The Gourdmother
Gourd craft mystery series, No. 1
by Maggie Bruce
Lili Marino was horrified when Tom Ford couldn't pay her for all the advertising copy she had
written for him, but when he instead gave her a country cottage, things started to look
up. Maybe she could quit the rat race and spend more time doing what she loved - turning
gourds into works of art - and even growing her own. But before she has even got the
tree stumps out of the yard, her new friend's husband is murdered and Lili discovers that
trying to find out who did it is far more important than anything else she has planned.
And just who is Tom Ford, anyway?
This engaging first entry in a new series has all the hallmarks of a good cozy mystery:
a country setting, crafty tips, good companionship and a teasing crime. This is no comic
romp though, as Bruce does an excellent job of showing how people really react when there
is a murder. The thing that stood out most for me was the depiction of the grief suffered
by the dead man's family, which comes over as very real adding an extra dimension to the
book. Murder isn't a game or a puzzle here, but a terrible disruption to lives and truly
the only "cozy" things here are the friendships and the setting. If you like crafts the
parts about gourd art will appeal (I've always wanted to have a go) but if you don't then
they don't intrude into the story to make those less enamoured with this type of thing put
the book down. This is very much the first in a set, and there are enough loose ends
to make book two a must on my list, although this is also a very complete story in its
own right. I enjoy cozies and have read quite a number but this one will linger in my mind. |
The Book |
Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin Group USA) |
September 2005 |
Paperback |
0425206610 |
Contemporary Crime [New York] |
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Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed 2005 |
NOTE: |
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