Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Mystery/Women Sleuth
Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Like
Margarita, the protagonist in her books, Morgan C. Talbot is a fan of puzzles
and enjoys geocaching as a hobby as well as many other outdoor activities. She
lives with her family in Eastern Washington. This is her second book in a
series of murder mysteries. First to Find,
is the initial book.
Description:
“Love is a
many murdered thing.
Three
months after catching a killer, Margarita escapes to a historic hotel with Drew
and Bindi for a Valentine’s weekend of geocaching. But during the love-themed
costume ball, the CEO of a satellite navigation company keels over—and then his
body vanishes.
As the
weekend progresses, Margarita discovers threatening messages in the logbooks of
local geocaches. Her attempts to unmask the blackmailer are thwarted by the
last person she would have expected.
With a
stubborn sheriff on the case, Margarita and Bindi must take matters into their
own hands. But whether they’re chasing one killer or two, they have a problem:
all their suspects seem to have solid alibis.
Between
misunderstandings, outright lies, old secrets, and more than one corpse, it’s
not Love in the air anymore. It’s Death.”
Appraisal:
When I read
and reviewed First to Find, the initial
book in this series, I was so focused on the hobby of geocaching and how the
author had integrated it into the story, that I missed that it, like this
volume, is a good fit for the subgenre commonly called a “cozy mystery.” While
there are several qualities this type of mystery has, the key is less emphasis
on the murder (little blood and gore, no explicit violence), and a focus on
puzzle solving, putting together all the clues to find the guilty party.
The
protagonist, Margarita, loves puzzles (there is even a word puzzle at the end
that she formulates throughout the book, if you’re into that kind of thing) and
is the perfect character for a cozy mystery. Her roomie and sidekick, Bindi,
adds character and flair with her Australian slang, not to mention sleuthing
help due to her sensitivity to smell, and a touch of irreverence (she doesn’t
always filter what comes out of her mouth). The best cozies are fun reads, with
more humor and brain food than the adrenalin rush of gore and violence. And
that’s what you get with Death Will Attend,
a fun read and a puzzle to solve along with Margarita and friends.
FYI:
Although
the second book in the series, this book can stand on its own. The first book
introduces the reader to a few recurring characters, primarily the protagonist,
Margarita, and her Australian roommate, Bindi, as well as introducing the
basics of their hobby of geocaching. However, I don’t believe reading the first
book in the series is critical to understanding this installment.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating: **** Four stars
2 comments:
Thank you very much for your great review, Al. I appreciate your time. I think you're the first reviewer to mention the puzzles I put at the back of the book, too!
awesome contest! thank you so much (cuanam wolfspirit - howlofwolves@yahoo.com)
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