Hey, it’s Heather here! Today I’m doing an honest review for
Scones and Smugglers, a murder-mystery novel, hope you all enjoy.
Information
Author: Morgan C. Talbot
Published: January 2017
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Length: 222 pages
Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction
Brief description (from Amazon)
Pippa Winterbourne runs Moorehaven, the Oregon Coast’s
quirkiest bed-and-breakfast and former home of world-famous mystery writer A.
Raymond Moore. Guests come there to write their own crime novels. When a
real-life murder takes a local’s life and washes a handsome boat pilot into her
arms, Pippa is yanked into a deadly plot of her own. A tangle of secrets
crashes past into present, and Pippa must uncover clues dating back to
Seacrest’s Prohibition days, including a secret Moore himself hid from the
world. Juggling her book-writing guests, small-town intrigues, secret club
agendas, and a possibly fatal attraction, Pippa must sort fact from fiction to
know who to trust before a desperate killer claims a final revenge nearly a
century in the making.
Hey, it’s Heather here! Today I’m doing an honest review for
Scones and Smugglers, a murder-mystery novel, hope you all enjoy.
Review
Scones, friendship and a murder mystery, what more could anyone want in a book! The plot was good;
from learning about Pippa’s usual day working at the bed and breakfast, to the
murder solving bits, it was a nice measure of fun and serious stuff. I really
liked how the history of the people and the town linked into the story – and no,
I did not guess who the culprit was, so the last few chapters were quite a surprise
for me. Writing style throughout was friendly with nice splashes of description
and humour every now and then. I especially liked the references to Hermione’s
patronus and Doctor Who. Each chapter begins with a Raymond Moore quote – the fictitious
mystery writer who the bed and breakfast used to home – which was a charming
touch. I was also pleased with the sensitive way depression and suicide was
mentioned, showing that despite Pippa being mostly recovered now, the suicide
of her roommate still impacted her massively.
The characterisation was good, Pippa in particular making
herself an appealing protagonist with her welcoming and empathetic personality.
I loved the scone recipe in the back and will certainly be making a batch later
on in the summer, I certainly felt a craving for them as I read. The entire
concept of running a bed-and-breakfast solely for authors was wonderful. From
their breakfast games to the way they picked up on certain phrases and words, I
adored the bunch, and was thoroughly entertained with how their innocent
curiosity to research led to some troublesome situations. In fact, the book
involves a wealth of lovely characters without getting confusing or too stereotypical
at any point. The community itself is really nice to get to know, and I’m sure
that we’ll hear back from many of the characters in books to come. There was
also a theme of friendship throughout, something very underrated in novels that
made the read endearing. I’ve included my favourite quote, and my excuse for
giving my besties the pet name scone.
“Scones are the edible version of a lifelong friend. They’re full of
amazing things. They can adapt to any circumstance. And they’ll never let you
down with some weird kind of cream-filling surprise.”
The only aspect I was less keen on was the romance between
Pippa and Lake, which I felt was a little rushed. Detective fiction and romance
are always difficult to mingle because the reader is in a constant sense of
suspicion about who the murderer could be, therefore making it difficult for
the reader to happily anticipate the protagonist growing close with anyone. In
Beaton’s Agatha Raisin books, it took a really long time for Agatha and her
attractive neighbour James to become a couple, even at that stage their
relationship was unsteady, the snooping detective life being hard to balance
with life and love. Given that Lake was found at the scene of the murder
without any memories of what happened, I’d have been extremely cautious about
romancing him, so was rather surprised at how rapidly they got to the kissing
stage and did not warm to his character. As the series continues and his
character develops, however, I’m sure I’ll like him more; I’m rather hoping for
a Tommy and Tuppence styled relationship to divulge.
Many thanks to the author for letting me read this. I'm pretty excited about reading the rest of the series when it comes out. If you’ve
read this, let me know your thoughts below (and if you guessed who the killer was,
because I could not have been more wrong about my initial prediction)!
Thank you so much for your thorough and detailed review. I'm stoked that you picked one of my favorite lines from the book as your favorite, too! You're very welcome to stop in at Moorehaven anytime.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, thank you for letting me read your book!
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