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A Murder Most Newsworthy: A Murder Most Cozy Mystery
Lily Parks has found her dream job as personal assistant to one of America’s premier mystery writers. Penelope Walters, whose delicate appearance hides a formidable personality, enjoys both fame and fortune with her books. Unfortunately for her, the closely guarded secret behind the success of her writing career is about to be revealed - and Penelope means to stop it dead in its tracks.
The only thing dead, however, is the reporter who’d threatened to unmask her resources. When the local chief of police hears of Penelope’s threats to the reporter, he arrests her without further delay.
Lily, however, is determined to clear her employer’s name, enlisting the help of the local grocer’s son, handsome Mick O’Leary. Together they begin digging into the reporter’s past, looking for another reason that could explain his murder. As they begin getting uncomfortably near the truth, Mick and Lily find themselves in the position of becoming the next two victims of a mad man who’ll do anything to keep a secret, even kill again…
The only thing dead, however, is the reporter who’d threatened to unmask her resources. When the local chief of police hears of Penelope’s threats to the reporter, he arrests her without further delay.
Lily, however, is determined to clear her employer’s name, enlisting the help of the local grocer’s son, handsome Mick O’Leary. Together they begin digging into the reporter’s past, looking for another reason that could explain his murder. As they begin getting uncomfortably near the truth, Mick and Lily find themselves in the position of becoming the next two victims of a mad man who’ll do anything to keep a secret, even kill again…
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2022
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 27, 2022
A Murder Most Newsworthy is the first book in a new series by Alice Adler. I have read previous books by this author, under the name, Dane McClasin, and enjoyed their humor and quirky characters. While many of Dane’s cozy mysteries take place in modern day, A Murder Most Newsworthy is a Historical Cozy Mystery, taking place in the 1920s.
As the story begins, we meet Lily Parks, a personal assistant to one of America’s best-selling authors, Penelope “Penny” Walters. When a reporter shows up at the house asking to speak with Miss Walters, Lily tries to turn him away. Insistent that he must speak with her, Lily relents and agrees to asking her to meet with him. Soon after the introduction, which Lily thought was starting out smoothly, there was a commotion and yelling, resulting in the reporter taking off running. According to Penny, the “cretin” made disparaging remarks about her books being copies of other novels. Lily already knows she will have to do a bit of damage control to salvage her boss’s reputation, but little did she know just how much after the reporter is found murdered.
Ms. Adler has crafted a wonderful story, with likable characters in a small-town setting. The dialog stays true to the time period, which lets me know that extensive research was done in order to keep the story flowing smoothly. Lily is smart, efficient and well read, making her the ideal assistant. Penny is quite the spitfire, feisty as all get out, and Lily knows exactly how to handle her. Mick O’Leary is the handsome sidekick with just a bit of rogue in him. There were several suspects, which kept the story full of twists and turns which kept me from figuring out the killer. This mystery checked off all the cozy boxes. The very first page captivated my attention and held it throughout the story. This was a story I read straight through to the end with a brief break in between. Ms Adler’s new series that’s off to a fantastic start in my opinion, and I am really looking forward to the next book.
As the story begins, we meet Lily Parks, a personal assistant to one of America’s best-selling authors, Penelope “Penny” Walters. When a reporter shows up at the house asking to speak with Miss Walters, Lily tries to turn him away. Insistent that he must speak with her, Lily relents and agrees to asking her to meet with him. Soon after the introduction, which Lily thought was starting out smoothly, there was a commotion and yelling, resulting in the reporter taking off running. According to Penny, the “cretin” made disparaging remarks about her books being copies of other novels. Lily already knows she will have to do a bit of damage control to salvage her boss’s reputation, but little did she know just how much after the reporter is found murdered.
Ms. Adler has crafted a wonderful story, with likable characters in a small-town setting. The dialog stays true to the time period, which lets me know that extensive research was done in order to keep the story flowing smoothly. Lily is smart, efficient and well read, making her the ideal assistant. Penny is quite the spitfire, feisty as all get out, and Lily knows exactly how to handle her. Mick O’Leary is the handsome sidekick with just a bit of rogue in him. There were several suspects, which kept the story full of twists and turns which kept me from figuring out the killer. This mystery checked off all the cozy boxes. The very first page captivated my attention and held it throughout the story. This was a story I read straight through to the end with a brief break in between. Ms Adler’s new series that’s off to a fantastic start in my opinion, and I am really looking forward to the next book.
September 14, 2022
This is a historical cozy set in the 1920's in the fictional town of Havenwood, USA. Lily Parks, our heroine, is the assistant to famous mystery writer Penelope Walters, dubbed in universe as "America's Agatha Christie". A reporter shows up to threaten Penelope, in which he in Penelope have Choice words, to which Lily is a witness. The man Ralph Simmons is found murdered, and the small towns police chief brings in Ms Walters as the prime suspect. Lily and the grocers son, Mick O'Leary, decide to investigate
January 8, 2023
First in a series- set in 1920s- lively characters and great writing
August 10, 2023
This was a decently pleasant book. I feel that the plot and the characters should have been more fleshed out. The mystery did not have me on the edge of my seat, but it was enjoyable enough.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews