Maid of Murder
An India Hayes Mystery
Amanda Flower
Review: College reference librarian and six-time bridesmaid India Hayes turns amateur sleuth to clear her brother, who's been accused of murder, in Maid of Murder, a chick lit-ish whodunit-style mystery, the first in a new series by Amanda Flower.
India's brother Mark, her senior by two years, had a high school crush on Olivia Blocken ... and years later still isn't over her. India doesn't have the heart to tell him that Olivia's getting married, and worse, she's in the wedding party. Not that she's all that happy about it: "I smiled politely ..., flabbergasted that Olivia had the audacity to number her bridesmaids, and that I was number three out of three." But learn of it he does, and when Olivia's injured and unconscious body is found in the campus fountain just minutes after he had surreptitiously arranged to meet her, Mark is suspect number one. Later, when Olivia dies without regaining consciousness and Mark disappears, India takes it upon herself to find him all the while trying to discover who may have had a motive to hurt Olivia.
Maid of Murder is a pleasant mystery, India being a likeable lead who is surrounded by a generally entertaining cast of characters that have quirks, but aren't unrealistically quirky. The chick lit aspect is mercifully muted, though there can't be a wedding scene without a description of the bridesmaid's dress.
I unzipped the garment bag in a dramatic flourish and suffered paralyzing blindness. Rumplestiltskin gold. I yanked the dress from the bag in hopes that the brilliant gold was a layer of psychedelic tissue paper. No such luck. The shimmering gold fabric attracted light like a bike reflector. I hoped that the wedding invitations recommended guests bring sunglasses and SPF forty-five.
It's slightly disappointing, with India (and the author) being a librarian, that the plot doesn't have more of an academic slant to it, and that the murder and its resolution have no literary tie-in or basis. Still, readers looking for a credible whodunit with a minimum of violence and no objectionable language would do well to seek out Maid of Murder.
Acknowledgment: Amanda Flower provided an ARC of Maid of Murder for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in Maid of Murder: Akron, Ohio
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Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower
Publisher: Five Star
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-59414-864-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-864-4
Publication Date: June 2010
List Price: $25.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): India Hayes is a lot of things ... but she's about to step into the most challenging role of her life: amateur sleuth.
Childhood friend and now knockout beauty Olivia Blocken is back in town to wed her bodybuilder fiancé with India as reluctant attendant because she's betraying her brother. Mark still carries a torch for the bride who once broke his heart and sent his life into a tailspin.
When Olivia turns up dead and the evidence points to Mark, India must unmask the real culprit while juggling a furious and grieving Mother of the Bride, an annoyingly beautiful Maid of Honor, a set of hippie-generation parents, the police detective who once dated her sister and is showing a marked liking for her, and a provost itching to fire someone, anyone - maybe even a smart-mouthed librarian.
India's investigation leads her on a journey through childhood memories that she'd much rather have left in the schoolyard, but to avoid becoming the next victim, it is a path she must follow.
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