My reading slump has officially ended and I couldn't be more thrilled! I just finished reading Karen MacInerney's novel Murder on the Rocks, on this dreary, wet and rainy day here on California's central coast... A perfect day, in my opinion, to be indoors reading books, drinking hot tea or any other hot beverage for that matter... And, of course, blogging about what I've read.
Murder on the Rocks is the first novel I've read by Karen MacInerney. Murder on the Rocks is a cozy mystery novel and it is the first novel in MacInerney's The Gray Whale Inn Mystery Series. It's also worth noting that Murder on the Rocks was an Agatha Award Nominee in 2006.
I really enjoy reading cozy mystery novels. So, reading Murder on the Rocks was an easy decision for me to make. Plus, the idea of this novel's backdrop being set on an island off the coast of Maine, as well as the whole bed and breakfast motif, really captured my imagination right off the bat. Also, being able to download Murder on the Rocks for free to my iPad from Amazon.com was yet another incentive for me to download and read this novel.
Without spoiling the plot details of Murder on the Rocks, by retelling the storyline here on my blog, please read the following book description found on the author's website for a glimpse of what this cozy mystery is all about:
Thirty-eight-year-old Natalie Barnes has quit her job, sold her house, and gambled everything on the Gray Whale Inn on Cranberry Island, Maine. But she’s barely fired up the stove when portly developer Bernard Katz rolls into town with a plan to replace the endangered terns next door with a golf resort — and replace the Gray Whale Inn with a parking lot.
When the town board approves Katz's development, it looks like things couldn't get worse for Natalie. Then she discovers his body at the base of a cliff — and the police finger her as the killer.
You may also read an excerpt of Murder on the Rocks, which may also be found on the Karen MacInerney's website.
Murder on the Rocks was an easy and fast novel to finish reading. However, I felt that it was a mediocre read overall. It was filled with some exciting moments for a mystery novel, but the novel fell short of expectations. My main complaints regarding this novel? I thought some of the characters were underdeveloped and vague. Plus, the main character, Natalie Barnes, repeatedly did some stupid things to deter the police from quickly solving the case. This only made her look more and more like the murder suspect.
I read and liked this one years ago, too. I followed the series for a bit, but then got distracted by other books. I should go back and catch up.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts on this series!! I use to read a lot more cozy mystery series... The only cozy mystery series I have completed is the Den of Antiquity Series by Tamar Myers.
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