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hugbandit7's review
3.0
I was surprised at the ending of this book, did not expect those turn of events.
The characters were ok, maybe not as developed as I would have liked, but this is a first book and it can only go up from there.
The characters were ok, maybe not as developed as I would have liked, but this is a first book and it can only go up from there.
bookniffler's review
2.0
I was provided with a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.
I was hoping for a mystery to keep me on the edge of my seat. Sadly, this did not fit the bill. The main character is Maggie Dove, a late middle aged Sunday school teacher. Her sleuthing abilities, while adventurous for a person with a seemingly otherwise boring life, were not very well portrayed. She jumped from one conclusion to the next and the townspeople didn't ever seem bothered to answer her meddling questions. I felt that a lot of the involved characters lacked depth. Much is made of the chief of police's background, but it is never really explored. It could have made for a very interesting avenue in the story. I didn't like that the ending seemed so tidy when there was so much suspicion and bad sentiment between the characters without any real resolution.
I was hoping for a mystery to keep me on the edge of my seat. Sadly, this did not fit the bill. The main character is Maggie Dove, a late middle aged Sunday school teacher. Her sleuthing abilities, while adventurous for a person with a seemingly otherwise boring life, were not very well portrayed. She jumped from one conclusion to the next and the townspeople didn't ever seem bothered to answer her meddling questions. I felt that a lot of the involved characters lacked depth. Much is made of the chief of police's background, but it is never really explored. It could have made for a very interesting avenue in the story. I didn't like that the ending seemed so tidy when there was so much suspicion and bad sentiment between the characters without any real resolution.
robinellen149's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book. A number of reviewers disliked Maggie calling her things like judgmental, preachy, proper, righteous, annoying, prudish, etc. I enjoyed Maggie from the start because she seemed like a “real” human being. She was a woman of faith who struggled with her imperfections. She was trying hard to be caring and accepting and also struggling with the situations where that was a challenge. I identified with and admired that and found it refreshing in a character. (I am a person “of faith” but I don't attend church.) Yes, there is a lot of time spend on her losses, but that was part if the story - where she was in life at the time, how it impacted her relationships, etc. - and plays a role at changes that begin at the end. I didn't read this as a “Christian” mystery. Sure, the church is a big part of her life. But that is part of the definition of who she is just like any other prime character in a mystery could be described by their primary interests and motivations – whether art, bird watching etc. I did not have any sense that the role of the church in the story was to give the reader a morality message other than the importance of love and community and, even then, that didn't come across as a “message” as much as just the setting of this story.
a_wondrous_bookshelf's review
2.0
I love cozy mysteries, however, Maggie Dove did not do it for me. There were several things I didn't care about this novel. The characters were a bit outdated. I felt this novel was written for an older crowd. I also didn't really care for the character of Maggie. She was a Sunday school teacher, so at times, she sounded very judgmental and preachy for my taste. Overall, this is an easy read and the mystery is not that predictable. It just wasn't what I was expecting.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
lisanne624's review
2.0
Maggie Dove is a Sunday school teacher who lives in the Hudson Valley. She is a widow who lost her only child, Juliet, in a car accident 20 years before. Her professor husband left her well-provided for and she is also still receiving royalties from some mystery novels she wrote a while ago. She is something of a surrogate mother to the policeman Peter, who was her daughter's boyfriend. Peter's life, as well as Maggie's, has basically been on hold since Juliet's death. The book opens with Maggie in conflict with her neighbor, Marcus Bender. Maggie's beloved tree, planted by her father, is blocking Bender's view of the river, and he insists it has to go. This has led to a frosty relationship between the neighbors. It comes as a shock when Bender is found dead under Maggie's tree. At first everyone assumes it was a natural death, but it soon is discovered that Bender was poisoned.
Maggie frequently visits her lifelong friend Winifred, who is suffering from Parkinson's Disease and lives in a nursing home. While Maggie struggles with her lingering grief over her daughter and worry about a killer being on the loose, another death hits close to home. While Maggie tries to figure out if there is a connection between the two deaths, she has to deal with Peter spiraling out of control.
I sort of felt that the identity of the killer was pretty obvious from the beginning, even if the motives took a while to be revealed. I was also confused about Maggie's name. Sometimes she's called Maggie, sometimes Dove and sometimes Maggie Dove. It turns out Dove was her married last name. So why some of her closest friends would call her by her last name was a mystery that was never explained. Other than that, the book was a pretty general mystery. I wasn't that interested in the characters or the resolution of the case, but it was a pleasant enough story.
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for this review.
