Book 60, 2024
A Spot of Earl Slay by Aubrey Elle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I just completed the ebook A Spot of Earl Slay by Aubrey Elle. Mostly because I couldn't stand to watch the Oilers getting slaughtered on home ice. This is the first book in the author's "Tea Time Troubles" series of cozy mysteries, starring newly-divorced Naomi Front.
Now that her divorce has been finalized, Naomi uproots with her teenage daughter, Ella, and moves to the small town of Fayette, where she's inherited a house from an uncle. Naomi is nervous and excited. She's thrilled to be out of the shadow of her disapproving husband and his high-handed family, but she's anxious about settling in with Ella. Naomi didn't expect to arrive at their destination and discover a dead body in the dilapidated shed in the yard. Now her property is a crime scene, and she's at her wit's end until the kindly neighbor women invite her and Ella over for a cup of tea. Meeting Barbara and Ingrid has been a godsend, as Ella takes to them immediately, and they offer Naomi and Ella the use of a guestroom until their own house gets sorted. As Barbara and Ingrid gossip about the victim and who may have wanted to kill her, Naomi gets sucked into the drama of investigating. The four of them put their heads together, sifting through motives in search of a killer.
This was a charming story. I liked Naomi's moxie and grit, and Ella was the perfect combination of vulnerability and teenage snark. Barbara and Ingrid were lovely, mothering figures who were also quite funny. In between bouts of brainstorming, Naomi was busy getting her new home to rights and interviewing for a job. Characterizations were wonderful, and the narrative moved at a good pace.
Favorite lines:
♦ "That's what friends are for--even newfound ones."
♦ "A nice pot of hot tea solves any spell of trouble life can throw at us."
Delightful, four stars.
1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? No, she takes a job at the school.
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No, the potential romantic interest also works at the school.
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? No, she has no pets
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No (NA)
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? No
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? Yes, Barbara and Ingrid
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) No