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A review by not_another_ana
Murder By Candlelight by Faith Martin
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher
After writing a book about ghosts and hauntings young Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift is now considered an expert on the subject, even thought he's never seen a ghost and he wrote the book on a bet, so it's no surprise that people wish to consult him about the supernatural. When Miss Amy Phelps, a serious woman and a pillar of the community, asks for his help with a supposedly troubled spirit of an ancestor he's surprised and suspects that something else might be afoot, only to be proven right when Miss Phelps dies under suspicious circumstances in a closed room. Who could have done this? Everyone had a motive, but not really opportunity. Now, Arbie must find the connection between this murder and the ghost, before someone else pays the price.
This was a nice cozy mystery. It had all the elements you could possibly want: A little town, a murder most foul, a locked room, rich people fighting over inheritance, memorable suspects, and red herrings galore. I liked the characters and specially enjoyed the way this was written. The use of period appropriate terms and slang in an effortless manner helped keep me immersed in the story. It was charming and a little funny, campy even.
I did find it a bit slow. The murder doesn't occur until 40% or so and it picks up quite slow. The book also jumps between multiple POVs all the time in a way I found messy. While I liked the murder I think it wasn't that hard to solve and I did feel a tiny bit cheated with some of the clues being more of an off stage thing.
After writing a book about ghosts and hauntings young Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift is now considered an expert on the subject, even thought he's never seen a ghost and he wrote the book on a bet, so it's no surprise that people wish to consult him about the supernatural. When Miss Amy Phelps, a serious woman and a pillar of the community, asks for his help with a supposedly troubled spirit of an ancestor he's surprised and suspects that something else might be afoot, only to be proven right when Miss Phelps dies under suspicious circumstances in a closed room. Who could have done this? Everyone had a motive, but not really opportunity. Now, Arbie must find the connection between this murder and the ghost, before someone else pays the price.
This was a nice cozy mystery. It had all the elements you could possibly want: A little town, a murder most foul, a locked room, rich people fighting over inheritance, memorable suspects, and red herrings galore. I liked the characters and specially enjoyed the way this was written. The use of period appropriate terms and slang in an effortless manner helped keep me immersed in the story. It was charming and a little funny, campy even.
I did find it a bit slow. The murder doesn't occur until 40% or so and it picks up quite slow. The book also jumps between multiple POVs all the time in a way I found messy. While I liked the murder I think it wasn't that hard to solve and I did feel a tiny bit cheated with some of the clues being more of an off stage thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder