You have all heard the story: big-city girl moves to small town and lives happily ever after. That’s not the forever-after Angel Delaight found when she moved to Whistle Stop, Minnesota. First her realtor is found dead in her new house, which is also rumored to be haunted. Then homeless animals began showing up at her door, along with a bevy of townspeople who seem to know what she is doing at … all times. Not to mention a secret journal turning up during renovation, revealing more secrets hidden in this small community.
Will those secrets from the past put Angel’s life and those of her friends and family in danger? When the big-city girl meets a small town, it can be murder.
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
Life is a small town, there is nothing like it. Angel Delaight is about to learn all about it when she moves from Chicago to Whistle Stop, Minnesota. When her realtor is found dead in her new home not only the police arrive. Nope, a cacophony of Whistle Stop residents, a homeless pet or two or three, maybe even a ghost or two all find their way to Angel’s door. She is also surprised when her daddy shows up in town. When another dead body is found she becomes a firm believer that A Small Town Can Be #Murder!
Wow! Wow! Wow! I am used to and love Ms. Seedorf’s humorous cozy mysteries. While there is some humor in this story, this is truly a different fare from this author and as expected she truly excels.
Readers are introduced to a vast number of characters. They are all rich, unique and for the most part genuine and the dialogue fits the locale. What I really love is that Angel Delaight is a strong heroine that worked for her father’s construction firm before leaving Chicago. Having worked in the field myself I know how hard that can be. She is also a woman with a plan, and a vision and now finds herself wrapped in a murder investigation. The author has left plenty of room for character growth but her character development for this first book in a series is top-notch.
Also rare for the first book in a cozy series is a complex mystery but she has delivered that as well. Is the house haunted? You will have to read the story for yourself. Seedorf fills the book with action and twists. The story never lags, the pacing is absolutely perfect. I had a little niggling about the guilty party but how the story played out was a total surprise.
Whistle Stop is a great setting as is Angel’s Victorian home with all its nooks and crannies. I have always wanted to live in one of those unique painted ladies. It seems Angel has made a wonderful find. The author describes the home, yard, carriage house, and every place we visit in Whistle Stop “brilliantly”. I felt like I was on the scene with a bird’s eye view of all the happenings. This history of the town and places was fascinating. I really enjoyed the extra author’s notes.
A Small Town Can Be #Murder was so much more than I imagined when I read the synopsis. I truly escaped totally into this story. I already miss the characters and I am so excited about the continuation of this series. Thank you, Julie Seedorf! This is one of my Best Reads of 2020!
I absolutely loved A Small Town Can Be #Murder! The setting is completely delightful. I love Whistle Stop, the fictional town that Angel moves to, because it’s so cozy, and it’s inhabited by both quirky and realistic characters.
There are several mysteries that need to be solved, and somehow Angel is mixed up in all of them! It’s a good thing that this small town accepts her as one of their own right away. They help her out in lots of ways. She gets lots of volunteers to help her with the renovations she’s doing on the Victorian house and carriage house. The townsfolk also help her when she’s in danger.
I think that the pacing of A Small Town Can Be #Murder was just right. The author really paints a picture of the town with her descriptive writing. There was just enough dialog; too much dialog drives me nuts! I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that the surprise or mysterious characters made the book even more enjoyable. I’m glad they came to town. Having animals is a must for a cozy mystery, and the way that Angel gets her pets is very funny.
I like that there are several suspects, so you’re never quite sure whodunit until near the end. The book wraps up happily, and I’m ready for another! I think you cozy mystery book lovers will love this one!
A Small Town Can Be Murder
Julie Seedorf
5 Stars
Synopsis:
You have all heard the story: big-city girl moves to small town and lives happily ever after. That’s not the forever-after Angel Delaight found when she moved to Whistle Stop, Minnesota. First her realtor is found dead in her new house, which is also rumored to be haunted. Then homeless animals began showing up at her door, along with a bevy of townspeople who seem to know what she is doing at all times. Not to mention a secret journal turning up during renovation, revealing more secrets hidden in this small community.
Will those secrets from the past put Angel’s life and those of her friends and family in danger? When the big-city girl meets a small town, it can be murder. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Angel is a hard worker and she loves what she is doing. But the body of her realtor that she found puts a big wrench in her plans. Angel is also not prepared for small town life, and all that entails. She cannot get used to everyone knowing what’s going on and everyone giving their two cents worth. She will have to get used to it and find a killer if she is going to make Whistle Stop, Minnesota, her home. The other characters are quirky and add a lot to the story.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story right from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider, and the mystery was not easily solved.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Sky Bridge Publishing, and Bookfunnel, which I greatly appreciate.
This book is not light on mysteries to solve!
Angel decides to leave the big city of Chicago and make her home in a small town. She doesn’t expect to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation where her realtor is found dead by Angel herself and then the realtor’s brother is found dead. To top it off, in the midst of remodeling her new property she finds diaries of someone that was held captive in the carriage house, but no one knows who she is which is kind of strange for a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. And to further add to the story, a mother and her two daughters are on the run from an abusive husband/father. And of course, you have to have a budding romantic relationship to round out the story.
I really enjoyed the complexities of this story. I never felt like there were lulls in the story and while I didn’t guess the killer, I did have some suspicions about a few of the town residents. There are quite a few subplots that rounded out the story and additional characters will make for interesting reads in future books in this series. I love small towns and the camaraderie that they have with each other. This town will be no different.
At the end is some history on Whistle Depot that was fascinating, so make sure to read the author’s notes.
Overall we enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next in the series. We give it 4 paws up.