Local author’s murder mystery a great read

When local author Connie Chappell informed me that Black Rose Writing had recently published another book she had written, I promised I would buy it and give it a read. Last year, I read her novel “Wild Raspberries,” a book I wrongly judged as “not my cup of tea,” though I very much appreciated Chappell’s style and diction.

I assumed this book would follow a similar pattern and genre — not so. “Deadly Homecoming at Rosemont” is nothing short of a truly compelling murder mystery interlaced with humor, a very costly theft, and a mystery house that will make the reader anxious with anticipation.

Due no doubt to my age and sub-standard brain-function, it took me awhile to get straight on the characters: who was who, and how they were all related. I was introduced to a myriad of people, two crimes, a theft of ancient artifacts, and a murder in an old mansion, all committed in close temporal proximity.

I noticed written on the cover of this book it said “A Wrenn Grayson Mystery.” I immediately thought of Lisbeth Salander and the Millennium Series. If Chappell produces a similar series of Wrenn Greyson Mysteries, then I shall be on the reading list.

Once again, Chappell entertains with her command of the English language, as in her humorous figurative comparisons: “As if we shared the same axle, our heads lifted and froze,” “He looked down at me, almost pleasantly surprised, like I was a crockpot of chili that hadn’t spilled during transport.” And her insertion of seldom-used words such as armoire and mullioned I find delightful. I was on the edge of my seat at the conclusion of the book and did not want to put the book down until I found out what was going to happen.

Wrenn Grayson lives in Havens, Ohio. She is a historian with a connection to municipal government. She could be titled a sleuth, of sorts, but not officially. The way she pulls together a case with the most unlikely of tools leaves the reader appreciative of her investigative prowess.

I have said enough, but I want to encourage any readers who love detective and murder mysteries with the kind of strange twists that add to the suspense and mystery, then this is the book for you. A great read, Connie Chappell. Keep writing!

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