Ariadne French, who goes by
the nickname “Ari” never expected the call that she got while helping to paint
her sister's house. Aaron Beecroft, Ari's boyfriend who took her money and her
heart and left for Montana to set up their future only to not be heard from in
months, is now dead according to the caller. Not only is
Instead, a neighbor found him dead in his small cabin in the area of Marfa, Texas. Now the caller, Gil Rosseau, wants Ari to come out from Dallas to help handle things. Mr. Rousseau claims to be Aaron's neighbor and pastor and says that Aaron named Gil as executor of a will and Ari is the sole beneficiary. It has been months since Aaron refused to wait for her while Ari dealt with a family crisis and now she is supposed to drop everything and go out to Marta to help with funeral arrangements and other matters.
Her sister Zoe does not want
Ari leaving town for any reason and certainly not to go from Dallas to
somewhere out in the desert just because some guy called and claims various
things. But, Aaron Beecroft had been the one true love of Ari’s life and she
has to have answers. Against her sister's emphatic advice, Ari accepts Gil's
offer to make her travel arrangements and goes to Marfa to deal with matters
and to find out what happened to Aaron. As Labor Day weekend approaches presenting
another complication for her plans to wrap things up as quickly as possible Ari
finds out that by all appearances Aaron was doing well. But, appearances can be
deceiving and as she struggles with rectifying the Aaron she thought she knew with
the far different Aaron that lived in Marfa, she also must deal with others and
their own agendas. Eccentric neighbors, vendettas, and at least two different men vie
for her romantic interests. The fact that she becomes a murder suspect within
days, if not hours, of her arrival in Marfa seems to dissuade no one from
involving her in their own lives for various purposes. Not to mention those
magical and unexplainable Marfa Lights that play a major role in the book.
Murder by the Marfa Lights
is a slow moving cozy style mystery that gradually reveals the truth behind
everything as Ari is seduced by the land and its people. Readers are given
plenty of information on fish, spiders, as well as local situations such as the
famous chili cook off and the legnedary Marfa Lights among a few other things. Ari has a
sarcastic streak that comes through on a fairly frequent basis providing bits
of the humor scattered throughout the 259 page read.
The mystery of what happened
to Aaron often takes a back seat to various events and the romantic interest
shown to Ari by others. Much of the book is spent detailing the local area and
its residents during which there is little forward movement on the mystery
itself. Readers who expect a quickly moving mystery may be disappointed, but
those who wish to learn more about this special place in the “Big Bend” area of
Texas will strongly appreciate the detail here.
Murder by the Marfa Lights
Denise Weeks
Pandora Press
ASIN: B002WN2XGC
E-Book (also available in print)
259 Pages
$1.99
Word file was supplied by
the author in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
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2 comments:
YAY!! Thank you, Kevin, for the honest review! It's true that this is a traditional cozy and not today's action-suspense, and I want readers to know this so they're not misguided. I don't like to disappoint. Fans of the cozy genre (books such as MURDER BUYS A T-SHIRT) might get a little more out of the general action of the book, as often there are clues or red herrings buried in these scenes that are "about" something else on the surface (with suspects and witnesses), but I agree it's a lot more subtle and does not sacrifice character and emotion to action. We're definitely in the character-driven realm. If you're a fan of Diane Mott Davidson, Jerrilyn Farmer, Donna Andrews, Judith Van Gieson, Gillian Roberts, and others like them, you're probably in my target audience. Vince Flynn and James Patterson fans would be sorely tempted to throw this one across the room. I would say, though, that if you are interested in a bit of Texas flavor and some eccentric characters, you might get that here. Still, don't expect a rollercoaster . . . this is more of a "dark ride," like the old Spelunker's Cave at Six Flags, where you're in a murky dream and things aren't always clear. Who else misses The Cave, BTW? I hate today's thrill parks. I miss THEME parks. But anyhow, this is really cool! Thanks again for your insights!
Definitely character driven. :))
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