Book (not) Bingo #30
Back in Black by Julie Mulhern
When Ellison's friend Kay Morrison visits Kansas City from New York, there are certain women who turn green with envy. After all, Kay works in the fashion industry, she actually attended the Battle of Versailles, and her clothes are to die for.
But Ellison is happy to host a luncheon for her oh-so-chic friend. Too bad murder crashes the party.
Ellison is immediately drawn into two investigations. One, the murder. The second, a cruel theft.
With friends as suspects and two funerals to plan, Ellison's mood is black. And, if she's not careful, the next funeral she attends may be her own.
Back in Black is the most recent entry in one of my favorite cozy mystery series. Since it’s the eighteenth book, it’s a bit difficult to write a review without giving spoilers for earlier stories, so you should consider this to be primarily a review of the series rather than the particular book.
The series, which is called The Country Club Murders, takes place in the early 1970s in Kansas City - not exactly a location most Americans would think of in conjunction with high society and inherited money. Unlike the many cozy mysteries that are set in small, picturesque towns, though, “place” isn’t too important in these books. There’s only enough scene description to give an impression of the surroundings and important plot elements. The stories could happen anywhere … at least anywhere where there’s a country club and an upscale segment of town populated by doctors, lawyers and other well-to-do people, often people “born into” money.
The main character, Ellison, is a talented artist in a time and social setting where women are largely expected to be “decorative” and subservient to their husbands, which is one of the reasons her first marriage fell apart. Her husband couldn’t deal with the fact that her “hobby” turned into a career so successful that she was earning more than he was.
Ellison is a member of the well-off country club set, but (unlike many other members of that group) she’s neither a social climber or a snob. She’s probably as down-to-earth as it’s possible to be when you’ve been born into the upper echelons of your society and rigidly trained in the behavior expected of members of that society. She also, much to the dismay (and outrage) of her very cultured and socially correct mother, has a habit of finding the bodies of murder victims and becoming (sometimes) unintentionally involved in criminal investigations.
The series is actually a lot more fun than I’m making it sound. Julie Mulhern is an excellent writer. She has a knack for creating interesting, compelling characters and complex but believable mysteries. There are always enough plot twists and viable suspects to keep the reader guessing until the end. And, as I mentioned, the writing is excellent.
Ellison has some quirky friends and close (if sometimes trying) family members who appear regularly in the series, but there are always a batch of new and intriguing characters with each new mystery. There’s a romance that develops slowly and deeply, after the first book in which her cheating husband is murdered and she’s a suspect. There’s also quite a lot of subtle (and occasionally less subtle) humor … such as Ellison’s frequent conversations with one of the most important men in her life, her Mr Coffee machine. Ellison has a serious coffee addiction.
Anyway, as usual with the series, I enjoyed Back in Black very much. The characters were well-drawn and the plot believable. I thought the ending was a little more rushed than usual, but overall it was a very good read and well worth the price and the time.
Again, I don’t want to give too many details which might spoil earlier books for anyone interested in trying the series. And I do recommend anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries to at least give it a try … but starting with the first book, not the eighteenth. The first book (The Deep End) is available on Kindle for only about three dollars.