Death of a Second Wife

Dotsy Lamb #4

by Maria Hudgins

An Icy Reception

There's nothing teacher Dotsy Lamb wouldn't do for her family—especially when it comes to her youngest son's wedding. But a celebratory week in Switzerland at the sprawling chalet of her ex-husband's second wife is testing even her patience. Stephanie just lives to take potshots at Dotsy. Worse, she's at odds with every member of the wedding party.

When Stephanie and the family cook turn up dead in a hillside bunker, Dotsy has her hands full of likely murder suspects—including her hapless ex, Stephanie's too-charming brother…and her own son's bride-to-be. But the police are increasingly certain they have the right culprit in their sights— Dotsy herself. To clear her name, she'll have to dig through an avalanche of secrets and motives before a scheming killer buries her deeper than an Alpine snowfall….

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Travel

Paperback

First published July 6, 2012

About the author

Maria is an avid traveler and mystery lover. She is a retired teacher living in Hampton, Virginia. She started writing fiction when she retired six years ago and now has two books in print.

Reviews

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Hudgins’ mystery novel, there’s nothing teacher Dotsy Lamb can’t handle, including her son’s pending wedding. Where’s the ceremony to take place? Switzerland complete with her ex-husband and his second wife, Stephanie. And Stephanie loves nothing better than to provoke Dotsy!

Can this get any worse? It can when Stephanie and the cook turn up dead. Dotsy finds herself sifting through suspects that include her ex-husband, Stephanie’s never-do-well brother, and even her soon to be daughter-in-law! As if that’s not enough for anyone to juggle, Dotsy finds herself counted among the suspects as well. Determined to clear her name, Dotsy digs through secrets and motives hoping to identify a killer before she becomes his next victim.

Fast-paced, lovable characters—what a great addition to the A Dotsy Lamb Travel Mystery series.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Maria Hudgins book that I have read and am looking forward to reading others. This is the fourth in a series of travel mysteries featuring Dotsy Lamb. Dotsy's son Brian and his fiance want to marry in the shadow of the Matterhorn and invite the entire family to stay at a remote Swiss chalet. For Dotsy, this means staying with her ex-husband and his second wife, Stephanie. When Stephanie ends up dead, Dotsy becomes the prime suspect (along with anyone else who ever met the woman.) I will stop there because I don't want to give away too many plot details. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for fans of cozy mysteries.

I won this book through goodreads first-reads and am not required to post a positive review.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here I go jumping into a series in the middle. It really didn't hurt in this case because I quickly figured out what's what and who's who

Our main character Dotsy (God I hate that name - don't know why it's just like nails on a chalkboard)
Is the mother of the groom at a destination wedding in Switzerland. The path to the destination is a bit convoluted as it is the home of the brother of her son's step-mother (ie Second Wife)

Dotsy and her husband Chet are divorced, he's remarried she's dating a cop from Florence (Italy) while teaching History at the local (Virginia ) community college - you know just a regular gal .

There's been some historic tension between her and the second Mrs. Lamb but she's decided to let bygones be bygones and tolerate her for the length of the wedding.

Once Mrs. Lamb; the second and the housekeeper get killed Dotsy, Chet and their kids and friends are the prime suspects.

I sincerely thought I had figured out who done it as there are way too many characters with big secrets...

And some loose ends that don't get tied up Why were Erin and Babs so desperate for the wedding to come off

It was fine probably a decent beach read sort of thing... I'm not dying to get to the rest of the series as they are KU and as of 1/29/22 book 5 has gone missing...

[Reagan Muchow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sped-red this one so I don't feel like I have a true understanding of the plot and details. But since I spedred it I did notice the vibe.

The vibes of this book were strangely comfy, from the size of the book, color of the cover and characters inside. I loved Dotsy's character, paid a little more attention when it was time for some of her dialogue which was cool. She just seems like a cool gma to me, but that's kind of all I got from her. I didn't really understand her role besides relation to other characters, I feel like usually the main character in this genre is a detective of some sort, or previous one idk. Maybe she was and I didn't catch it but she still seemed cool to me.

I enjoyed the lil arresty action towards the end of it and the format very much.
I also liked how it played with language barriers but European languages, I feel like that isn't touched on as much in books so that was cool.

I would recommend this though I don't remember most of it. (for the good vibes;)

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course the fact that it took place in Switzerland was a big plus.

[Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable cozy mystery.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read from this series & I want to read the rest of them ...

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read by a local writer.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death of a Second Wife is the fourth installment in the Dotsy Lamb mystery series. I have read the first book in the series, Death Of An Obnoxious Tourist. I usually try to read the selections of a series in order, but the book club chose the 4th book, hence the delay of reading #2 and 3.

The second wife, as listed in the book's title, is murdered while in Switzerland for Dotsy's son's wedding.

Like the first book, there are lots of characters but I didn't have trouble remembering them in this installment. There are interesting references to the terrain, the climate, and architecture. Lettie, Dotsy's best friend has more of a minor role this time and I missed her quirks.

I didn't like this installment, #4, as much as I liked #1 but I wasn't displeased. I purchased book #2, Death of a Lovable Geek, and book #3, Death on the Aegean Queen previously and will read both of those. There is also a fifth book in the series, Death in an Ivory Tower that I do not yet own.

