(POLL BALLOT) Murder Plain and Simple / Isabella Alan - 3***

[Book Concierge]

Murder Plain and Simple – Isabella Alan
Digital Audio read by Cris Dukehart.
3***

From the book jacket: When Angela Braddock inherits her late aunt’s beautiful Amish quilt shop, she is welcomed to Holmes County, Ohio. With her snazzy cowboy boots and her French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community, but her aunt’s quilting circle makes her feel at home as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch. On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom, the future of Running Stitch looks bleak.

My reactions:
I found this moderately entertaining as cozy mysteries go. There’s a decent premise, and I did like Oliver (her bulldog, who is afraid of birds). Alan gives the reader the beginnings of a possible love interest, which will likely develop in subsequent books in the series. And there’s a reasonable cast of supporting characters. Of course, our heroine believes she is the number one suspect in the murder and MUST investigate on her own to prove her innocence. I know this is a common thread in cozy mysteries, but frankly, it’s really not a very plausible plot device.

Still, it held my interest and I was sufficiently entertained that I would read another in the series.

Cris Dukehart did a fine job performing the audiobook. Clear diction and a decent pace.



LINK to my review