple, train fanatics conference, curious clues, a butchered bride, and an electric connection.

Murder of a Mail-Order Bride is available from Amazon*.  The first A Love is Murder Mystery is Death of a Red-Hot Rancher.  You can follow Mimi Granger on Amazon in order to receive an email when she has a new book release.  Thank you for joining me today and reading my review.  I am a stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Death a Sketch by Cheryl Hollon tomorrow.  It is the third A Paint & Shine Mystery.  I hope that you have an amusing day.  Take care, stay cool, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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