A Relative Murder by Jude Deveraux | Medlar Mystery 4
Bestselling author Sara Medlar is back in her hometown. Lachlan, Florida is the place where she grew up and one where she hopes to lead a peaceful life with her niece Kate and friend of family Jack Wyatt. The Medlar three who shot to notoriety with her penchant for getting entangled in murders and proving adept in solving them has resolutely decided never ever to involve themselves in anything that begins with the word M.
However, good intentions are best made for pinterest posters! The trio soon find themselves neck deep in trouble. To their horror, they discover that their past that they had considered safely buried has reared its head again.
All three realize the stakes are high and only trust, love and honesty will tide them over this calamity.
My acquaintance with Jude Deveraux was via historical romance’s. Her delightful sense of humor, wit presented through her characters kept me entertained for hours. So it was with much anticipation & expectations that I opened this book.
To begin with the book was quite disappointing yet was not. If you consider this as a pure mystery & are looking for full blown, grey cells challenging mystery then you are headed to disappointment. But if you look at it as an entertainer, a means of keeping boredom at bay then this book succeeds.
If we are inclined to box this into a slot, then we can term this as a cozy mystery that is full of wholesomeness and ends with a glow-y feeling.
A Relative murder starts on a promising note with the arrival of mysterious note followed soon by murder that leaves the little town of Lachlan shocked. The murder pitches, Kate who is the heroine in the spotlight. She along with her aunt Sara dutifully wade into solving the mystery that landed right at their doorsteps. Pretty soon to their horror, Sara & Kate realize that this murder is personal and further investigation will raise the specter of the past which both are intent in keeping buried.
Adding to their misery is the return of a mysterious figure who is directly connected to both Kate & Sara. His arrival intensifies the already dangerous situation into a calamity. His arrival leads to a revelation of a shocking truth that turns Kate’s life upside down.
Soon everyone team up to unravel an increasingly confusing puzzle which appears to get complex instead of simplifying. However, the Medlar’s are undeterred, they hang on with bulldog like tenacity & dig the long buried truth. A secret which leaves everyone gobsmacked !
This is a truth that’s personally connected to Kate. While shocked it also liberates Kate from the nightmares of her childhood. It is a truth that changes the lives of almost all principal characters including Sara who is relieved of her cumbersome burden. Overall, it is all ends that ends well.
While ‘A relative Murder’ is a complete entertainer in terms of its pace, humor & characters. It is all over the place. There’s too much going on at the same time & there is too many characters to wade through. Rather than a mystery, ‘A Relative Murder’ reminds you of a drama or a theatrical skit.
In terms of character, Ava & Everett have been given right blend of intrigue and fascination. But where Everett manages to sustain and retain our interest, Ava who begins so promisingly falls flat towards the end leaving the readers a bit dissatisfied.
In conclusion, ‘A Relative Murder’ is a book that can be read for its sheer entertainment value.