"Can they solve the old murder?"

After an old abandoned car surfaces due to a bad drought, Megan wants to find out who the Depression-era car belonged to. She tries to get her book group to assist her as they have in the past. But most of them decline.

Then Megan stumbles over some dead bodies. So much so that the police think she is the prime suspect in the slayings. They look ritualistic and she seems to have the only knowledge to understand the markings.

As she looks into events of the past, she finds more than she bargained for. Could one of the members of her book club be the killer? Can she tie up both the current murders and the past without ending up in jail or putting herself and those she cares about at risk?

I like Megan and Ryan and most of the book group. The author has assembled a good cast of characters. I especially like the book group setting. Their interest in mysteries makes them naturals at investigating crimes.

The only thing I don't like is that the story is told from many perspectives. I much prefer cozies to be told from one point of view. That way I really get to know one character. This format gives you insight into the two main characters, but I found it confusing at time as to who was speaking and thinking.

I recommend this great cozy series. I also recommend this book!

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Courtesy Mystery Lovers Corner
Posted October 1, 2006

Summary

A mystery reading group has secrets of its own...

Reference librarian Megan Clark has a passion for fictional crime—but when she and her fellow book group members go from reading mysteries to solving them, they discover that real-life crime is more complex than the most puzzling whodunit...

In the midst of a bad drought, the shores of a local lake recede to reveal an old abandoned car. Megan is intrigued by the Depression-era jalopy and puzzled when her fellow amateur sleuths would rather get back to discussing Agatha Christie. Then bodies start popping up all over town, ritually murdered, and current crimes take precedence over old secrets.

It's Megan who discovers the corpses, making her the prime suspect. To clear her name, she'll need to find the killer—who's obviously been boning up on Christie's novels. Is Megan reading too much into the clues, or could the culprit be a book club member?