“Scraps of Paper is a well-constructed mystery with just the right mix of good guys and bad guys, with a sprinkling of oddballs and misfits thrown in. Kathryn Meyer Griffin does a nice job of allowing the friendship of the book’s two main characters to develop as the story progresses. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good who-done-it, set in a picturesque environment with … environment with believable characters. This is the first book in a series the author calls ‘The Spookie Town Mysteries’.” 5 Stars Reviewed by Michael McManus for Readers’ Favorite May 17, 2013 (Second in the series: ALL THINGS SLIP AWAY)
Snippet of NOVELSPOT Review for Scraps of Paper:
“The premise behind this story intrigued me. Old houses have their own history-bad and good. What would you do if, while you were renovating an old house, you found an intriguing mystery, even if it was years old? If you had a chance of solving that mystery, would you? Or would you leave it buried in the past? Would you want someone digging in your past, your tragedies? If someone you loved just disappeared, what would you do?
Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Scraps of Paper is an engaging story of what happens when you go digging into the past and the possible consequences. It also has an underlying story about dealing with what life hands you and finding the strength to move on. Both Frank and Abby are strong characters they have had to deal with the loss of a loved one and to learn to deal with that loss. You find yourself drawn to them and to all the quirky people who live in the little town of Spookie. In the end you want to know what happened in the old house so many years earlier. I’ll be looking forward to more books about this quaint little town.”
Reviewed By Theresa at NOVELSPOT © March 2006 (9 out of 10 rating)
****
Abigail Sutton’s beloved husband walks out one night, doesn’t return, and two years later is found dead, a victim of an earlier crime. It’s made her sympathetic to the missing and their families.
Starting her new life, Abigail moves to a small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna’s younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.
But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play.
Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of the eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why…but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer. *
**This book is the first of a series. The second and third books, All Things Slip Away and Ghosts Beneath Us, where Abigail and Frank’s sleuthing adventures continue, are also for sale on Amazon.
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I liked the charecters in this quirky town. Can’t wait to read the next one.
Couldn’t wait to find the next scraps!
So interesting I didn’t want to put the book down.
Loved it!
Loved the story, the characters are realistic. I didn’t want to put it down.
All I can say is that I really enjoyed this book and the mystery involved.
This as a great read. I kept wondering if somebody else wasn’t guilty.
Well written and kept my interest.
The story built a little at a time and although the ending was somewhat predictable, it was still twisted. Good read.
positively phenomenal style!!! do not start reading this book during the week while you are having lunch thinking you will just easily put it down and get back to work… author very obviously loves and loved all her rescue animals and to have them featured in such a spectacular manner is beyond delightful. i’m an artist and my rescue felines have always had an animated life in my head which corresponded with their real life antics. the “sun dipping behind the baseboard” was fantastic!! as all else in book. fyi- ants getting into your fur loves food bowls and such. here’s the ticket- make a mote. get small plate or saucer about 2 inches larger than the bottom of the food bowl. fill with water and put a tad bit of unscented soap in said with water. if you use just water the ants will eventually make a bridge of themselves to cross said mote. the soap is the key to prevent that. ant covered food is expensive to keep replacing and disgusting for your love.
Great who-done-it! Loved all the characters even the eccentric ones! They all came to life on the page.
This was my first read with this author and I am impressed. She made a small town come to life and fleshed out a number of real and mostly likeable characters. The plot had interesting twists and really kept my attention. Will be reading more in the same series.
Turn on the lights, lock the doors, and settle down for a mystery that will make you check all of the locks more than once. When Abigail moves to the town of Spookie to find happiness, she discovers a scrap of paper that changes her life forever, although not in the way she had planned. Kathryn Meyer Griffith has written a story of love, adventure, and danger, along with a cast of characters that I think you’ll remember for a long time after reading about their lives.
SCRAPS OF PAPER is the story of people that live in a small town and how they face the dangers that threaten to destroy them. This is good mystery that kept me wondering what would happen next. I recommend it for readers who enjoy suspense and mystery. This is the first book in a series, so you’ll want to check out the others, too. Happy Reading.
I’ve read many of Kathryn’s books. She writes about ghosts, vampires, witches, time travel and more. Being addicted to cozy mysteries I was curious to see how she would do in this genre.
Abigail’s husband walked out the door, got in his car and vanished. Two years later his body is discovered, a victim of a mugging. After two years of wondering what had happened to her husband, she now has answers and feels a need to move on with her life. A fresh start is in order and Abigail sets off on an adventure, finally coming across a quaint little town with the curious name of Spookie.
Kathryn’s descriptions of the town and inhabitants of Spookie felt like she was describing the small town I live in. The buildings, the flora and the eccentric character or two could easily be what I see every day.
Feeling a strong connection to the place, Abigail buys a fixer upper and begins her new life. While doing some repairs she begins to find scraps of paper with notes scribbled on them in crayon. Inquiring about the history of her new home, she learns a mother with two small children mysteriously disappeared some 30 years ago and were never heard from again. She’s curious about what happened to them and digs deeper into the town’s history.
Thus begins the mystery. And this is where you get to meet some of the other players in the story. It seems every small town has stereotypes and you get some of them here. I’d say my favorites are the two older sisters, both quite eccentric and both with some secrets to share. And retired Chicago homicide detective, Frank Lester. Kathryn wrote him so well. I could see Frank, calmly contemplating the mystery while also being amused by Abigail. Her naivete and his quiet, confident demeanor would be a good fit and I had hopes they might find some peace and happiness together. Yep, I’m a match maker.
Scraps Of Paper reads at a steady pace. As the crime happened over 30 years ago, there’s no violent scenes. And while the mystery of who might have committed the crime was apparent fairly early on for me, I was still tantalized by the story. Kathryn writes so visually that I found even the little things engrossing. And she added this tiny bit of paranormal to the story that had me wondering right along with Abigail. Is her house really haunted?
Did I enjoy this as much as Kathryn’s other books? Yes, I did. I do like her darker books, but I was just as happy with this cozy mystery.
I enjoyed this book until the ending. It got a
little predictable towards the end. It felt like she was in a hurry to finish it and just ended it abruptly.
Probably a good book, but just not my flavor.
What a great book with a very tangled tale to tell. Kept me going to the very end. Fantastic read; don’t miss it. This is my first book by this author, can’t wait til the next.
Loved this book, had trouble putting it down. A hometown “who done it” with interesting and well developed characters.
Expertly written. Lots of twists and turns. Unpredictable.
Easy to read cozy mystery