Author: Maddie Day
Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496715067
Kensington Mystery
302 Pages
$7.99; $7.59 Amazon
January 31, 2019
⭐
Summer is busy season for Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida's bicycle shop, nestled in the quaint, seaside hamlet of Westham, Massachusetts. She's expecting an influx of tourists at Mac's Bikes; instead she discovers the body of Jake Lacey. Mac can't imagine anyone stabbing the down-on-his-luck handyman. However, the authorities seem to think Mac is a strong suspect after she was spotted arguing with Jake just hours before his death. Mac knows she didn't do it, but she
does recognize the weapon - her brother Derrick's fishing knife.
Mac's only experience with murder investigations is limited to the cozy mysteries she reads with her local book group, the Cozy Capers. So to clear her name - and maybe her brother's too - Mac will have to summon help from her Cozy Capers co-investigators and a library's worth of detectives' tips and tricks. For a small town, Westham is teeming with possible killers, and this is one mystery where Mac is hoping for anything
but a surprise ending...
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Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida owns a bicycle shop in the small hamlet of Westham, Massachusetts. She also belongs to a unique book club that only reads cozy mysteries. After leaving the club's meeting, she goes to the local soup kitchen to help, and sees a local handyman, Jake Lacey, who's recently done work for her.
When he asked to get paid for his work, she tells him that she'll pay him when he does the job right since her roof is still leaking, and he tells her that soon he won't need her money after all. When she leaves for the evening, the night is foggy. She trips over something on her way home and it turns out to be Jake's body. She calls the police immediately. But when she's suspected of the murder, and she sees what appears to be her brother's fishing knife sticking out of his chest, she knows she has to do something to get herself and her brother off the suspect list. With the help of her book club members, Mac's on the trail of a killer. But unfortunately, the killer is on her trail, too...
I loved the premise of this book, but that's all I loved. First, the blurb is really, really misleading. When she spoke with Jake it was hardly an argument. He asked to get paid for the work he did on her roof, but she told him she'd pay him when he did the work properly. Then he said he wouldn't need her money soon, and she told him that was 'great' and he went on his way. Does that sound like an argument? The police are complete morons if they think that she murdered Jake because of a
two-minute conversation about a roof. Otherwise, people all over the country are murder suspects if they tell someone they'll pay them when the job they hired them for is complete.
I also didn't like the fact that it seemed she was listing advertisements for other authors. I would much rather she made up titles and authors than tell us about books from her friends. If you bought a sofa, would you expect the sales person to tell you to go down the street and check out furniture at another store because their friend was a salesperson there? It really smacked of trying to sell books.
But then the book started to go downhill fast. Cops don't normally string police tape up before they've removed the body and bagged evidence (although I'm sure they can, but I've never known it to be done) - and they only do that if they need to return to the scene for more evidence and need access to the area. What they
do do is stage cops around the area to keep onlookers out. (Although I don't know how many onlookers they'd have on a foggy night). And since I never read that they were at the murder scene again, why was the tape up at all?
Sorry, but I didn't much care for the description of Mac's boyfriend: "...luscious lips, dark blond hair to his shoulders..." I know, I know...but I can't stand men with long hair. It's unattractive to me. And what is 'luscious lips' supposed to mean? Then I discover that he's a baker. With long hair. I'll bet it's cute when he puts it in the little paper elastic hat so it doesn't get in the food. Yeah, that's an attractive picture. (Hey -we're all entitled to our personal opinions, and this is mine. Good for you if you like long hair on men, but I don't; and yes, it colors the book for me.) Also, her mother's a Looney Tune. She can tell what food Mac is craving but doesn't know her son is in trouble? Well that makes perfect sense.
But the worst was the police officers. The police gave out the name of the person who found the body to news crews
before they had a chance to thoroughly question her. This police chief needs to be fired. It was about a half hour after finding the body and was already on the news!
And they had details of how she found the body while walking home. WTF? Also telling them what the deceased did for a living? In a "small hamlet?" How many handymen can there be? Sure, no one will figure out who the dead guy is, right? Plus, Jake was stabbed and she's a suspect, but no one looked to see if she had blood on her hands? Or her clothes? Supposedly she went home to wash, change clothes, then come back and call police? Oh, puh-leeze! (Especially since the people at the soup kitchen could tell them what she was wearing when she left - which was what she had on when the police arrived. So I guess she had time to do laundry and put it back on, right?) I'm doing better police work than these cops.
Then, she's not supposed to talk about the murder but the cops told the news crew. Well, I'd say that instruction just flew out the window. She should stand outside with a bullhorn and tell everyone in the vicinity, since the cops don't think much of keeping a murder investigation under covers. Plus, the news crew is standing right in front of her business - telling people the name, just like she's the murderer. Trust me, news crews do
not stand in front of the homes or business of people who've found a murder victim and announce both the name and business of that person. The ensuing chaos would be insane. So why would the police ask her not to talk about the murder scene but then
they tell the news crew all about it? Seriously? I could get whiplash from all the head shaking (not to mention a headache from the eye rolling).
Then the investigating detective finally gets around to questioning her, and she tells him about the man who came into the shop looking for Jake and acting suspicious. The man gave her his name, too. But the detective doesn't ask her if she knows his name and she doesn't volunteer it. You'd think this would be important. But again - these cops are inept.
I normally love Maddie Day, but not this time. This book had so many holes in it that it could be a sieve. So many, in fact, I couldn't finish it because I value my time. I really hate to waste money on books but I couldn't bring myself to continue reading this one. I have to wonder how this book got any five star reviews. The book (at least as far as I read) was completely unbelievable because nothing made any sense. I'm sorry I bought it and wish I could get my money back. Lessons learned, I guess.
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Cape-Capers-Group-Mystery/dp/1496722884/ref
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2900169615
More on Maddie Day's Books:
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maddie-day/
