No Small Murder by Lena Gregory is the first A Mini-Meadows Mystery. The story is told from Emma's point of view. We get to know Emma's every thought (and she rambles). I loved Granny Rose. She is fun and lively (a hoot). Granny Rose has decided it is time to live a little. I like the tiny home community of Mini-Meadows. Everything a person could need is in the community. You can hop in your golf cart and zip around shopping, visiting friends, and attending events. The mystery is straightforward. There are a handful of suspects, a couple of clues, and misdirection. The whodunit can be solved long before the reveal. I would have liked a better wrap up at the end because I had a couple of lingering questions. No Small Murder is easy to read. The pacing was varied. There are characters who disappear along the way (they were involved and then nothing). I did not like the repetition. I got it the first time and did not need it told to be me again (and again and again). I was baffled as to why Broderick Aldridge was downsizing. It was obvious that his belongings would not fit into the small home (if the furniture from his study would not fit, how would the rest of his belongings). I had no clue how the wife and dog would fit in. There was one detail that I found odd. The author has the difficult client writing checks. I cannot remember the last time I wrote a check (who needs checks with debit cards, credit cards, PayPal, and Venmo). No Small Murder is a diminutive tale with a gregarious granny, a murdered grump, gossip galore, a money misfortune, and a curious downsizing specialist.
Dollycas's Thoughts
Tiny houses are all the rage these days and a small town in Central Florida is embracing the concept mightily. Mini Meadows is a Tiny Home community with new residents and businesses flocking to the town at a rapid pace. Emma Wells had a major disagreement with her father and she left his mansion and money behind for a tiny home in Mini-Meadows. She has also become a downsizing specialist to help people make the transition from their large houses of several thousand square feet to smaller or tiny homes in the 500 square feet range.
Her client, Mr. Aldridge was having his train-inspired mini home placed in Mini Meadows and his and his wife's belonging delivered. Mr. Aldridge has been a difficult person to work with so Emma is anxious for his move to go smoothly. When she arrives to help unload his furnishings from the trailer she sees something strange in a rocking chair wrapped in plastic. As she gets closer she sees the new homeowner's face. Broderick Aldridge no longer needed his unique tiny house and she needed to call the police.
Surprised to learn two of her friends are on the suspect list Emma decides to do a little investigating of her own. But if she's not careful she could be moving to a much smaller tiny home six feet underground.
________
Oh, I love the theme of this new cozy series! There have been many times I thought I could be happy in a tiny house. Then my family points out all the stuff I have that I just can't part with, like my books, LOL.
Ms. Gregory introduces some dynamic characters in this series' debut. Emma Wells' father disinherited her so she moved out of his huge home into her tiny one and has been quite happy. I love her energy and positive attitude. Her Granny Rose was also living with her father and missed Emma greatly after she moved out. She gave her son an ultimatum and moved out. She has now moved into Emma's tiny house too. It is a bit cramped but Emma had missed her Granny Rose as well so vowed to make it work. Granny Rose is not your typical granny. She drives a shiny red corvette and is embracing a whole new self. Wearing frayed jeans, camisoles, high-top sneakers, gold chains, and earrings, she shocks Emma. This is not the grandma she grew up with. Granny also grabs the attention of the elderly gentleman that just moved in across the street from Emma. Oh my gosh, she is a delight and a spitfire and so much fun. Emma has two close girlfriends, Jade and Chloe. Chloe runs Pocket Books and Jade owns Little Bits Consignment and Thrift Shop. We also meet Libby who owns the local diner. All great places to hear local gossip. I can't forget that Emma has an orange tabby named Ginger and it isn't long before a Great Dane named Butch joins the family. All these characters are nicely crafted and continue to evolve over the course of the story.
There was something off about the deceased Broderick Aldridge from the start so there were clearly a couple of suspects right away but as the story continued several more were added to the list. With the many twists and turns it was almost impossible to eliminate any of them. I loved following along with Emma as she tried to unpack each clue and make it fit into the puzzle before her. The murderer was on my list but I was really iffy about the motive. An epic final twist revealed all and set up a very dramatic ending.
No Small Murder was a wonderfully entertaining read. A fresh theme, fun characters, and a rousing mystery have set this series off to a fantastic start. I am excited for this series to continue. We have just scratched the surface of what I hope will be a long-running series.
Tiny houses are all the rage these days and a small town in Central Florida is embracing the concept mightily. Mini Meadows is a Tiny Home community with new residents and businesses flocking to the town at a rapid pace. Emma Wells had a major disagreement with her father and she left his mansion and money behind for a tiny home in Mini-Meadows. She has also become a downsizing specialist to help people make the transition from their large houses of several thousand square feet to smaller or tiny homes in the 500 square feet range.
Her client, Mr. Aldridge was having his train-inspired mini home placed in Mini Meadows and his and his wife's belonging delivered. Mr. Aldridge has been a difficult person to work with so Emma is anxious for his move to go smoothly. When she arrives to help unload his furnishings from the trailer she sees something strange in a rocking chair wrapped in plastic. As she gets closer she sees the new homeowner's face. Broderick Aldridge no longer needed his unique tiny house and she needed to call the police.
Surprised to learn two of her friends are on the suspect list Emma decides to do a little investigating of her own. But if she's not careful she could be moving to a much smaller tiny home six feet underground.
________
Oh, I love the theme of this new cozy series! There have been many times I thought I could be happy in a tiny house. Then my family points out all the stuff I have that I just can't part with, like my books, LOL.
Ms. Gregory introduces some dynamic characters in this series' debut. Emma Wells' father disinherited her so she moved out of his huge home into her tiny one and has been quite happy. I love her energy and positive attitude. Her Granny Rose was also living with her father and missed Emma greatly after she moved out. She gave her son an ultimatum and moved out. She has now moved into Emma's tiny house too. It is a bit cramped but Emma had missed her Granny Rose as well so vowed to make it work. Granny Rose is not your typical granny. She drives a shiny red corvette and is embracing a whole new self. Wearing frayed jeans, camisoles, high-top sneakers, gold chains, and earrings, she shocks Emma. This is not the grandma she grew up with. Granny also grabs the attention of the elderly gentleman that just moved in across the street from Emma. Oh my gosh, she is a delight and a spitfire and so much fun. Emma has two close girlfriends, Jade and Chloe. Chloe runs Pocket Books and Jade owns Little Bits Consignment and Thrift Shop. We also meet Libby who owns the local diner. All great places to hear local gossip. I can't forget that Emma has an orange tabby named Ginger and it isn't long before a Great Dane named Butch joins the family. All these characters are nicely crafted and continue to evolve over the course of the story.
There was something off about the deceased Broderick Aldridge from the start so there were clearly a couple of suspects right away but as the story continued several more were added to the list. With the many twists and turns it was almost impossible to eliminate any of them. I loved following along with Emma as she tried to unpack each clue and make it fit into the puzzle before her. The murderer was on my list but I was really iffy about the motive. An epic final twist revealed all and set up a very dramatic ending.
No Small Murder was a wonderfully entertaining read. A fresh theme, fun characters, and a rousing mystery have set this series off to a fantastic start. I am excited for this series to continue. We have just scratched the surface of what I hope will be a long-running series.
