Another Review at MyShelf.Com

To Helen Back
A River Road Mystery #1
Susan McBride

Witness Impulse
May 27, 2014/ ASIN: B00IRCZIPA
Cozy Mystery

Reviewed by Linda Morelli

 

If ever there was a town bully in River Bend, Illinois, Milton Grone is it. He’s as stingy with his second wife as he was with his first, to whom he owes back child support, and he refuses to remove the fence he built six inches into Felicity Timmons’ yard. Milton inherited land along the Mississippi River from his father, and the entire town is upset at his plan to sell to a developer for millions, even though his father promised to donate that land to the city. Unfortunately, no one can locate any document to prove it.

Widow Helen Evans has lived in the cozy town for fifty of her seventy-five years, long after her four children moved away. Like many other town members, Helen doesn’t want the development of a water park that would destroy the beauty of the nearby riverbank area.

Then Milton is found dead in his front yard and it at appears he had a heart attack and stuck his head against a rock. Helen suspects there’s more to his death than meets the eye, especially when Sheriff Frank Biddle learns Milton was killed by Felicity’s missing shovel. As Helen works with the Sheriff to investigate the death, the list of possible suspects grows. Did the naturalists commit the murder? Or was it Milton’s ex-wife? Or does the murder have more sinister implications?

Susan McBride has a wonderful ability to blend solid, poignant plots with settings and characters that seem real. Helen is indeed a modern Miss Marple, making this a delightful read. The other characters were so well developed that I felt I knew them, and the surprising twists and turns kept me reading well into the night. I love this series and eagerly await the next release.

Future releases in the series are Mad as Helen (7/29/14) and Not a Chance in Helen (9/30/14)

Reviewer Linda Morelli is the award winning author of three published romance novels.
Reviewed 2014
© MyShelf.com