Author: Amy Lillard
Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audio CD Available)
ISBN #: 9781492687801
Poisoned Pen Press
320 Pages
$6.39; $6.07 Amazon
November 24, 2020
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It was only a few months ago that the ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club -- Fern, Camille, and Helen -- solved the murder of the renowned author, Wally Harrison. So when they select Wally's bestseller, Missing Girl, for their next discussion, Arlo is hopeful it will be the end of their mystery hunt.
But since their recent success as sleuths the crew officially see themselves as a women's mystery club, and they're convinced Missing Girl was inspired by a 50-year-old case. It's a case from their own Sugar Springs, Mississippi -- the disappearance of Mary Kennedy -- and Arlo can do little to stop the book club ladies from investigating.
But what starts out as a fun hunch quickly turns into a very real cold case murder mystery when a young girl is murdered in the exact place the women believe Mary went missing all those years ago. It's clear the two cases are connected -- and the mystery book club is determined to find answers. With Arlo's help, they just may be able to crack the case.
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Arlo Stanley moved to small town Sugar Springs, Mississippi when she was sixteen and tired of her parents' hippie lifestyle. Since then, she's put down roots and opened a bookstore and coffee bar with her best friend, Chloe. She's tried to put her past behind her and live in the present, but it's not easy with two ex-boyfriends muddying the water.
The bookstore hosts the Friday Night Book Club, which has more or less turned into the Anytime They Feel Like It Book Club, with three elderly friends, Fern, Camille, and the woman who cared for her until she grew up and moved out on her own, Helen. These three had some success a few months ago when they solved the murder of author Wally Harrison, a local boy who moved away and became a successful author. They've decided to read his book, Missing Girl, and have come to the conclusion that the book is about a fifty-year-old mystery itself: that of Mary Kennedy, who went missing after leaving the wealthy Lillyfield estate and was presumed murdered.
But now they want to investigate the murder to see if they can come up with clues as to who did the deed. Their way in is Arlo, who has been asked to come to the estate for a book donation, but she emphatically refuses until they wear her down. While there, a young woman falls from a second story balcony, and they think it's an accident, until the police chief lets it slip that it was a murder. Now they want to know who killed the young woman and why.
But with no access to the estate, the mystery of Mary Kennedy still looming around them, and Camille's disappearances to meet a new beau, the women have a lot on their plate, and Arlo has her hands full trying to keep them in line. Will they find a killer or will someone get away with murder?
This is the second book in the series and I found it just as delightful as the first. I found only one thing that bothered me, which is in a spoiler at the bottom, so if you haven't read the book, please don't read the spoiler.
While Arlo is trying her best to rein in the three ladies, they're having none of it and of course she's dragged along on their escapades, hoping to keep them out of jail and/or danger; none of it is doing much good anyway. They have their own minds, and it's no help that the book store's upstairs tenant, private detective and Arlo's ex-boyfriend Sam Tucker, seems to encourage them to do what they want.
The estate's owner is disabled by a stroke, so she can't help them, so the ladies just investigate on their own, coming up with what they consider clues, and go on their merry way. It's an hysterical ride as we listen to their conversations and are grateful that we aren't part of any of it. These women just rattle on, making their case to Arlo, and she really doesn't have any say in the matter, even if she does want to leave it all up to the police. Never gonna happen with these three.
When the ending comes, the climax is done very well and it all comes together nicely tied up in an interesting package. This is where my question comes in, so this is why you will have to read the book first. But never fear -- there are no cliffhangers, and while I was fairly sure who the murderer was early on, I was glad to see that I was not disappointed in my supposition. All in all, it was definitely satisfactory, and it also gives a teaser to look forward to in the next book. Highly recommended.
More on Amy Lillard's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/amy-lillard/
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