Everybody Called Her a Saint by Cecil Murphey

I talk a lot about the advantages to being a reviewer on my blog, but there are a few disadvantages. One of them is TIME...time to research a book, or to read an entire series in order to get the full back story.

In the case of "Everybody Called Her a Saint", that disadvantage really showed it's not so attractive head. While the writing was crisp and detailed, I felt disconnected from the characters and the story.

Twila Belk is the kind of friend everyone wants and needs in their lives--generous, kind and loving. So who in the WORLD would want her dead? Twila booked a cruise for 48 of her dearest and most cherished friends...only to have one of them murder her while on board the ship.

It will be up to Julie West, psychologist and friend to Twila, and her ex-fiance Reverend James Burton to get to the bottom of this gruesome and heinous mystery. Can the two set aside their differences for the sake of the memory of their friend?

Or will love spurned get in the way and allow a killer to go free? The cast of characters and suspect pool is wide and varied in this pocket cozy mystery...and some of them are REAL characters, if you get my drift (no pun intended--yeah, right!).

Problem is, there is history between the two main characters that I missed by jumping into this book mid-series, and that can make or break a review. Setting my confusion aside, I can honestly tell you I plan on going back and making up for lost time.

I've read a lot of the Heartsong Presents Mysteries, and I haven't found a stinker in the bunch yet. Cecil Murphey is a talented author, and he obviously keeps tight threads running through his tales. The drama heightens the mystery rather than distracting from it.

I'm giving "Everybody Called Her a Saint" three out of five bookmarks, simply because I'm a bit disconnected from the story. But, as I said...that is quite possibly because I jumped in mid-ship....I mean, mid-STORY! But it has charm, and I'm giving it the golden spyglass as a charm.

Watch for more reviews on this author and his books coming soon!

Happy Reading!