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Massachusetts Mayhem #2
Died in the Wool (Massachusetts Mayhem Mystery, #2)
Hone your investigative skills with Died in the Wool , a mystery filled with humor, suspense, and romance.
Monah Trenary is battling for city funds for her beloved library. When a rival for the much-needed monies winds up dead, Monah is considered one of the prime suspects. When a second corpse weighs in, police detective Mike Brockman discovers that, according to the evidence, Monah and monkshood are a lethal combination. Can Monah and proven sleuth Casey Alexander find the real killer before this librarian is booked for murder?
Monah Trenary is battling for city funds for her beloved library. When a rival for the much-needed monies winds up dead, Monah is considered one of the prime suspects. When a second corpse weighs in, police detective Mike Brockman discovers that, according to the evidence, Monah and monkshood are a lethal combination. Can Monah and proven sleuth Casey Alexander find the real killer before this librarian is booked for murder?
- GenresMysteryContemporary
256 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2011
27 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Ludwig
72 books131 followersElizabeth Ludwig is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Book three in her popular EDGE OF FREEDOM series, Tide and Tempest, was named a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Elizabeth was also named a finalist in the 2015 Selah Awards for her novella “One Holy Night”, part of the bestselling anthology collection, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine. Most recently, she was honored to be awarded a HOLT Medallion for her book, A Tempting Taste of Mystery, part of the SUGARCREEK AMISH MYSTERIES series from Guideposts. Her latest releases include Sheeps Passing in the Night, part of the MYSTERIES OF MARTHA’S VINEYARD series, also from Guideposts, and The Coffee Club Mysteries from Barbour Publishing. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 5, 2023
I had never heard of this series until I recently came across two volumes of it at a thrift store. What fun!
April 30, 2011
When I found out that the main character in Died in the Wool was a librarian turned sleuth I thought I would give this cozy mystery a try.
The books centers around the town librarian Monah and her quest to gain funding for the public library, Monah has to compete with the police, the fire station, the local school, and a new sports center. Arson and murders start happening around town. Monah puts herself right in the middle of the investigation, where she goes from detective to suspect only to solve the crime herself. After Monah discovers that they all of these acts are related to the funding, the book quickly concludes. (While she is supposed to be patted on the back for figuring this one out...I think it made her boyfriend/police officer/entire police department look like idiots.)
All in all, this was an entertaining and easy read. Monah was portrayed well as a librarian - depicting both the dedication to the job and the monotony of the work and/or the hassle of dealing with patrons all day long. As heroines go, I thought that Monah whined just a little too much for my tastes. I also thought that she lacked a passion for reading that would have added to her character and the story as a whole.
There also wasn't much substance to the plot and it became too convoluted for its own good. All of the main suspects were shady characters - but I just don't believe that in one small town there was a high end counterfeiter, an arsonist, and a murderer. It would have been stronger if these plot elements were either left out of the book entirely or tied together.
The books centers around the town librarian Monah and her quest to gain funding for the public library, Monah has to compete with the police, the fire station, the local school, and a new sports center. Arson and murders start happening around town. Monah puts herself right in the middle of the investigation, where she goes from detective to suspect only to solve the crime herself. After Monah discovers that they all of these acts are related to the funding, the book quickly concludes. (While she is supposed to be patted on the back for figuring this one out...I think it made her boyfriend/police officer/entire police department look like idiots.)
All in all, this was an entertaining and easy read. Monah was portrayed well as a librarian - depicting both the dedication to the job and the monotony of the work and/or the hassle of dealing with patrons all day long. As heroines go, I thought that Monah whined just a little too much for my tastes. I also thought that she lacked a passion for reading that would have added to her character and the story as a whole.
There also wasn't much substance to the plot and it became too convoluted for its own good. All of the main suspects were shady characters - but I just don't believe that in one small town there was a high end counterfeiter, an arsonist, and a murderer. It would have been stronger if these plot elements were either left out of the book entirely or tied together.
May 10, 2014
Most of the time I do enjoy a story where a regular joe/jane follow the clues and solve a mystery , but this one, not so much.
