Killer Clown in a Haunted House
There are too many good series out there. That’s the only reason I have for not getting back to the Country Club Murders sooner. Granted, I did read a novella in the series earlier this year, but it was nice to pick up Send in the Clowns and revisit Ellison Russell with a full-length novel again.
If you are new to the series, or it’s been a while, Ellison is a recent widow raising her teenage daughter in 1970’s Kansas City. And, for the past few months, it seems everywhere she goes, she is finding dead bodies.
Case in point – being at the local haunted house wasn’t her choice for a Sunday night activity. But as she finds herself navigating the various rooms, she finds a room with two clowns. Ellison already isn’t a fan of clowns, but she quickly realizes that one of the clowns was just stabbed, and he dies in her arms after asking for Ellison’s help by name. When Ellison returns with help, she finds the room completely empty. Who was the victim? More importantly, who was the other clown?
The book wastes no time but jumps right into the plot. The investigation does unfold a little differently than in some of the books I read, but it works. I was hooked the entire way through and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The ending was a little weaker than I would have liked, or at least presented that way to us. On the other hand, it did answer all our questions.
Part of this series is looking at how society was changing in the 1970’s. Honestly, I’ve got to say how this book tackled that bothered me. In other case, Ellison is dealing with all the men in her life (well, except Mr. Coffee) telling her what to do and thinking she needs a man to protect her. I get it – that was a social issue of the time. But it is beginning to feel repetitive at this point. Additionally, we are once again running into changing morals about sex. Again, I didn’t care for that. This second issue is enough to keep this from being a cozy for me.
On the other hand, I truly do love the characters. Yes, even the regulars who are supposed to be annoying are fun in how they annoy. We also have a love triangle going on. I know that has been resolved in future books, so I’m anxious to see how that comes about since I could honestly see either guy winning at this point. Since it’s only been a couple of months (and four books), I’m not too annoyed by the love triangle at this point.
Anyway, the characters overall are wonderful. They feel real, and we can understand where they are coming from even if we disagree with them. The suspects aren’t quite as well developed as the series regulars, but we also don’t see quite as much of them, so it makes sense.
I was born in the 70’s, so I don’t have solid memories of that decade myself. However, from pictures and TV shows, I feel like this book nails the period. I always enjoy those little touches that ground me in the period.
I didn’t intentionally pick up this book to read in October, but that was a nice bonus. The season definitely plays a part in the story as it unfolds.
And I have to also mention the humor. There’s a certain snark to the narration that I enjoyed. It’s not overdone, but it’s a very fun touch. There are some fun exchanges between the characters as well.
I already have the next couple of books in this series, so
hopefully, I can get back to visit Ellison again soon. If you haven’t read Send in the Clowns
yet, it’s a great read at Halloween or any time or year.
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