Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Murder Most Lovely
SERIES: Lacetown Murder Mysteries #1
AUTHOR: Hank Edwards & Deanna Wadsworth
PUBLISHER: Edwards Wadsworth
LENGTH: 296 pages
RE-RELEASE DATE:June 13, 2022
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2019
BLURB:
Murder Most Lovely: Case One
A killer at a small-town literary festival. Bumbling drug dealers. A kidnapped cat. Starting a romance among all this chaos might be the death of them.
Michael Fleishman is excited to meet his favorite mystery writer, Russell Withingham, at Lacetown’s Literary Fest. He is not expecting to cross paths with sexy hairdresser Jasper “Jazz” Dilworth―or become embroiled in a real-life mystery. As Lacetown’s only mortician and the county coroner, Michael is called to his first murder scene and is shocked to recognize the victim―Russell’s young lover.
Jazz only wanted to confront his ex, Russell, over his cheating. Instead, he meets the adorably awkward Michael and becomes a murder suspect. Soon Jazz is teaming up with Michael to clear his name. Along the way, they are helped and hindered by Michael’s sassy assistant, Kitty, the grumpy Sheriff Musgrave, Russell’s creepy PR rep, Norbert, and Michael’s lothario grandfather, who likes his manhattans strong and his women saucy. And of course, Mr. Pickles Furryton the Third….
REVIEW:
Michael is beyond excited to get his favorite books signed by the author, Russell Withingham. While fanboying, he gets sidetracked when Russell’s gorgeous soon-to-be ex-husband, Jazz, joins the line with ulterior motives than autographs. Later, the author’s boyfriend (not husband) turns up on a beach minus his hands. Michael’s technical skills as a coroner and funeral home director are needed to help solve the case.
Murder Most Lovely is a tale where there was much to like, and I found it entertaining. However, there was an x-element missing that I’m finding difficult to find the words to describe.
The story is told in the third person from multiple viewpoints. Here I think a little more sleuthing and fewer viewpoints would have been better. The different voices effectively leaked the secrets of the story diluting its mystery and depth. Worldbuilding is extensive, which some readers will absolutely adore. Others may find it a touch over detailed as, given the manuscript’s length, a few areas could have been omitted without affecting the story, increasing its punch. E.g. It wasn’t necessary to know why an umbrella was needed other than it was raining.
As I said earlier, there is much to like. Older gentlemen are the main protagonists. Michael is delightfully shy and old-fashioned. Given his profession, members of the public treat him differently, and here I truly felt for him. Kudos to the authors for tapping into this rarely utilized area. Jazz is a hairdresser with all the flair and sass that the role requires and is the perfect, open-minded other half for Michael. Special mention to Kitty, Michael’s snarky assistant, and his retired grandpa, who has a lifetime of cutting remarks that will shrivel any smartarse. Neither have much airtime, but both were awesome. As for Mr. Pickles Furryton the Third – he’s as fickle with his reactions as many cats and adorable.
The blurb says that Michael and Jazz get embroiled in a mystery, and they do. It’s a case of right time right place/right time wrong place, rather than sleuthing. But for some reason, I expected more… of what I’m not quite sure. Lots of good entertainment, but nothing really set me alight hence the rating of three hearts, which is a good book.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: