Puss Reboots: Blog: December 2022: Guidebook to Murder

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Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon and Susan Boyce (Narrator)
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
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November 2022 Summary

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Guidebook to Murder: 12/03/22

Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon and Susan Boyce (Narrator) (2014) is the start of the Tourist Trap mystery series. Jill Gardner's elderly friend Emily is being forced out of her home with an impossible deadline to fix up her house. Before Jill can get her help, she finds Emily deceased in bed. While the authorities want to call it natural causes, Jill is certain her friend was murdered.

Emily's death opens up Jill to a whole new range of responsibilities. She has inherited Emily's house and all the must fix orders, along with the impossible deadline. Meanwhile her friend at City Hall has gone missing.

I really liked how the various mysteries: the murder, the identity of a mysterious lawyer, and the missing friend were all tied to Emily's house. Although the town is fictional I did like how it had a believable sense of place and a good understanding of California history as both are highly relevant to solving the mysteries.

The second book in the series is Mission to Murder (2014) which follows on some of the plot threads left open in this novel.

Five stars