Review of: The Puccini Connection (A Milkwood Murder)
I was excited to read
this debut cozy mystery series as it combines the element of musical
appreciation with a fun contemporary whodunit, plus is set in the picturesque
English countryside - what could be better? I’m so glad this book grabbed my attention as
I wasn’t disappointed. The author has a gift for creating immersive settings
with richly described locales and examples of colloquial speech patterns that
were a total treat! I really felt like I
was right there in Milkwood with the protagonist, Josie, who was instantly
relatable as a newly-divorced piano teacher who returns to her native country
to attend her half-sister’s wedding. Of
course, her plans go awry after she discovers the body of her Aunt next to the
piano in the study and reconnects with family and friends from her past. I
enjoyed the snarky humor throughout the book but would have liked Josie to have
either displayed more shock/ grief at finding the body of her beloved aunt from
her childhood, or else have had her aunt’s true character (she wasn’t such a
nice person after all) more obvious from the beginning to explain the lack of
sympathy from Josie and the townsfolk. I also think that this book could really
have been split into 3 novels, as there are so many characters and a lot of
backstory (some of which wasn’t explained sufficiently, like the sudden
appearance of her mother’s long-lost sister). I would have actually liked to
have had some threads left hanging at the end. That being said, there was a
Cast of Characters at the beginning which was an extremely handy reference, and
some fun “extra’s” like local maps, links to classical music pieces, and fun
tidbits of information about the composer Puccini. I felt like I learned
something in addition to reading a good mystery! All in all, a fantastic debut
by a clearly talented and knowledgeable writer!
I look forward to seeing this series continue, and more from this author.
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