matchmaking, mountains, and murder
When sisters Ellie and Meg Christie agree to be guinea pigs for their cousin Lorna’s new matchmaking service for bibliophiles, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Ellie’s date was a long-winded professor who spoke almost entirely of Samuel Beckett and dismissed Agatha Christie, Ellie’s favorite author. But Meg, matched with Joe Darcy, had a magical evening. Their dinner in the library was a night to remember, and after they had strolled off together, they made plans for brunch the next day. Meg was smitten.
But the next day when the time of the date arrived but Mr. Darcy hadn’t, Meg angrily swore off her quick attachment. Lorna was surprised that he hadn’t shown up and went to his house to find out why. Once there, she noticed things out of place and called Ellie to join her. Ellie agreed that the spilled wine from tipped glasses was unusual, and the fireplace tools scattered on the floor was troubling. But it wasn’t until Ellie looked over the back balcony that she saw the man’s body down toward the canyon that she got worried.
Ellie went down into the canyon to try to find out if the man was still alive, slipping a little on the way. Thankfully it didn’t take too long before detective Sam Ibarra showed up to help her back up to the house, confirming that the man was dead. As the police investigation heats up, Meg looks more and more guilty. After their dinner, Meg had gone with Joe back to his house. They’d built a fire and had wine, talking for a while longer before Meg headed home. At one point, she had broken a glass and he’d cut himself on the glass cleaning it up. That got his blood on her sweater. He had even shown her the view from his back balcony, so her fingerprints were out there as well.
Ellie knows that her sister would never have hurt this man, but who would have? He had seemed like the perfect man, a financier with a non-profit that encouraged kids to read. But was that really who he was? Or were there secrets in his past that could have caused someone to want him dead? Ellie knows that she has to look into the murder, but she won’t be able to put all the pieces together alone. It will take the help of her grandmother, the town gossip, a florist, a realtor, Ellie’s cat Agatha C. Christie, and the beloved books of Ms. Christie herself to figure out who the murderer is. But will she be able to let Sam know who the killer is before they come after her?
Last Word to the Wise is the second book in the Christie Bookshop mystery series, and I think this series is utterly charming in every way. The setting is fun, a fifth-generation family bookshop in a small Colorado mountain town. The characters are familiar but fresh, with family ties that make you wish for an invitation to Gram’s for dinner. And the mysteries have hints of Agatha Christie but offer lots of suspects and red herrings to keep you guessing until the end.
As soon as I saw that author Ann Claire had written another mystery set at the Christie sisters’ bookshop, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved the first book and wanted to spend more time in Last Word with these characters. This mystery threw me, thinking I knew who the murderer was until nearly the end, and I was wrong. It was a lovely surprise, although the clues were there for me to see had I been paying better attention. I am loving this series, and I hope Agatha Christie brings me more mysteries to read (that’s Agatha, the cat, obviously).
Egalleys for Last Word to the Wise were provided by Bantam through NetGalley, with many thanks.
