Effy and Agnes find a woman murdered on the back porch of the inn. A woman who they both had had words with the day before. They are the prime suspects in the case, though framed. And they are desperate to find someone else for the cops to blame.
They begin their somewhat inept investigation around the small town mostly on their own. They find quite a few people had reasons to kill the woman. It becomes a question of finding a motive and the killer from among their suspect pool as well as staying alive and out of jail long enough to get their man - or woman.
If you enjoy humorous mysteries, you will most likely enjoy this one. Both Agnes and Effy are good strong female characters and the rapport they share is funny. Agnes is reduced to living at home again now that her professor fiance has dumped her for a fitness instructor. She is wearing old clothes from high school that have seen better days and are a bit tight. But her brain is working on all four cylinders. Euphemia, aka Effie, has moved into the soon to be demolished Stagecoach Inn and is trying to get it a stay of execution. Effy has style and grace and is a chain-smoking fiend.
The mystery itself is a good one. The pool of suspects while wide narrows as a few of them bite the dust. The suspense and pace of the mystery are well done. I had fun trying to guess who had done the dastardly deed and why. I was still surprised in the end.
I give Bad Housekeeping 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good humorous mystery. And being first in a new series, I'm happy there will be more to look forward to.
The expected publication date for Bad Housekeeping is June 13, 2017 from Crooked Lane Books.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. This review is solely my opinion and freely given.
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