Agatha Christie is on the book club’s reading list in the latest from the author of The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco. This time, Amy-Faye and her friends might have to read between the lines to catch a killer. Amy-Faye Johnson’s book club, the Readaholics, is engrossed in Murder on the Orient Express, and Poirot’s surprising resolution is stirring up debate. Is the solution remotely … debate. Is the solution remotely realistic? Is justice served by Poirot’s decision? Well, the book is fiction after all…
Then, just as Amy-Faye is planning the grand opening of her brother Derek’s pub,
his hot-headed partner is murdered. To keep Derek from being railroaded as a suspect, Amy-Faye and the Readaholics take a page from Poirot and investigate. But as the clues lead to unlikely places, surprising motives, and a multitude of suspects, Amy-Faye and her pals wonder if truth can be just as strange as fiction.
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THE READAHOLICS AND THE POIROT PUZZLE by Laura DiSilverio is the second book in the Book Club Mystery series. It is a humorous cozy mystery that is well written and worked well as a standalone.
The plot takes place in and around Heaven, Colorado, a town that changed its name to try to attract more visitors to the community. The protagonist is Amy-Faye Johnson, an event coordinator. This includes all types of events ranging from weddings to birthday parties to community yard sales to the grand opening of her brother’s pub. Unfortunately, a murder takes place during the pub’s grand opening. With this synopsis, Amy-Faye pursues the murderer and enlists the help of her book club members.
This novel is filled with interesting characters and is an entertaining read. To me, the Poirot connection was weak and the culprit was not too hard to determine, but I have having so much fun in Heaven, Colorado that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Additionally, the author brought in several themes that added to the heartfelt storyline besides murder including running small businesses, adoption, family dynamics and even a little romance.
While this is first book that I have read by Laura DiSilverio, I look forward to reading other books in this and her other mystery series. She has also written a young adult dystopian series and I have book one of it on my to-be-read list.
I just can’t say enough how much I love Cozies. It was fun to see the book the Readaholics read in this story is one I’ve read in real life.
Amy-Faye is such a fun character and I enjoy how determined, smart and loveable she is. The Readaholics are a great addition to the mystery-solving and makes me wish I had a club full of fun women like this LOL
Definitely digging this series and can’t wait to read more of it.
Amy-Faye Johnson’s brother, Derek, is about to open his brewery, a moment that the entire family should be celebrating. However, the business is off to a rocky start thanks to Derek’s investment partner, Gordon Marsh, who is fighting with everyone, including Derek. The grand opening ends with Gordon’s body found in the dumpster, and the police looking at Derek. With Murder on the Orient Express fresh in their minds, Amy-Faye and her friends in the Readaholics delve into the case. But can they shift through the various suspects and motives to find the right killer?
This is a great mystery with quite a few suspects and plenty of twists that kept me guessing until the end. There is a large cast of characters, but they are all strong characters, and I had no trouble at all keeping them all straight. The ending was logical, given the real clues that were mixed in with the red herrings. The tie ins to the Christie classic were fun. And the friendships in the Readaholics is a pure joy to see.
Another great story! The motive was beyond my understanding (even being a parent). I really had to wonder if Amy-Faye was going to choose Hart or if she was going to try to get back with Doug (still not sure she’s going to stay with Hart). Love reading about the readaholics they are quite a entertaining bunch.