Murder in Myrtle Bay by Isobel Blackthorn

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Myrtle-Ruth-Finlay-Mysteries/dp/4824144493
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62210711-murder-in-myrtle-bay
Genre: Cosy Mystery
Print length: 288 pages (83K words)
Age range: This is an adult book, but would be suitable for young adults
Trigger warnings: like the packet of peanuts that may contain nuts, this book may contain a murder…
Amazon Rating: 4.5*

ABOUT MURDER IN MYRTLE BAY

When feature writer Ruth Finlay and her elderly neighbor Doris Cleaver visit an antique and collectibles market in the small town of Myrtle Bay, they get a lot more than they bargained for.

After Ruth’s old tennis coach is found dead, they discover that there’s no lack of people who harbor a grudge against the victim, and a tangled web of family ties and lies begins to unravel. But can Ruth and Doris find the killer in time to avert a second murder?

A quirky feel-good mystery laced with intrigue, Murder in Myrtle Bay is the first book in Isobel Blackthorn’s ‘Ruth Finlay Mysteries’ series. Set in small town Australia, it is a sure pick for any fan of classic whodunits and cozy mysteries!

PRAISE FOR MURDER IN MYRTLE BAY

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ms Blackthorn’s ability to put the reader into the story – into the landscape, the buildings her characters inhabit or visit, like the antiques market, the bakery, the nursing home – keeps the reader captivated.

I loved the the road Ruth and Doris travelled to finally unmask the murderer. Doris knew from the beginning the person she loathed most in the world, was involved. I loved how surprised they were, as well as the reader, when the culprit was revealed. Amazon review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m usually pretty good at working out whodunnit, but the author had me baffled with this one, and kept me guessing to the end in real Christieesque fashion. An excellent read, and a new lead character worth following. 5 stars without hesitation from me. Goodreads review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The mystery behind the murder kept me guessing till the end. Suspects were plenty and so were red herrings. The events that finally lead to Ruth and Doris coming face-to-face with the killer was no less than a nail-biting scene. Speaking of killer, their identity and the reason for murder was a huge shocker. Unexpected. Goodreads review

My Thoughts

Murder at Myrtle Bay (South Wales, Australia) is the first of this cozy mystery series. Protagonists are two opposite in temperament women, neighbors who are extremely nosy of anyone and strive at all times to have a unique story or reason why they are always snooping.

In this case, Ruth Findlay and neighbor Doris Cleaver go to an antique mall, The Factory, to find the Tupperware cover that Doris is looking for. They get separated from each other and all of a sudden they find a dead body in the form of Doris's old tennis coach.

As in any small town, it thrives on gossip and secrets and the two women want to find out how the man was killed and why. Some of the residents of the town want to talk and others not, so Ruth and Doris must take things slow to find the culprit. They sift through suspects, who was at the antique mall and what were they doing there?

The Factory has a story all its own with an interesting history all of its own. Ruth is a journalist and wants to dig into the history of the factory and write an article. Not everyone wants to talk about it but Ruth's father tells an interesting story of the factory and gives Ruth lots to work with, from the history of the factory to the people that worked there and the secrets it holds.

I have read Isobel Blackthorn's books before and I do so enjoy her writing, no secrets are given until the end of the story which I like as who wants to know the ending until they need to?

Written with details that a person from a small town could understand. Enough suspense to keep the reader entertained and colorful people as protagonists. I had a few chuckles at Doris, I could just picture her from the descriptions of her, her colorful language and clothing.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in starting a cozy mystery. I give it 5 stars!

I received a copy of this book for review purposes only.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of unique and engaging fiction. She writes gripping mysteries, historical fiction, and dark psychological thrillers. Her Canary Islands collection begins with The Drago Tree and includes A Matter of Latitude, Clarissa’s Warning, and A Prison in the Sun. Her interest in the occult is explored in The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel by Alice A. Bailey and the dark mystery A Perfect Square.

Her dark thriller The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018. Isobel’s biographical short story ‘Nothing to Declare’ which forms the first chapter of Emma’s Tapestry was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. A Prison in the Sun was shortlisted in the LGBTQ category of the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2020 and the International Book Awards 2021. And The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.

Isobel writes non fiction too. She is the author of the world’s only biography of Theosophist and mother of the New Age movement Alice Bailey – Alice A. Bailey: Life & Legacy.

Isobel’s first work, which she wrote in 2008, is Voltaire’s Garden. This memoir is set in the mid 2000s and tells the story of building a sustainable lifestyle B&B in Cobargo on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, which gained international attention when a firestorm razed the idyllic historic village on New Year’s Eve 2019.

Isobel’s writing appears in journals and websites around the world, including Esoteric Quarterly, New Dawn Magazine, Paranoia, Mused Literary Review, Trip Fiction, Backhand Stories, Fictive Dream and On Line Opinion. Isobel was a judge for the Shadow Awards 2020 long fiction category. Her book reviews have appeared in New Dawn Magazine, Esoteric Quarterly, Shiny New Books, Sisters in Crime, Australian Women Writers, Trip Fiction and Newtown Review of Books.

Isobel’s interests are many and varied. She has a long-standing association with the Canary Islands, having lived in Lanzarote in the late 1980s. A humanitarian and campaigner for social justice, in 1999 Isobel founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a relatively privileged state school located in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in a remote part of the Upper Volta region of Ghana, West Africa.

Isobel has a background in Western Esotericism. She holds 1st Class Honours in Social Studies, and a PhD from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking research on the works of Alice A. Bailey. After working as a teacher, market trader and PA to a literary agent, she arrived at writing in her forties, and her stories are as diverse and intriguing as her life has been.

Isobel has performed her literary works at events in a range of settings and given workshops in creative writing.

British by birth, Isobel entered this world in Farnborough, Kent, She has lived in England, Australia, Spain and the Canary Islands.