Today I'm participating in the A Very Merry Murder Blog Tour. In this post you will find book and author information along with my review.
About the book . . .
A Very Merry Murder (A Professor Prather Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Camel Press (October 1, 2018)
Paperback: 258 pages
ISBN-10: 1603816550
ISBN-13: 978-1603816557
Digital ASIN: B07G2VLLCV
3rd in Series
Camel Press (October 1, 2018)
Paperback: 258 pages
ISBN-10: 1603816550
ISBN-13: 978-1603816557
Digital ASIN: B07G2VLLCV
Synopsis . . . It’s
December in Copper Bluff, and from hillside to hallowed hall, everyone
is merry—or will be as soon as semester break arrives. Students are
studying, professors are grading, and Emmeline Prather is anticipating
the university-sponsored holiday concert. Friend and colleague Lenny
Jenkins will be accompanying the visiting quartet, Jazz Underground, and
Em can’t think of a better way to kick-start the holiday season.
But before she can say “Jingle Bell Rock,” trouble arrives at Candlelight Inn, the bed and breakfast where the quartet is staying. One of the band members dies unexpectedly, and suspicion falls on Em, whose altercation with the man ends with him on the floor. He never recovers, and now she’s worried her reputation might not either. When Emmeline starts to see parallels between an Agatha Christie novel she’s teaching and the victim, Lenny claims she’s read one too many mysteries.
As the clues unravel, so does the murderer’s patience. Em is close to finding the truth, but will the truth—or the murderer—push her over the edge? It will take a Christmas miracle to solve this case, but if there’s one thing in surplus this time of year, it’s faith.
My review . . . Holiday spirit is in the air on the campus of the sleepy Midwestern college in Copper Bluff, South Dakota. The Music Department is involved in preparations for the upcoming concert; English Professor Emmeline Prather is immersed in teaching her literature course, Crimes and Passion; and students and faculty alike are anticipating the town's holiday festival. What could possibly interfere with the merriment of the season? A mysterious death, of course.
The sudden demise of Miles Jamison—visiting professor from Minnesota and charismatic leader of the Jazz Underground, the quartet headlining the holiday concert—throws a damper on the upcoming festivities. And during the investigation into what appears to be a suspicious death, the police identify Professor Prather as their main person of interest. It's true that Em clashed with Miles at a group breakfast at The Candlelight Inn and later rebuffed the pass he made at her, but she wasn't the only one Miles sparred with that morning.
In an attempt to clear her name, Em and her close ally, fellow English professor Lenny Jenkins undertake an investigation of their own. It quickly becomes apparent that someone is trying to frame Em for the murder because techniques from the plot of the Agatha Christie novel she is using in her class lessons have been implemented in the crime. As she pursues her hunches, Em discovers that several students, faculty, and townspeople had previous ties to Miles—and possible grudges against him. As Em closes in on the truth, narrowly escaping from an attempt on her life, the final pieces of the puzzle come together, and Em convenes a meeting of the suspects at The Candlelight Inn to reveal the killer and the motive for the crime.
A Very Merry Murder is a classically crafted and masterfully methodical mystery with carefully placed subtle clues. It is a gem of a read with its Agatha Christie feel, and although it is part of a series, it can be very satisfyingly read as a stand-alone. Mary Angela has populated the Copper Bluff campus and town with a solid cast of interesting and realistic characters, much like what you would expect in a small college community. The setting and characters envelop readers in an inviting environment, making the Professor Prather Mystery Series a welcome addition to the cozy mystery genre. In fact, after reading A Very Merry Murder I have treated myself to reading An Act of Murder, the first book in the series, and will soon be reading book 2, Passport to Murder.
The sudden demise of Miles Jamison—visiting professor from Minnesota and charismatic leader of the Jazz Underground, the quartet headlining the holiday concert—throws a damper on the upcoming festivities. And during the investigation into what appears to be a suspicious death, the police identify Professor Prather as their main person of interest. It's true that Em clashed with Miles at a group breakfast at The Candlelight Inn and later rebuffed the pass he made at her, but she wasn't the only one Miles sparred with that morning.
In an attempt to clear her name, Em and her close ally, fellow English professor Lenny Jenkins undertake an investigation of their own. It quickly becomes apparent that someone is trying to frame Em for the murder because techniques from the plot of the Agatha Christie novel she is using in her class lessons have been implemented in the crime. As she pursues her hunches, Em discovers that several students, faculty, and townspeople had previous ties to Miles—and possible grudges against him. As Em closes in on the truth, narrowly escaping from an attempt on her life, the final pieces of the puzzle come together, and Em convenes a meeting of the suspects at The Candlelight Inn to reveal the killer and the motive for the crime.
A Very Merry Murder is a classically crafted and masterfully methodical mystery with carefully placed subtle clues. It is a gem of a read with its Agatha Christie feel, and although it is part of a series, it can be very satisfyingly read as a stand-alone. Mary Angela has populated the Copper Bluff campus and town with a solid cast of interesting and realistic characters, much like what you would expect in a small college community. The setting and characters envelop readers in an inviting environment, making the Professor Prather Mystery Series a welcome addition to the cozy mystery genre. In fact, after reading A Very Merry Murder I have treated myself to reading An Act of Murder, the first book in the series, and will soon be reading book 2, Passport to Murder.
About the author . . .
Mary Angela is the author of the Professor Prather academic mystery series, which has been called “enjoyable” and “clever” by Publishers Weekly.
She is also an educator and has taught English and humanities at South
Dakota’s public and private universities for over ten years. When Mary
isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending
time with her family.
Connect with the author . . .
Purchase links . . .
Tour participants . . .
October 1 – A Holland Reads - SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
October 2 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
October 3 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 4 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 4 – Babs Book Bistro -SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
October 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy - CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 5 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
October 6 – Mysteries with Character – SPOTLIGHT
October 7 – Island Confidential – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 8 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
October 8 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
October 9 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
October 9 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
October 10 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
October 11 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW
October 11 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
October 11 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Here's How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
October 13 – Varietats – REVIEW
October 13 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 14 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
October 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
October 2 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
October 3 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 4 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 4 – Babs Book Bistro -SPOTLIGHT
October 5 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
October 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy - CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 5 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
October 6 – Mysteries with Character – SPOTLIGHT
October 7 – Island Confidential – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 8 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
October 8 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
October 9 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
October 9 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
October 10 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
October 11 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW
October 11 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
October 11 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 12 – Here's How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
October 13 – Varietats – REVIEW
October 13 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 14 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
October 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of A Very Merry Murder from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or
compiled and published by Catherine for the blog,
bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.
Sharing this original post on Twitter, Google+ and/or other blogs with
appropriate recognition is appreciated.
Thank you so much for the kind review--and for checking out the other books in the series! I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing this series--hope there will be a Book #4 soon!
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