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Book Review of Murder at Morningside

Murder at Morningside
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Murder at Morningside is the first in the Missy Dubois mystery series. Melissa "Missy" Dubois owns and operates Crowning Glory her hat shop located next door to gown designer Ambrose "Bo" Jackson in Louisiana.

Missy and Bo have been hired to outfit bride to be Trinity whose wedding is being held at the Morningside Plantation. Delighted to be spending the weekend together at the stately mansion, Missy is shocked to discover that the home might actually be haunted by the ghost of a Confederate soldier. When the bride is found murdered on the morning of her wedding nobody, not even her father, groom to be or bridesmaids seem overly distraught. The only one who seems to care is Trinity's mother Ivy, who happens to be an old family friend and Missy agrees to try and uncover her daughter's killer.

With a huge cast of suspects to choose from including the plantation workers and even Trinity's own fiancé, Missy enlists the help of her kindergarten chum Lance LaPorta who is now a police detective. In the midst of her investigation Missy also volunteers her and Ambrose to run the last minute church fashion show.

While I did enjoy this mystery, for me the vibe of the book was a little strange. Missy is described as a thirty something but her mannerisms seem to be that of a much older Southern belle. A few of the characters attend the local university but parts of the descriptions make it seem as though the story is set in an earlier time period. Missy admits that she has feelings for Bo and is hoping that something will develop romantically between the two, but sparks also seemed to fly between her Lance. I am despising the thought of another cozy series with the dreaded love triangle, so hoping that when the next installment comes out and the setting is another Louisiana plantation that it is out of Lance's jurisdiction.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review, I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.