CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: The Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome Book Tour Guest Review!

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Published by: BQB Publishing
Publication Date: September 1st 2018
Number of Pages: 339
ISBN: 1945448202 (ISBN13: 9781945448201)
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

For tour guide Emily Ryder, the turning point came on that fatal early morning when her beloved mentor met an untimely death. It's labeled as an accident and Trooper Dave Roberts is more interested in Emily than in any suspicions over Chris Cooper's death. For Emily, if Chris hadn't been the Village Planner and the only man standing in the way of the development of an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint village of Lydfield, Connecticut, she might have believed it was an accident, but too many pieces didn't fit.
As Emily heads across the pond for a prescheduled tour of Lydfield's sister village, Lydfield-in-the-Moor, she discovers that the murderer may be closer than she thought.

Guest Review

Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome

Guest Review by Sally W.

Great book! I got so into reading it that I spent an entire day doing nothing else. The beautiful cover for this book pulled me in when I saw it and I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did because I loved it! What a world that Shelly Frome has created here and what an interesting and compelling cast of characters.

Emily Ryder is a great heroine. She was so direct and so complicated. I couldn't help but root for her as she tried to find out who killed her friend and solve the mystery behind his so-called “accident.” I really enjoyed Chris as a character and wanted to keep learning more about him. I'm sad that we only got to know about him after his death. Babs ended up being one of my favorite characters in the story by far. She was hilarious and I loved her energy and determination. I would love to be friends with her in real life.

This story was so refreshing as a mystery. I feel like the mystery genre as a whole has stagnated a lot lately but this book put all those others to shame. This story is fast-paced, intriguing and absorbing. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery story or just likes a great rainy-day read that makes you feel like you're using your brain. I really did not see the ending coming and was shocked that everything played out the way it did. I honestly hope that there is a sequel in the works just so I can get more of these characters. I loved this book! I'm really interested in reading any more books that Shelly Frome plans to put out. I hope there are more coming from him in this genre. I give it 5 stars.
Author Bio:

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Moon Games is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.