[Jeanne Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great mystery. Dotsy Lamb went to Switzerland for the wedding of one of her sons. Also attending was her ex-husband, his new wife, and several of their children. Also a cast of people that I couldn't quite figure out. Well, of course there was a murder, actually two murders. One of the people murdered was the ex-husbands new wife. So of course Dotsy was thought to be the one that committed the murder. There were quite a hand full of people that I thought had method, motive and opportunity. I forgot to say that they were ALL staying at the same hotel, owned by the new wife's filthy rich family. Everyone was sitting around trying to solve the murders. Was it one of them or someone from outside the family/guests. I also tried to solve the murders but as soon as I narrowed it down to a person, I changed my mind because it was proved they could not have done it. You will have a great time trying to solve this mystery. Don't plan anything for a couple of days, because you will not be able to put down the book. Enjoy!

[Jayne Ormerod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing better on a hot summer day than to stretch out on the beach and take a trip to the Swiss Alps in the spring. It’s early spring, so there is still snow falling yet it’s warm enough to hang glide over the alps. Author Maria Hudgins paints a beautiful backdrop for the murder of amateur sleuth Dotsy Lamb’s ex-husband’s new wife. (Please, don’t throw the spoiler-alert flag on me, as any smart arm-chair detective would have deduced that from the title!) My only complaint is that I wish there were more Lettie-isms. She is such the proverbial “absent-minded” side-kick. And Dotsy, endearing as always, is a mother bear protecting her loved ones from being accused of the murder by finding the real killer. Oh, there’s a little self-preservation in there too. All in all, this was a wonderful “cozy” read.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death of a Second Wife is a Dotsy Lamb Travel Mystery written by Maria Hudgins. Dotsy's latest adventure takes place in Switzerland where friends and relatives gather for the wedding of Dotsy's son Patrick and his fiancee Erin. When Dotsy agrees to fly to the wedding, she doesn't realize she will be staying in the same chalet as her ex-husband and his second wife. She settles into the huge, rambling chalet only to discover the bodies of Stephanie, the second wife, and Gisele, a local woman who works for the owner. Many characters are suspected o the killings, including Dotsy, before the murderer is apprehended. Passports are confiscated and the wedding party members are forced to remain in the chalet while gliders fly overhead and a Russian and a man in red shoes keep showing up. When rumors of gold being hidden in a nearby bunker start circulating, tension builds until the climax.

[Lynn Braz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn. While not particularly well written or well plotted, Death of a Second Wife is, nonetheless, a fun read. I was drawn to it because it's advertised as a travelogue/mystery set in Switzerland. The mystery part was simple to figure out; the travelogue not particularly literary or flushed out. Using the Matterhorn as the backdrop for the novel afforded the author ample opportunity to take the readers deep into Switzerland's most famous landmark. Instead, most of the book centers around the characters taking walks, up and down slopes, into valleys, to elevators that take passengers from the mountain slopes to the town below. I was simultaneously disappointed and entertained.

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 2 out of 5]

With so many unrelated events happening at once, I find this story has very little cohesion. I also felt no real connection to the characters or their relationships with each other. Dotsy’s talent lies in her world-class nosiness, and picking apart random clues, yet she is as stumped as the police. As this story draws to conclusion, it is my opinion that very little changes to increase the level of suspense or excitement.
Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dotsy Lamb is reluctant to spend a week with her ex-husband and his new wife Stephanie in a Swiss chateau owned by Stephanie's brother, but Dotsy's son wants her there for his wedding, and she'll do anything for her kids. Of course, she doesn't expect the titular murder, nor the death of someone else at the same time, nor does she expect to become one of the leading suspects. As usual, Dotsy's friend and frequent traveling companion Lettie is a delight.

[LLona Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just plain fun as a mystery as well as travel guide. Dotsy is a likeable and very believable protagonist traveling to Switzerland to attend her son's wedding. Good pace introducing more characters, good introduction of scenery that adds to reader interest. I will definitely look for more in this series.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dotsy Lamb is a comfortable amateur sleuth. By that I mean that she does he sleuthing in a way that isn't intrusive but makes those that she is working with comfortable answering her questions without always realized they are giving her a clue. I liked the setting and I love the interesting layout of surprises on the mountain. It was a good mystery and I will read more by this author.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have only read this one novel in this excellent series, but fully intend to read the others. A murder/wedding/suspense set near the Matterhorn in the Swiss alps was intriguing. The twists and turns kept me steadily turning the pages. A great read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery, would read it again.

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read all the books in this series. Each one is a good mystery that takes you somewhere different. I really like the main characters.

[bex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good and plenty of twists and turns. Also a relief to pick up a freebie that was decently edited.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, entertaining, suspense and well written. KEPT MY INTEREST AND ATTENTION. I read it faster than usual. I also read her previous books. I like her as an author.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: A Dotsy Lamb Travel Mystery

[Xondra Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good cozy mystery. I really enjoyed it. Dotsy was a hoot!

[Gerald Hickman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light and flirty murder. Nothing too serious in this book.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this!! It was different from the mysteries that I normally read but it was funny, nostalgic, and sweet all at the same time.