Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Review: Murder at Barclay Meadow: A Mystery by Wendy Sand Eckel







  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • Print Length: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 28 2015)
  • Sold by: Macmillan CA
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00S56PTFM



Book Description

 A delightful cozy debut featuring Rosalie Hart—an endearing, bread-baking heroine—and a supporting cast of highly original small-town characters on the Eastern Shore of Maryland

Rosalie Hart’s world has been upended. After her husband confesses to an affair, she exiles herself to her late aunt’s farmhouse on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. With its fields untended and the house itself in disrepair, Barclay Meadow couldn’t be more different than the tidy D.C. suburb she used to call home. Just when Rosalie feels convinced things couldn’t get any worse, she finds a body floating in her marsh grasses. When the sheriff declares the death an accident, she becomes suspicious. The dead girl, Megan, reminds her of her own daughter, and she feels a responsibility to find out the truth.

Rosalie confides her doubts to her friends in her creative writing class, and they ask to join her investigation, beginning the search in earnest. Meanwhile, Rosalie works on restoring Barclay Meadow to its former glory—with help from the rugged Tyler Wells, a farmer who once leased the land. When Rosalie discovers her aunt’s favorite bread recipe on a yellowed index card, she begins baking, and with her deep love for nourishing others rekindled, she starts to feel alive again. But as she zeroes in on the truth about what happened to Megan, she begins getting ominous threats. Determined to get justice for Megan and protect the new home she’s begun to build for herself, Rosalie races to catch the killer in this deftly plotted and heartwarming debut perfect for fans of Jessica Beck and Carolyn Hart.


About the Author

 WENDY SAND ECKEL lives in Annapolis, Maryland, where she enjoys her family, multiple pets, and life on the water. Murder at Barclay Meadow is her first novel. Connect with Wendy online on Facebook.

My Review

A book for fans of Jessica Beck and Carolyn Hart....I'm in!  Murder at Barclay Meadow is a mystery by new-to-me author Wendy Sand Eckel.

Right off the bat I liked the setting of Maryland's Eastern Shore. This is not a location that I've ever been to or read much about so I loved learning about the area. Rosalie, as well as the rest of the characters in the book, are very believable. I like Rosalie. She is the type of person I would enjoy spending time with.

I found the book to be very enjoyable and interesting. Rosalie's husband has left her for a younger woman. Rosalie, who has striven to be his perfect wife and hostess, retreats to her late aunt's farmhouse. I love the presumptuousness of Rosalie's husband. I'm divorcing you but this is our farm...It's not really a convenient time for me to divorce you...oh, now it is. Since you are not here, I've moved my girlfriend into the house...

Rosalie's college age daughter wants her parents to be back together and have nothing change. It is all so hard for children, no matter what their age is. But Rosalie has begun a new life. She has a dishy handyman around the farm. She has some childhood friends she is reconnecting with. She is baking bread and selling it locally. She is getting involved and being needed.  And most of all, she has made some new friends in a creative writing class who are helping her solve a mystery. Using Facebook. The author Eckel has done a great job of incorporating current social media into the story.

Great read! Loved the ending. Be sure to pick up a copy when it is available in July! Looking forward to Eckel's next book already!


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