Saturday, October 13, 2018

Boo Review for The Dead Ringer



The Dead Ringer
Written By:  M. C. Beaton
St Martin’s Press
Minotaur Books
3 Stars

The town of Thirk Magna is known for its bell ringers.  The Bishop is coming to town and it’s for him that the bells toll.  He is a handsome , smooth talker who woos the ladies of the town so that they will donate money to his old folk’s home.  Soon after his arrival, Millicent, one of the bell ringers is found dead.  Agatha also learns that the bishop’s fiancé seems to have disappeared.  Agatha wonders if the two events could be related, and she decides she needs to learn more.  Unfortunately, as she is trying to piece together the puzzle more bodies pile up.

There are a number of issues I had with this book. The first is the number of characters introduced in the first chapters. I had to go back to the beginning to make a list of characters in order to keep track of everyone.  I also didn’t find the main character very likable.  She was standoffish and rude even to the people that care about her.  Thirdly, Agatha does very little investigating in this novel.  She seems more concerned about her love life than solving the mystery.

Underneath all the flaws, however, is a well written cozy mystery.  I found the book hard to put down, and I would read late into the night.  There are also some great characters.  I cared enough about the characters, that I plan on continuing the series to see how the characters progress and what happens to them.  This story also had a great ending that was totally unexpected.  Just when you think the mystery is solved, a wrench is thrown in, and you have to readjust your original conclusions.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book.  #NetGalley #TheDeadRinger

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