Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle Murders by Alexandra Benedict
Stars: 3.5
Audiobook
Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, English villages are dangerous places. Lots of people seem to get murdered and then the police seem to be unable to solve the multiple deaths without the sleuthing of elderly residents. Now it may be that, as Edie O’Sullivan states, people tend to look past older women so they have a better chance of finding out information, and if that is the case, then she joins that esteemed list of female amateur detectives.
In this book though, the murderer wants Edie to be involved. On Christmas she receives puzzle pieces showing a violent crime scene. In the corner of one of the pieces, she sees something that makes her think the victim might be her nephew, Detective Inspector Sean O’Sullivan-Brand. And since he is her last living relative, she knows that she needs to help find who is sending these pieces.
Edie is a prickly, tough broad (I think she would be ok with that description) but Benedict writes her in such a way that the reader feels sympathy for her; her life has not been easy. Benedict also creates a number of miscues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing. The narration by Sandra Duncan is excellent, she creates a wonderful sense of the characters. I always feel like the first book in a series can feel a little clunky since the author has to get so much information in there but I would definitely read more stories with Edie.
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