Description
Mini Meadows, a Tiny Home community in rural Central Florida, is home to Emma Wells, a downsize specialist who left her daddy’s mansion and her inheritance behind in favor of a simpler, more peaceful life in a tiny home that was once two shipping containers. But when she opens a shipping container and discovers her dead client sitting in a rocking chair, neatly wrapped and labeled, and two of her friends end up on the suspect list, Emma pitches in to help find the killer. With plenty of clues to unpack, Emma narrows down the suspect list, but as she begins to close in on the culprit, she realizes if she’s not careful she could end up in a box of her own.
About the author - Lena Gregory
Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, which take place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, and the All-Day Breakfast Café Mysteries, which are set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest.
Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.
No Small Murder by Lena Gregory A Mini Meadows Mystery
I thank the team of NetGalley, the author and the publishers for providing me with this ARC.
All views expressed in this review are my own and based on my reading of this book. Some of the initial comments were made as I progressed in this book and I have not tried editing them as it expresses my contiguous thoughts as I proceeded with the story.
This was my first book from this author and I was attracted by the "Mystery" and the prospect of a "murder mystery". I love thrillers and the book description seemed good enough to try out.
Upfront I would like to say that this is not a book for me and I prefer a more higher octane thriller. There were moments especially the initial part when I kept the book aside, it stayed just opened for over a week before I decided to complete it.
The above statements have no reflection on the book which is probably meant for a different kind of reader unlike me.
The story was simple and the prose more so with a lot of effort made by the author to explain and project the community which seems a idyllic place, slow rural setting where the pace of life is a far cry from the hustle bustle of cities. Lena has made a supreme effort to sell her readers the panoramic area and a small community which seems self sufficient and contained. The surrounding wilderness is more comfortable rather than foreboding. This sets this book apart from a lot of others that I read.
What worked for me is the effort made by Lena in fleshing out the characters and bringing out their interactions including engagement which generally happen in small communities where everyone knows everyone else and relationships do not wear thin easily. So we have backgrounds on Emma, her Granny, her friends and acquaintances, their connections, crushes and everything else. The story also has enough on the suspicious characters. I also loved the way the small houses and their customizations to ensure more than optimum utilization have been elaborated upon providing the reader with a clear view of the houses, inside and out and also of the Mini Meadows community.
Emma's interactions with her clients and other people who want to shift into the community is also well processed considering that she specializes in helping clients downsize from larger habitats to the small cozy container backed houses which are quaint. The hell that one goes through when you have to let go of your remembrances and parts of your life because they do not fit into your new address is something that anyone who has moved will understand and empathize.
I also got a liking for the fringe characters and that I believe is Lena's greatest strength, writing believable characters for whom one would root for.
What did not work for me in this book is the story itself, too predictable and too meandering. Emma's efforts along with her Granny at being a amateur detective including putting together clues, lists, sheets with motives, etc. reminded me so much about Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Find Outers books or the ones like the Hardy boys & Nancy Drew mysteries for tweens and teens. Though this book has deaths it does not seem to be aimed at the YA group.
The mystery per se also moved at a very sedate pace and did not have any chill despite the murders, which made it bland for me.
3.5 stars for this book.
There is an audience for these homely type of mysteries and this would fit right for them.
I would recommend this to readers who like mysteries that have a family atmosphere or in movie parlance a PG13 story with no screen violence or awkward scenes.
Please do not forget to post your comments. I am an equal opportunity person so would love to hear your love or your hate for the review or book in any order. Please write what you did not like or whether the book was an absolute disaster for you and why.
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5250420162
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