Even though I liked some of the main character's personality and her occupations,I did not like how she went about things. Butting in everywhere and was a bit controling to get infomation. Just because she read mystery novels and she was dating a cop does not mean she should go about trying to catch a murderer. The way she would go behind her boyfriends back to investigate on her own and demand he let her in on things was annoying. Yes, she wanted to clear her name ,but it was almost like she did not trust her man to do his job as a cop.
Plus her friend Casey encouraging her " take the law into her own hands" was dumb. I doubt this Casey woman was any more qualified. Perhaps in the pervious book she proved herself , in this book they only useful thing she had was post- it notes.
Mike the detetive and Monah's boyfriend, made me mad too. He told her and Casey way too much about the case and gave in to Monah demands he tell her information on the case or be present at the questionings. Plus he should of had some one else question her and look through her stuff, since he was romantically involved with Monah- a woman suspected of murder. Doesn't sound too realistic to me. In real life he would of got in trouble or maybe even fired.
I felt that some things needed to be explained better.
Even though I liked some of the main character's personality and her occupations,I did not like how she went about things. Butting in everywhere and was a bit controling to get infomation. Just because she read mystery novels and she was dating a cop does not mean she should go about trying to catch a murderer. The way she would go behind her boyfriends back to investigate on her own and demand he let her in on things was annoying. Yes, she wanted to clear her name ,but it was almost like she did not trust her man to do his job as a cop.
Plus her friend Casey encouraging her " take the law into her own hands" was dumb. I doubt this Casey woman was any more qualified. Perhaps in the pervious book she proved herself , in this book they only useful thing she had was post- it notes.
Mike the detetive and Monah's boyfriend, made me mad too. He told her and Casey way too much about the case and gave in to Monah demands he tell her information on the case or be present at the questionings. Plus he should of had some one else question her and look through her stuff, since he was romantically involved with Monah- a woman suspected of murder. Doesn't sound too realistic to me. In real life he would of got in trouble or maybe even fired.
I felt that some things needed to be explained better.
December 1, 2011
Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the stresses and realities of daily life and read a cozy murder mystery. Strange sentence when you think about it, but that fits this book perfectly.
Monah is a small-town librarian and discovers the body of a local teacher in the bathroom. Her boyfriend is a local policeman and is called in to solve the case. The problem? Monah is the number one suspect. Can he put aside his romantic feelings and look at her objectively, as a potential murderer?
This is a charming Christian book that is a very low risk, low stress read. No sex. No violence. No bad language. The characters in the book are somewhat stereotypical: librarian Monah is described as mousy and shy with glasses; the murder victim, a spinster teacher, is a schoolmarm, prudish and rude; the main suspect, besides Monah, is the richest guy in town. For all that, though, they aren't flat characters at all.
Reading this book is a bit like slipping on a comfortable pair of pajamas and settling in for a cozy chat. Some days, that's a very welcome change.
Monah is a small-town librarian and discovers the body of a local teacher in the bathroom. Her boyfriend is a local policeman and is called in to solve the case. The problem? Monah is the number one suspect. Can he put aside his romantic feelings and look at her objectively, as a potential murderer?
This is a charming Christian book that is a very low risk, low stress read. No sex. No violence. No bad language. The characters in the book are somewhat stereotypical: librarian Monah is described as mousy and shy with glasses; the murder victim, a spinster teacher, is a schoolmarm, prudish and rude; the main suspect, besides Monah, is the richest guy in town. For all that, though, they aren't flat characters at all.
Reading this book is a bit like slipping on a comfortable pair of pajamas and settling in for a cozy chat. Some days, that's a very welcome change.
August 19, 2016
A fun cozy mystery with a librarian who finds a body in the library, and turns into an amateur sleuth to clear her name. Complicated because she's been dating the detective assigned to the case. A lot of names and people to sort out at first. Wondered if this was second in a series. An easy clean, enjoyable read. 3.5 stars
November 17, 2011
First posted on my blog, Legacy of a Writer.
Who doesn’t enjoy a book you can cozy up with in bed and try to solve the mystery alongside the characters? I know I sure do, though I don’t get to read many of them. So I was eager to give Died in the Wool a try. A librarian whose competitors for funds from the city are turning up dead—what’s not to like?
