A Hush at Midnight (by Marlene M. Bell)
A Hush at Midnight by Marlene M. Bell is a thrilling murder mystery that takes place on a historic estate in Texas. Laura Harris, a former celebrity chef, recently moved to Texas to help her friend improve her pastry business. This move allows her to be closer to her father and reconnect with her elderly friend and mentor, Hattie Stenburg. But tragedy strikes when Hattie is murdered shortly after her visit, and Laura becomes the prime suspect.
Laura is determined to solve her friend Hattie’s murder, but it seems like an uphill battle. The police aren’t convinced Hattie was murdered, someone is trying to sabotage her friend’s pastry business, and there’s someone leaving Laura threatening messages to get her to leave Texas. On top of that, Laura’s mom recently passed away, and her dad might have a new love interest. Laura’s love life is also facing some challenges.
This murder mystery has a lot going on, which kept me turning the pages. I liked a lot of the characters and was appropriately skeptical of the characters the author designed as potential suspects. I loved the setting of the historic estate with all of its charm and secrets. I was quite annoyed with the police department and their attitude towards Laura. Initially, it seemed a bit unrealistic that they would be so clueless and inadequate. I recently learned from an author event with Alafair Burke that she has to make the police seem incompetent to keep the story interesting. That made a lot of sense, and it gave me a different perspective while I finished this book.
I really enjoyed this murder mystery and appreciate receiving a copy of A Hush at Midnight courtesy of Marlene’s marketing expert in exchange for an honest review.
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