Murder on Charity Lane, by Jo Nichols (REVIEW) — Love... and Murder(!) Are in the Air, at the Marigold Cottages

 Most of us, when moving into a new home, have a couple of wishes when it comes to our neighbors. 

We hope they’re easygoing—friendly enough to wave and say hello to (and happy to let us use their phone if we manage to lock both keys and cellphone in the car).

We also desperately hope they aren’t busybodies—peeping out their window making note of everything we do and every visitor (and reporting each nitpicky thing they find objectionable). 

But then there’s an anomaly like elderly Mrs. Golda Bakofsky—landlord-in-residence of the tiny Marigold Cottages—who is almost gleefully cheerful... and staying busy keeping tabs on every tenant on her small property like that was her job.

And in Murder on Charity Lane—Jo Nichols’ follow-up to last year’s delightful The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective (see review here)—she’s back in full-force... meddling, matchmaking, and, as these things happen, marshalling her troops to solve yet another murder.

 

 

Several months after resolving the problems surrounding the Marigold Cottages (namely, a couple of murders), things are mostly back to normal.

Oh, and also? Love is in the air.

Ex-con Anthony moved in with Lily-Ann. 

Mrs. B’s stepson Nicholas is getting cozy with Sophie. 

Agoraphobic Hamilton wants his neighbors to find him a kitten, so he’ll have his own little someone to love. 

But the biggest news is that Ocean has recently begun dating CJ—a younger woman from Mrs. B’s swim class—which pleases everyone, because long-suffering Ocean deserves some happiness.

Until, that is, everything goes wrong.

CJ’s elderly boss-and-mentor—a mega-rich music producer—dies after falling down a staircase at a dinner party he and his wife were hosting.

And the widow pins the blame squarely on CJ.

As the police’s prime suspect in what may have been a murder—plus being newly jobless and homeless—Mrs. B (of course) suggests that CJ move into the recently-vacated cottage.

And just like that, Mrs. B’s tiny community is once again the haven of a maybe-killer... with the combined forces of the Marigold Cottages Murder Collective dead-set on finding out the truth of what really happened. 

But while they’re chasing down evidence, asking questions, making deals, and doing research, there’s a second death—this one, unquestionably murder—of another elderly attendee of the same dinner party.

More than just finding out if CJ is innocent (or not), the neighbors understand they might all be caught in the midst of a deadly game... and like the last time they were in a similar situation, the only way to make it out alive will be to figure out the who, why, and how behind everything.

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Murder on Charity Lane is a solid sequel to the first book in the series.

That said, it isn’t absolutely necessary you read the first one, beforehand... although I recommend doing so, because it perfectly introduces the quirky cast of characters, while this second book shows their development.

The author [or authors, since this is actually a husband-and-wife writing team] has a good handle on crafting a charmingly diverting cozy— populated with funny, endearing (but ordinary) characters with a knack for finding themselves smack-dab in the middle of murder mysteries... yet always somehow managing to solve said predicaments by combining their own unique skills.

My advice? Pick this one up, find a suitably cozy chair to settle in with your favorite beverage (and maybe a happily snoozing cat or dog), and enjoy spending time with characters who feel like old (if somewhat eccentric) friends.
~GlamKitty

 

 

[Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own.]