I have only become a mystery fan in the last three years but I am a fan of this author’s books under a different name. So I definitely wanted to check out Mildred’s cozy mysteries. This is the first time I’ve listened to this narrator and I thought she did very well. She is good at providing different voices for the characters and has a pleasant voice.
I really like the character of Fred. First I love her name, I always thought girls with boys names (shortened from Winifred) were cool. She is your average woman. She has been through some tough times as well as good. She doesn’t bemoan her life though. She just chalks it up to experience and moves on. Her description makes her sound like she’s not particularly skinny while not being really overweight. She seems comfortable in her own skin and I like that. She is definitely someone I felt like I could relate to.
The secondary characters are great and well written too. Fred just moved to the town that her mother and stepfather live in. They are a little eccentric and absent minded but are supportive and loving, too. I thought they were likable as well as her two gay uncles who own a shop in town, too. There is a baker who seems like she might become friends with Fred, a police officer that hates her and another that seems a little interested in her. It is an interesting little town for sure.
Fred’s dog, Watson, is also an important character in the series. The bookshop is going to be called The Cozy Corgi and the book series has the same name. I have never had a pet so I’m not a real big animal person. (I feel like I should be embarrassed about that.) I don’t always think to mention pets in book reviews but in this series Watson is relevant. Fred talks to him and probably considers him a partner of sorts. Most people can’t help but love the dog and if you have a treat in your hand, he might just like you back. I think as the story goes on he will remain pivotal.
The mystery in this book was interesting. After just about a day in her new home and business, Fred finds her shop neighbor murdered in the upper level of her own store. Immediately I had my suspicions of who did it, even though I had just met these characters, myself. Fred’s late dad was a detective and with her stepfather being a suspect, she begins to investigate. There was a time or two where my original suspicion faltered and I wondered about what was happening especially when another murder takes place in a nearby town. And though, my original guess of whodunnit was correct, I liked seeing Fred work through the investigating and finding out the motive/reason for the murder. There seems to be a few persons of interest in terms of Fred’s love life and I look forward to seeing her caring and quirky family again. It was an enjoyable story and a great beginning to the series. I can’t wait to read or listen to more of them.