Book Review: Home is Where the Murder Is by Rosalie Spielman (Hometown Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters in a strong mystery

Cons: Home is not where the cons are

The Bottom Line:

Long lost relative?

If so, who would murder her?

Strong second entry

Was the Victim a Missing Relative?

At the beginning of the year, I started the Hometown Mysteries from Rosalie Spielman.  Only six months to get back to book two.  That’s pretty good for me.  It was nice to visit the characters again with Home Is Where the Murder Is.

These books are set in a small town in Idaho.  Our main character is Tessa Treslow who has recently retired from the US Army.  She hadn’t intended to settle in to her hometown, but now that she’s been back for several months, she is glad she made the decision, and she’s excited about the business she is starting with her aunt to restore classic cars.

Summer is starting, and for New Oslo, Idaho, that means it is time for Pioneer Days, a local festival to celebrate the founding of the town.  But this year, a strange couple has appeared stirring up controversy.  She’s claiming to be the long-lost cousin of Tessa’s best friend, Deputy Petunia "Freddie" Frederickson.  Freddie’s last relative just passed away a few months ago, so she has to navigate this claim without any family  to help her learn the truth.

Something about the woman’s claim seems suspect to Tessa.  But before she can figure out what is really going on, the woman is found murdered in New Oslo’s town square with all the evidence pointing to Freddie.  Tessa knows her friend isn’t a killer, so she jumps in to figure out what is going on.  Can she prove it?

I enjoyed meeting this cast in the first book, and it was delightful to spend more time with them here.  We learn more about several of them, and I like how they are developing.  We also meet more of Tessa’s family, which was nice.  I was smiling when several of the supporting players popped up again.  We’ve got the usual quirky characters, and they are completely delightful.  This is definitely one of the towns I would enjoy visiting if it were real.  (Between murders, of course.)

And the mystery?  It started a little slowly, or at least I thought it did.  In reality, we were getting set up so that by the time the murder took place, we were off and running.  The more I read, the more I got hooked by the story, and I couldn’t wait to see how it was all going to come together.  It helped that the stakes were very personal for our characters.  The climax was suspenseful and perfectly answered my questions.

Tessa is something unusual for the majority of cozy series, a middle-aged woman.  I really appreciate that about her, and the author does a good job of bringing that stage of life to the page.  I also appreciate the acknowledgement of what life in the military can mean to the veterans.  It’s just a part of who Tessa is, but I appreciate that it is dealt with.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the characters go from here.  Home Is Where the Murder Is combines a great mystery with great characters.  If you need another mystery series to start (and who doesn’t), you’ll be glad you checked out this series.

Settle in for more of the Hometown Mysteries.