Review of:  The Puccini Connection (A Milkwood Murder)

Sam Bond



Reviewed: September 8, 2020

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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