A new cozy mystery series from Wendy Corsi Staub begins with Nine Lives which features a widow with a young son unexpectedly finding herself in a town filled with mediums. As Bella prepares to move in with her antagonistic mother-in-law (the medical bills stemming from her husband's death devastated the family finances, especially since Bella got laid off from her teaching job), a cat appears at the house. Bella's son is immediately taken with the cat, but the cat wears a collar and the family must travel on. The cat will appear again though and set Bella and Max on a detour to Lily Dale where Bella will come to realize the cat's owner was murdered.
Nine Lives builds very slowly (for a town of mediums, no one seemed to realize Leona had been murdered until Bella starts to put it all together), but it is hardly unnoticeable given the lively setting of Lily Dale during "the season." There's a lot going on and a great cast of characters, so it works for Nine Lives to be less mystery and more getting to know the town for all its quirks. It's an entertaining story that nicely sets up the series while also providing a satisfying conclusion so that Nine Lives can stand alone.
4/5
Review copy from Amazon Vine.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment