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Edna Davies #3
Murder by Mishap
Edna Davies is heading for the Providence Art Club when she spots a valuable heirloom brooch in the newly-tilled soil of a friend’s yard. Her discovery helps to solve a 50-year-old mystery but it also precipitates a murder. As she tries to make sense of the killing, Edna realizes more than one person is hiding behind a false identity. Matching wits with extortionists, arsonists and frauds, she must determine who is friend and who is foe before another person dies.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
268 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 26, 2012
19 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Young
11 books22 followersA writing career, in my opinion, springs from a love of words and of books. I’ve been an avid reader since about the time I could hold a book and a student of the English language since my earliest school days. I was the fourth of five children in my family and mostly ignored by my older siblings as the “pesky kid sister,” so I had plenty of solitary time to spend exploring people and places between the pages of any book I could get my hands on. My parents were both avid readers themselves, encouraging the same in all of us. We had an extensive home library that I could peruse whenever I couldn’t make it to the nearby local library.
Our weekends, summers and most school holidays were spent at a farm near Hope Valley, Rhode Island. The main house and outbuildings had originally been a stagecoach stop on the New London Turnpike, one of the first interstate highways in the country, built originally to link Providence and New London, Connecticut. In good weather, Mother would say, “It’s too nice a day to be inside. Go out and play.” Often, I’d take a book, find my favorite apple tree and read away the hours. Apple trees are wonderful places to hide out because you don’t have to climb down if you get hungry.
In middle school … known as “junior high” in my day … I was blessed with the most wonderful teacher for both English and History lessons. I credit Walter Blanchard for recognizing and encouraging the writer in me. He gave essay assignments to the class and selected students read their work aloud. I remember him praising one particular piece of mine as reminiscent of excerpts from “Life with Father.”
My love of Rhode Island and U.S. history came from several sources besides our old farm. Again, I am thankful for my middle school teacher who regaled his students with snippets of history that weren’t in our school books … at least not in the 1950’s … like the fact that George Washington had wooden false teeth. My father was another rich source of local history and my mother took us to many local places of interest, like Gilbert Stuart’s birthplace in Saunderstown. During the school year, we lived in an old house on Division Street, a road that divides the towns of Warwick and East Greenwich. The house was built in 1780 by Jeremiah Greene, a favorite uncle of Nathanael Greene, and served as both home and medical office. Although I didn’t appreciate its historic significance when growing up, I did know that the house was drafty with a spooky attic that smelled of dry, dusty wood and an unfinished cellar that always seemed humid and cold. If you’ve ever spent a night in a creaky old house with steam heat emitted through radiators, you can imagine “things that go bump in the night.”
I was in my thirties when I read my first Agatha Christie story and got hooked on the cozy mystery genre. By that time, I had moved to Colorado and, as fate would have it, unintentionally and unwittingly segued from a career in writing to one in computer technology. I began writing programs instead of newsletter articles, but my spare time was filled with mysteries and suspense. Shortly before I retired from the tech industry, I decided to try my hand at writing fiction in the genre I’d come to love and completely different from non-fiction and technical manuals.
I began my new career by taking short story classes and quickly learned that fiction isn’t as much about writing as about telling a story … or spinning a good yarn. Writing was the easy part; plotting a who-dun-it was the challenge.
I have just published my eighth book in the Edna Davies mystery series which is set in Rhode Island. I’ve been pleased to have my protagonist touted as a cross between Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher. My Colorado mystery, starring two elderly widows, may or may not be the beginning of another series. Time and my imagination will decide.
Our weekends, summers and most school holidays were spent at a farm near Hope Valley, Rhode Island. The main house and outbuildings had originally been a stagecoach stop on the New London Turnpike, one of the first interstate highways in the country, built originally to link Providence and New London, Connecticut. In good weather, Mother would say, “It’s too nice a day to be inside. Go out and play.” Often, I’d take a book, find my favorite apple tree and read away the hours. Apple trees are wonderful places to hide out because you don’t have to climb down if you get hungry.
In middle school … known as “junior high” in my day … I was blessed with the most wonderful teacher for both English and History lessons. I credit Walter Blanchard for recognizing and encouraging the writer in me. He gave essay assignments to the class and selected students read their work aloud. I remember him praising one particular piece of mine as reminiscent of excerpts from “Life with Father.”
My love of Rhode Island and U.S. history came from several sources besides our old farm. Again, I am thankful for my middle school teacher who regaled his students with snippets of history that weren’t in our school books … at least not in the 1950’s … like the fact that George Washington had wooden false teeth. My father was another rich source of local history and my mother took us to many local places of interest, like Gilbert Stuart’s birthplace in Saunderstown. During the school year, we lived in an old house on Division Street, a road that divides the towns of Warwick and East Greenwich. The house was built in 1780 by Jeremiah Greene, a favorite uncle of Nathanael Greene, and served as both home and medical office. Although I didn’t appreciate its historic significance when growing up, I did know that the house was drafty with a spooky attic that smelled of dry, dusty wood and an unfinished cellar that always seemed humid and cold. If you’ve ever spent a night in a creaky old house with steam heat emitted through radiators, you can imagine “things that go bump in the night.”