In Died in the Wool, Monah Trenary suddenly finds her quiet life as the town librarian thrown into upheaval when she discovered a dead body in the bathroom. Fingers naturally point her way. Unwilling to let anyone use her as a scapegoat, Monah—along with her faithful sidekick and fellow amateur sleuth, Casey—begin investigating.
And just so happens that Monah’s boyfriend, Mike, is a detective. With these three on the case…bad guys better get out of the way! It was lots of fun to follow both Monah and Mike as they investigate into the murder in their own way. Their romance was sweet, and I felt for Monah when she became a suspect and had to be questioned by Mike. How awful to think the guy your dating thinks you’re capable of murder!
Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery have crafted together another intriguing, twisting mystery in the second installment to the Massachusetts Mayhem Mysteries series. Fans of this series will be thrilled to see previous characters make an appearance, as well as discover new ones. With this lovely cast of characters and a complex plot, Died in the Wool is sure to keep you guessing the entire time.
Who doesn’t enjoy a book you can cozy up with in bed and try to solve the mystery alongside the characters? I know I sure do, though I don’t get to read many of them. So I was eager to give Died in the Wool a try. A librarian whose competitors for funds from the city are turning up dead—what’s not to like?
In Died in the Wool, Monah Trenary suddenly finds her quiet life as the town librarian thrown into upheaval when she discovered a dead body in the bathroom. Fingers naturally point her way. Unwilling to let anyone use her as a scapegoat, Monah—along with her faithful sidekick and fellow amateur sleuth, Casey—begin investigating.
And just so happens that Monah’s boyfriend, Mike, is a detective. With these three on the case…bad guys better get out of the way! It was lots of fun to follow both Monah and Mike as they investigate into the murder in their own way. Their romance was sweet, and I felt for Monah when she became a suspect and had to be questioned by Mike. How awful to think the guy your dating thinks you’re capable of murder!
Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery have crafted together another intriguing, twisting mystery in the second installment to the Massachusetts Mayhem Mysteries series. Fans of this series will be thrilled to see previous characters make an appearance, as well as discover new ones. With this lovely cast of characters and a complex plot, Died in the Wool is sure to keep you guessing the entire time.
October 26, 2018
This book came to me from my mother's bookshelf. It started out as a quick read between ARC books that I was scheduled to read and review; it ended up capturing my attention. It read like an episode of a 1980's mystery series, which are my faroites on retro channels. If you like them too, I recommend Died in the Wool.
I am interested in checking out more Hometown Mysteries. In this one librarian Monah Trenary is quite the sleuth, especially after discovering a corpse in her own library. Monah's boyfriend, Detective Mike Brockman, has his hands full keeping her out of trouble, finding the murderer of two citizens while searching for an arsonist, all in a little town that boasts only one traffic light. Settle in and enjoy the twists and turns of this cozy mystery.
I am interested in checking out more Hometown Mysteries. In this one librarian Monah Trenary is quite the sleuth, especially after discovering a corpse in her own library. Monah's boyfriend, Detective Mike Brockman, has his hands full keeping her out of trouble, finding the murderer of two citizens while searching for an arsonist, all in a little town that boasts only one traffic light. Settle in and enjoy the twists and turns of this cozy mystery.
November 4, 2024
Poorly written.
The story line itself is interesting, but the writing uses too many trite expressions, such as "She clapped her hand over her mouth to hide her smile, but her shoulders still shook with laughter." I might recommend it for a twelve year old.
The story line itself is interesting, but the writing uses too many trite expressions, such as "She clapped her hand over her mouth to hide her smile, but her shoulders still shook with laughter." I might recommend it for a twelve year old.
March 16, 2012
Not bad but not great. I should be better impressed; I didn't guess the killer right the first time. Still, just average.
August 19, 2012
bleech couldn't even get through it. Made it half way and hoped a serial killer would come along and get them all so we could get some better characters...no such luck.
April 19, 2021
Enjoyed this book.
November 14, 2022
The was a fun mystery that was light and an easy read. The mystery itself was not as predictable as I expected. This is a similar story to a #HallmarkMystery .
July 11, 2023
The writing was not that great, the mystery was messy, and nothing felt truly developed.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews