Better Homes and Corpses (Hamptons Home & Garden, Bk 1)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Better Homes and Corpses is the first in the Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery series. The series centers around Meg Barrett, home decorator in Montauk, a small seaside community in the Hamptons of Long Island, New York.
Having left the publishing world of Manhattan and her job with American Home and Garden magazine, when she finds her fiancée cheating on her with his ex wife, Meg has started her own interior design business, Cottages by the Sea. Meg reconnects with college roommate Jillian Spenser whose mother Caroline, an avid collector of antiquities and arts has the reputation as the Queen Mother of the Hamptons. Excited for the opportunity to visit "Seacliff" the Spenser's sprawling estate, Meg arrives to find Caroline dead in Jillian's arms.
Elle Warner is Meg's best friend from the magazine world, who also has quit the publishing industry to open an antiques shop, in nearby Sag Harbor. When Elle is hired to inventory the Spenser estate for the First Fidelity Insurance Company she invites Meg along to assist.
It turns out there is a lot more hidden behind the walls of Seacliff than just priceless artifacts. It appears that Jillian is suffering from PTSD brought about by a boating accident suffered as a teenager and now the recent attack on her and her mother has left her with amnesia, plus someone is still making attempts on her life. A helpless, fragile shell of her former self Meg feels the need to protect her friend and discover who killed Caroline.
Plenty of suspects reside behind the hedges of Seacliff including Jillian's brother Cole who has been estranged from the family for over 17 years. DR. Greene, Jillian's personal physician, Butler and Housekeeper Mr. & Mrs. Arnold, eccentric Salvatore the painter turned sculptor and his son Van, Caroline's art assistant Adam Prescott and his mother Frances. Everyone seems to have had a motive to murder Caroline, but why is the killer still after Jillian?
This was a great first with lots of twists and turns that left me guessing until the very end. I was completely wrong in thinking I knew whodunit. Meg suffers from hearing loss and the authors delicate handling of Meg's disability along with the inclusion into the story of Tripod, the three legged dog adds just the right touch of heartwarming realism.
As is the common thread in most cozies, romantic tensions run high between Meg and one of her suspects. Ultimately he is cleared of any wrongdoing and it will be interesting to see if their relationship evolves in future books. Meg has a very loving relationship with her ex-detective Father and I'm curious to see if he and his new wife will appear to help Meg in her future investigations. Most of all I'm eager to see how Meg tackles her next big project of renovating and restoring her new home.
A great debut!
Having left the publishing world of Manhattan and her job with American Home and Garden magazine, when she finds her fiancée cheating on her with his ex wife, Meg has started her own interior design business, Cottages by the Sea. Meg reconnects with college roommate Jillian Spenser whose mother Caroline, an avid collector of antiquities and arts has the reputation as the Queen Mother of the Hamptons. Excited for the opportunity to visit "Seacliff" the Spenser's sprawling estate, Meg arrives to find Caroline dead in Jillian's arms.
Elle Warner is Meg's best friend from the magazine world, who also has quit the publishing industry to open an antiques shop, in nearby Sag Harbor. When Elle is hired to inventory the Spenser estate for the First Fidelity Insurance Company she invites Meg along to assist.
It turns out there is a lot more hidden behind the walls of Seacliff than just priceless artifacts. It appears that Jillian is suffering from PTSD brought about by a boating accident suffered as a teenager and now the recent attack on her and her mother has left her with amnesia, plus someone is still making attempts on her life. A helpless, fragile shell of her former self Meg feels the need to protect her friend and discover who killed Caroline.
Plenty of suspects reside behind the hedges of Seacliff including Jillian's brother Cole who has been estranged from the family for over 17 years. DR. Greene, Jillian's personal physician, Butler and Housekeeper Mr. & Mrs. Arnold, eccentric Salvatore the painter turned sculptor and his son Van, Caroline's art assistant Adam Prescott and his mother Frances. Everyone seems to have had a motive to murder Caroline, but why is the killer still after Jillian?
This was a great first with lots of twists and turns that left me guessing until the very end. I was completely wrong in thinking I knew whodunit. Meg suffers from hearing loss and the authors delicate handling of Meg's disability along with the inclusion into the story of Tripod, the three legged dog adds just the right touch of heartwarming realism.
As is the common thread in most cozies, romantic tensions run high between Meg and one of her suspects. Ultimately he is cleared of any wrongdoing and it will be interesting to see if their relationship evolves in future books. Meg has a very loving relationship with her ex-detective Father and I'm curious to see if he and his new wife will appear to help Meg in her future investigations. Most of all I'm eager to see how Meg tackles her next big project of renovating and restoring her new home.
A great debut!
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