I was in my thirties when I read my first Agatha Christie story and got hooked on the cozy mystery genre. By that time, I had moved to Colorado and, as fate would have it, unintentionally and unwittingly segued from a career in writing to one in computer technology. I began writing programs instead of newsletter articles, but my spare time was filled with mysteries and suspense. Shortly before I retired from the tech industry, I decided to try my hand at writing fiction in the genre I’d come to love and completely different from non-fiction and technical manuals.
I began my new career by taking short story classes and quickly learned that fiction isn’t as much about writing as about telling a story … or spinning a good yarn. Writing was the easy part; plotting a who-dun-it was the challenge.
I have just published my eighth book in the Edna Davies mystery series which is set in Rhode Island. I’ve been pleased to have my protagonist touted as a cross between Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher. My Colorado mystery, starring two elderly widows, may or may not be the beginning of another series. Time and my imagination will decide.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 5, 2023
Book three in the Edna Davies series and I have read them all to date.
I am really enjoying this series so far. Edna makes an excellent main character with her interest in other people (you could call it nosiness!) and her determination to find out the truth. In Murder by Mishap she finds a lost piece of jewelry which leads to all kinds of mystery and mayhem, some unwanted knowledge about her best friend's marriage, and more secrets to hide from her own husband! He really should not go off on weeklong golfing jaunts which leave her to her own devices.
A good mystery, very nicely written with fun characters. I recommend it.
I am really enjoying this series so far. Edna makes an excellent main character with her interest in other people (you could call it nosiness!) and her determination to find out the truth. In Murder by Mishap she finds a lost piece of jewelry which leads to all kinds of mystery and mayhem, some unwanted knowledge about her best friend's marriage, and more secrets to hide from her own husband! He really should not go off on weeklong golfing jaunts which leave her to her own devices.
A good mystery, very nicely written with fun characters. I recommend it.
November 15, 2020
3.5 stars
February 22, 2021
What a Fun Read!
Loved the characters in this book. Had some good plot twists. Wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end but I Can’t wait to read more. Would highly recommend.
Loved the characters in this book. Had some good plot twists. Wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end but I Can’t wait to read more. Would highly recommend.
September 21, 2019
This one kind of seemed to take awhile to get into the mystery part of the story. I like the character Edna. She is spunky and a bit nosy. I enjoy the series because they are quick reads and the mysteries are pretty good.
August 2, 2012
Her most suspenseful installment to-date, Suzanne Young's Murder by Mishap: an Edna Davies mystery (Volume 3) is number three in the series featuring the incomparable Edna Davies. Young's elderly sleuth is a treasure who captivates readers with her charm and curious nature. With plenty of suspense, an abundance of suspicious characters, and many comical moments, this cozy mystery was hard to put
Edna's back in Rhode Island and, once again, sans Albert, who is on a golfing expedition with buddies. Unfortunately for Edna, her inquisitive mind continues to thrust her into dangerous situations with less than reputable characters! This time, she's gotten her head stuck in the fence surrounding her best friend, Peg's, property as she reaches for an antique brooch that is sticking out of the dirt. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong! Edna has found a brooch that's been missing for 50 years and its' sudden resurfacing is causing mayhem for everyone involved, including the victim. A sense of urgency ensues as Edna and Peg attempt to keep Peg's husband away from the brooch while they look for a killer among them.
Meanwhile, Edna's new neighbor, Jaycee, has gone missing after leaving an unreadable note on her doorstep. She's asked Edna to hold a mysterious envelope which could contain something worthy of getting Edna killed.
An ominous foreboding is present throughout the book as no one seems to be who they say they are, and everyone seems to be hiding something. Young creates an atmosphere of mounting anticipation as the reader is left to wonder who will die. I wonder if Albert would be so quick to leave if he knew the trouble Edna continues to get herself into when he's not around.
Highly recommended!
Edna's back in Rhode Island and, once again, sans Albert, who is on a golfing expedition with buddies. Unfortunately for Edna, her inquisitive mind continues to thrust her into dangerous situations with less than reputable characters! This time, she's gotten her head stuck in the fence surrounding her best friend, Peg's, property as she reaches for an antique brooch that is sticking out of the dirt. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong! Edna has found a brooch that's been missing for 50 years and its' sudden resurfacing is causing mayhem for everyone involved, including the victim. A sense of urgency ensues as Edna and Peg attempt to keep Peg's husband away from the brooch while they look for a killer among them.
Meanwhile, Edna's new neighbor, Jaycee, has gone missing after leaving an unreadable note on her doorstep. She's asked Edna to hold a mysterious envelope which could contain something worthy of getting Edna killed.
