Murder of the Town Recluse
I knew early on that I wanted to read Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose. Yes, the bed and breakfast theme appealed to me; I do love my culinary cozies after all. But I also learned that Ayla Rose was a new pen name for Wendy Tyson, and I loved her earlier cozy series. So I picked up this book expecting to be entertained. And I wasn’t disappointed.
This book takes us to a small town in Vermont where Hannah Solace lives. She has returned as an adult to run the Hummingbird Hollow Bee and Bee for her sister. Since returning to town, Hannah has only really made friends with one person, the eighty-year-old Ezra Grayson. Despite having lived in the same house in town most of his life, Ezra doesn’t seem to have many friends in town either. In fact, most people are trying to get him to move to a retirement community. Some just want to buy his land for profit or to get rid of the eye sore the house has become.
One evening, Hannah is out on the pond near the B and B for a paddle when she finds Ezra’s dead body. It’s quickly determined that it was murder, but Hannah is surprised to find herself a suspect in the crime. The investigation also points to some people close to Hannah in addition to Ezra’s relatives, who are currently staying at the B and B. Can Hannah figure out what is going on?
It took me a few chapters to fully get into the book. We were meeting characters and seeing the beginnings of the plot, but for some reason I couldn’t quite keep all the characters straight. However, that quickly went away as I got further into the book and got caught up in the story.
The mystery is strong. There are a variety of motives, and the more Hannah digs into Ezra’s life, the more she questions exactly what is going on. I was fully hooked by this point wondering where the story was going to wind up. I saw one thing coming early, but it was minor. The actual ending? I was very surprised, but it all made perfect sense.
And the characters grew on me quickly as well. Hannah has some complicated relationships in her past, and we got that backstory as the book unfolded without any data dumps, which I truly appreciated. There is plenty more to explore here, and I look forward to returning to the characters in future books. Meanwhile, the suspects were just as real to me.
Make no mistake, this book is a cozy. But it’s a grayer cozy than many I read, edging to the traditional side of the spectrum. The resulting depth of character and plot is well worth reading. But know that this is a deeper book that will stick with you.
Those who read the Greenhouse Mysteries that the author wrote as Wendy Tyson won’t be surprised to see some of the environmental themes that are woven into the book. For example, Hannah has surrounded the B and B with gardens that will attract pollinators. All of this weaves in and out of the story seamlessly without ever slowing things down. And there’s a recipe for Bean and Veggie Chili at the end as well.
Murder on Devil’s Pond is a fantastic debut. If you are looking for a new cozy series to dig into, you’ll be happy you picked up this book.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
I have been dying for someone to read this book. I really, really enjoyed it, like you I loved the Greenhouse series as well. How she weaves everything into the story seamlessly makes it special.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you enjoyed it. I'm hoping to start the audio today or tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one too! I've always liked Wendy Tyson's books but I think this is her best one yet. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
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