Thursday, June 27, 2019

Book Review - Murder’s No Votive Confidence




Murder’s No Votive Confidence
Author:  Christin Brecher
Publisher:  Kensington Books
Publication Date:  June 25, 2019
3 ½ Stars

Murder’s No Votive Confidence is the first book in the new Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery.  The main character, Stella Wright, is the owner of Wick and Flame, a local candle shop, where she creates one of a kind candles and candle scents.  She has been hired by Jessica Sterling to create the candles for her upcoming wedding.  The star piece of her creations is the unity candle.

Stella goes to the inn where Jessica is staying to go over some last minute details about the candles.  While there, Stella notices that the unity candle has gone missing.  Stella, along with Jessica and her mother, go in search of the candle.  The last place the candle was seen was in the inn’s game room.  When they enter the game room, the women are shocked to find Jessica’s uncle Simon laying on the floor with his head bashed in, and the unity candle lying next to him.

Bill Duffy, the hotel’s bartender, is arrested for the murder.  Police captain Bellamy is sure he has the right guy and considers the matter closed.  Stella is just as sure that Bill is innocent and decides she must find the evidence to set him free.  Stella enlists the help of Andy, her long time friend and local cop.

This book has all the makings of a good cozy mystery:  great characters, a well developed plot with a solid mystery, and a little romance.

I really liked Stella’s character.  For one, I enjoyed her unique occupation, candle-maker.  I also appreciated the vested interested she had in investigating this mystery.  Not only does she not want to see her long time family friend railroaded, but she also wants to protect her business.  Stella realizes that the fact that her unity candle was used as the murder weapon may have damaging effects on future orders.  I also enjoyed her genuine and realistic relationships with the other characters.  I’m looking forward to getting to know the recurring characters better in future installments.

The author has laid out a very solid mystery in this book.  It’s filled with the twists and turns one expects, including buried secrets, hidden motives, and embedded clues.  The ending, however, seemed a bit over adventurous and not quite believable to me.

The story has just a light touch of romance.  Stella appears to have feelings for her long time friend Andy, but he is currently unavailable as he has a girlfriend.  She also finds herself attracted to Peter, a new reporter for the local paper.  It will be fun to watch these relationships play out.

I think fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this book.  I know that I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book.  #NetGalley #MurdersNoVotiveConfidence

No comments:

Post a Comment