An ominous foreboding is present throughout the book as no one seems to be who they say they are, and everyone seems to be hiding something. Young creates an atmosphere of mounting anticipation as the reader is left to wonder who will die. I wonder if Albert would be so quick to leave if he knew the trouble Edna continues to get herself into when he's not around.
Highly recommended!
July 29, 2012
MURDER BY MISHAP
Murder once again impinges on amateur detective Edna Davies of Rhode Island, willing or not. She struggles to juggle a number of baffling happenings: the discovery of a valuable brooch missing for decades, the appearance of a new neighbor with a major secret, a suspicious handyman, an abusive husband, the incidents cascade and culminate in a murder. Edna uses her native wit to unravel connections and solve several of the mysteries.
Young’s writing is entertaining and fast-paced while avoiding the extreme violence and bloodshed found in some crime and mystery works. Her characters remind readers of people they might know. So when the resolution occurs, we breathe a sigh of relief and satisfaction, content that Edna has shown us the sterner stuff of which she is made, as well as the humanitarian connections she always exhibits.
Murder once again impinges on amateur detective Edna Davies of Rhode Island, willing or not. She struggles to juggle a number of baffling happenings: the discovery of a valuable brooch missing for decades, the appearance of a new neighbor with a major secret, a suspicious handyman, an abusive husband, the incidents cascade and culminate in a murder. Edna uses her native wit to unravel connections and solve several of the mysteries.
Young’s writing is entertaining and fast-paced while avoiding the extreme violence and bloodshed found in some crime and mystery works. Her characters remind readers of people they might know. So when the resolution occurs, we breathe a sigh of relief and satisfaction, content that Edna has shown us the sterner stuff of which she is made, as well as the humanitarian connections she always exhibits.
April 22, 2013
Murder by Mishap finally garnered 5 stars from me. I am so enjoying the Edna Davis Mystery series. Suzanne Young is one of those new indie authors who have chosen not to go through the endless rounds of rejection by traditional publishers. She has published her own books but with excellent writing, obviously professional editing and great covers.
Again our heroine Edna Davis (whose mysterious husband Albert remains clueless about his wife's new sleuthing ventures) finds herself embroiled or really "stuck" in a new set of characters and a disturbing mystery and then a murder by mishap.
I look forward to Suzanne Young's upcoming fourth Edna Davis mystery.
If you enjoyed Invisible by Lorena McCourtney, you'll love Edna Davis.
Again our heroine Edna Davis (whose mysterious husband Albert remains clueless about his wife's new sleuthing ventures) finds herself embroiled or really "stuck" in a new set of characters and a disturbing mystery and then a murder by mishap.
I look forward to Suzanne Young's upcoming fourth Edna Davis mystery.
If you enjoyed Invisible by Lorena McCourtney, you'll love Edna Davis.
August 11, 2016
Edna Davies is walking passed her friend's house when she spots a brooch sticking out of the dirt in her friend's garden. Her inspection leaves her in a precarious position. When she is extracted and gives the brooch to Peg it solves a 50 year old mystery. However, it seems to spark a lot of events involving Peg's husband, her housekeeper and a family that was wrongly accused of theft 50 years before. A second simultaneous mystery develops involving Edna's new neighbor who mysteriously disappears after leaving a package in Edna's safekeeping. Again an enjoyable cozy involving a grandmother sleuth.
November 21, 2014
What a good book
I really enjoyed this book in fact it keep my interest from beginning to end. This is my first book I have read of Suzanne Young and I really would like to read more of her books, if they are as good as this one. I could tell you about this book but unfortunately I have a bad habit of going into to much detail, so please take my word for it is really worth reading
I really enjoyed this book in fact it keep my interest from beginning to end. This is my first book I have read of Suzanne Young and I really would like to read more of her books, if they are as good as this one. I could tell you about this book but unfortunately I have a bad habit of going into to much detail, so please take my word for it is really worth reading
January 3, 2013
Thanks to Goodreads and Suzanne Young for my copy.
Suzanne has done it again; another wonderfully written murder mystery that will keep you entertained and trying to solve the mystery. Looking forward to her next mystery.
Suzanne has done it again; another wonderfully written murder mystery that will keep you entertained and trying to solve the mystery. Looking forward to her next mystery.
dearly-departed
April 3, 2014Won as part of the Goodreads first reads program. Review to come.
July 24, 2012
Decent little mystery with an older woman as a protagonist - the fact that it's set in my home state of Rhode Island makes it a keeper for me.
August 3, 2012
I couldn't stop reading this one! Excellent story and characters. Now I have got to read the first two in this series and hope there will be more!
September 5, 2012
Fluffy, light, good raining day read
October 13, 2012
A really good, really well written cozy mystery. I'd read more of her writing. Loved Edna.
September 3, 2013
Another great listen. The vocabulary is so refreshing and Melba gets a 10 for her reading! Now get busy and make more of this delightful series.
August 25, 2013
Best of the three in the series--great characters, interesting plot, unexpected twists.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews