Murder in the Moonshine by Maureen Klovers is a fantastic murder mystery with Rita Calabrese leading the proverbial charge to discover the truth behinMurder in the Moonshine by Maureen Klovers is a fantastic murder mystery with Rita Calabrese leading the proverbial charge to discover the truth behind who murdered a known drug dealer and the truth behind why. A Jazz Age soiree simply meant to draw attention and garner some interest in an old mansion that has been abandoned for years, is thrown a wrench when the final act is marred by a dead body found in the dairy barn. The town is quick to believe that certain ones are guilty, but the truth goes deeper than meets the eye! Murder in the Moonshine by Maureen Klovers is the first book that I have read by this author and I enjoyed it immensely! While this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel which I absolutely appreciate. This book gives me a perfect recipe of a story. I get a taste of everything that is Rita Calabrese. I see her as a journalist, chef, mother, and sleuth. They all blend together so well that I was hooked on this book from the very first page. Rita is such an engaging character and I adore how she handles sticky situations. She’s determined enough to get to the root of a story, but finessed enough to not be annoying about it! I’ve read so many books of where even I got annoyed when a character pursues a line of questioning and you know they’re treading on thin ice, and then the person being questioned clams up. Rita artfully questions, finds hints in their answers and expertly sifts through to the truth and/or pouncing on tiny slip-ups. I couldn’t help but be surprised in admiration at how she picked up on tiny hints that I ignored or would have completely missed in certain cases. She’s quite a humorous character in certain moments as well. When her daughter catches her “spying” on her at her job she handles it so well! Most individuals when they use the “I lost/dropped an earring” flub it entirely, but you can tell Rita is a pro. I couldn’t help but laugh. I love that this story has more than one mystery to puzzle through. Of course, there is the main mystery of the murder, but there is so much more that comes together to weave a bigger picture and show that there is more going on than meets the eye. I will admit that at first I was irritated with Ana’s attitude towards Rita. But the author has Rita handle that whole situation expertly. The fun minor mystery of who is “The Dude” literally had my jaw dropping and giggling at the same time. My only real complaint is directed to the Italian phrases used through the story. Some I was able to decipher or piece together due to the context of the situation, but I would have liked it if there had been a section with translations of what was said. I only say this because I felt like I missed out on bits and pieces of the story from not fully knowing or understanding what was being said. At the end of the day, I am rating this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars. Rita is such an engaging character and I love how she is there for those she cares about. She has such a good heart and she is absolutely someone that I would love to know in real life. When it comes to a mystery she is determined to discover the truth, and she does so in a way that brings all of the truth to light. I absolutely applaud the author on keeping me in the dark as to who the murder was until the right moment. I tend to pride myself on discovering the guilty party before the big reveal, but I do love a good book that keeps me guessing to the end. This author has just gained a faithful reader and I look forward to reading more of her work in the near future! I tip my hat and say a hearty job well done on a fantastic mystery novel! ...more
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