Author: Jody Holford
Genre: Mystery
Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781516110063
Lyrical Underground Publishing
176 Pages
$15.95; $7.19 Amazon
August 4, 2020
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Living in the beautiful coastal town of Britton Bay, Oregon, seems like the perfect fit for Molly. She enjoys her work as editor-in-chief of the Britton Bay Bulletin, loves her boyfriend Sam, and feels at home in the adorable cottage in the back of his mother's bed and breakfast.
This spring Britton Bay is staging its first-ever community theater production. The show -- featuring local residents -- is the talk of the town, but tongues are really wagging over the director. It turns out former soap opera actress Magnolia Sweet is anything but; nothing's worse than a has-been on a power trip and steely Magnolia routinely chews out her amateur cast.
Still, it's a shock to all when she's found murdered in the theater. Now it's open call for suspects, as Molly steps in to shine a spotlight on a killer waiting in the wings. But will this be her final act?
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Molly Owens is the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, the Britton Bay Bulletin. She's had a tough morning, having to fire an employee, and is looking for a little comfort along the way. But since she's promised her friend Sarah, who's an artist and creating the set for a local production of The Wizard of Oz, she shows up with her boyfriend Sam and Sarah's boyfriend, acting sheriff Chris. When they arrive, they're immediately chewed out by the director of the play, an ex-actress named Magnolia Sweet, who has half the town afraid of her, including her assistant, Tiffany. It seems Magnolia acted in television a long time ago, but people are still jumping to her tune.
But it's also apparent that those same people really don't like her at all, and make no bones about it. When she overhears a telephone conversation, her conjectures are confirmed. Still, Molly is glad that she's only volunteered to help, so she doesn't have to deal with the woman directly.
But Molly has other things on her plate right now -- she needs to find a new employee, and soon; Sam's mother Katherine's birthday is just around the corner and they're planning a surprise party; no one can find Corky, the homeless man who usually hangs out in town; Molly is trying to get an interview with the hated Magnolia for the newspaper; and now Molly is wondering if her relationship with Sam is going to last. She knows she loves him, but once burned twice shy, as the saying goes...
When Molly finally is given the chance to interview Magnolia, she finds her dead on stage with the building's janitor, Judd, standing over the body. While no one believes that Judd's capable of murder he seems to be the only suspect. But Molly has been told more than once to stay out of murder investigations by Chris, but is this time different? When she's given encouragement from an unlikely source her innate curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to find out who was the most viable suspect. If only she can keep herself out of danger, she might live to tell someone...
This is the fourth book in the series and I've read all of them. I must disclose that this book is as much a romance as it is a mystery. Normally I don't read romances, because I really don't care for them. (Although upon occasion I have picked up one or two). Anyway, because the mystery is so well done, you don't really see it altogether as disrupting to the story.
As a matter of fact, it's more about Molly learning to trust and realize that people aren't going to bail on her as friends or family. There are a few parts that are actually quite endearing to the story in this respect, and it actually has bearing on the final outcome all along.
Getting back to the murder, the suspects are plentiful and it's up to Molly to find out if any of them have a rock solid alibi. But her asking questions is ruffling feathers in the wrong direction, and she's warned more than once to stay out of it. But when she finally finds out the truth, it just might be too late, and she might have put herself in danger one too many times.
However, when the ending comes and the motive is given I felt rather sorry for the perpetrator, although I don't want to reveal the reasons why as it may give too much away. There is a very nice epilogue that gives us something to look forward to in the next installment and I can't wait to read it. Highly recommended.
More on Jody Holford's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/jody-holford/
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