Ramblings and Reflections
- An Invitation to Murder by AC Barnett
- Quintessential British cozy, almost too on the nose.
- Mary Blake is an out of work TV actress replaced by Melanie Shaw, a newer, sleek model. To break Mary out of her funk, Percy, her brother, organizes a murder mystery weekend at the family estate. Invitees include Mary’s agent and other people in the industry. Percy hopes the event will encourage his sister to find employment.
- Dot Tanner is Mary’s assistant and best—only—friend. One of my favorite comments from the story was when Dot mentions “soggy around the edges” when speaking with her employer. The weekend soon descends into chaos. These people might work together, but they are definitely not friends. By the next morning, there is a corpse. Guess who?
- This is a locked-door mystery told from the perspective of Mary Blake. I listened to the audiobook conducted by a virtual voice. The artificial intonation and lack of voice inflection during dramatic moments landed awkwardly on my ear.
- Only in a British cozy do murder suspects make a cup of tea after discovering a corpse while waiting for the police. The plot resembled Agatha Christie’s Murder in Mesopotamia. Any semblance of practicality vanished with the treasure hunt at the end. Overall, a solid cozy with developed characters and a charming setting.