Maggie frequently visits her lifelong friend Winifred, who is suffering from Parkinson's Disease and lives in a nursing home. While Maggie struggles with her lingering grief over her daughter and worry about a killer being on the loose, another death hits close to home. While Maggie tries to figure out if there is a connection between the two deaths, she has to deal with Peter spiraling out of control.
I sort of felt that the identity of the killer was pretty obvious from the beginning, even if the motives took a while to be revealed. I was also confused about Maggie's name. Sometimes she's called Maggie, sometimes Dove and sometimes Maggie Dove. It turns out Dove was her married last name. So why some of her closest friends would call her by her last name was a mystery that was never explained. Other than that, the book was a pretty general mystery. I wasn't that interested in the characters or the resolution of the case, but it was a pleasant enough story.
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for this review.
longtimereader's review
5.0
Many of us have had a bad neighbor. Well, Maggie Dove had one she can't stand. He hates her favorite oak tree, the man just doesn't get it!
Bender is dead, the neighbor she can't stand, and he is dead, under her favorite tree! Oh joy, or not so much joy? Maggie is a Sunday School Teacher, but it's not easy to forgive, and bless her heart, Maggie can be pretty judgmental. All that is about to change, but in what ways? It's not exactly loving your neighbor to hate the guy and then have him dead on your lawn.
Before her life changed so much, she was a mystery writer. That was before the losses in her life. When Bender's death isn't so natural after all, it's time to solve the mystery, because the body count is rising.
This was a fantastic cozy mystery! I LOVED IT! It has Christian themes and it's a good read. I want more please!
My copy came from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review and nothing more, and my thanks to Alibi for this great read.
Bender is dead, the neighbor she can't stand, and he is dead, under her favorite tree! Oh joy, or not so much joy? Maggie is a Sunday School Teacher, but it's not easy to forgive, and bless her heart, Maggie can be pretty judgmental. All that is about to change, but in what ways? It's not exactly loving your neighbor to hate the guy and then have him dead on your lawn.
Before her life changed so much, she was a mystery writer. That was before the losses in her life. When Bender's death isn't so natural after all, it's time to solve the mystery, because the body count is rising.
This was a fantastic cozy mystery! I LOVED IT! It has Christian themes and it's a good read. I want more please!
My copy came from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review and nothing more, and my thanks to Alibi for this great read.
mistysbookspace's review
fast-paced
3.5
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ecopy of this book as part of this blog tour. When I read the synopsis for this book I thought it sounded like something I could end up liking. I then saw it was a cozy mystery which made me a little skeptical. Here's the thing I have only read a handful of cozy mysteries and I've only liked the ones by one specific author and they are all in one series. So after agreeing to review this one I was worried going into it but I ended up liking it in the end. The author hooked me and made me want to find out who dun it which I ended up being able to guess probably about halfway through but there were some surprises thrown in there. It was a little heavy on the religious themes but for me personally that didn't bother me. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and the I found the main character Maggie Dove to be very Judgmental and hard to like at first. The plot of this book is what kept me reading. This sounds like the start of a series and I could see my self reading more books in the series but I wouldn't be in any hurry to get to them. Overall this was a quick easy read that I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would.
karmakat's review
2.0
I received a copy of this for free through Random House's Monthly Mystery Chatterbox program.
This is marketed as a cozy mystery, but it is about the darkest cozy I have ever read. The entire book is very brooding. I had a hard time finding any sympathy for the main character, Maggie. A devout Sunday school teacher, she is also quite judgmental and even mean at times. Yes, her general demeanor is related to the death of her daughter, but honestly after the third or fourth time that is brought up and dissected to death, I was over hearing about it. The book also has a very strong Christian theme to it and I grew tired of being preached at. The mystery itself is okay. Not fabulous, but not the worst I've read. But between the unlikable main character and the overly religious aspect, I will not pick up another book by her.
This is marketed as a cozy mystery, but it is about the darkest cozy I have ever read. The entire book is very brooding. I had a hard time finding any sympathy for the main character, Maggie. A devout Sunday school teacher, she is also quite judgmental and even mean at times. Yes, her general demeanor is related to the death of her daughter, but honestly after the third or fourth time that is brought up and dissected to death, I was over hearing about it. The book also has a very strong Christian theme to it and I grew tired of being preached at. The mystery itself is okay. Not fabulous, but not the worst I've read. But between the unlikable main character and the overly religious aspect, I will not pick up another book by her.
theficster's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book from #randomhouse #chatterbox #netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a nice cozy mystery with a religious angle. The main character has been a Sunday School Teacher for years. I did not find the characters to be particular sympathetic. If you like cozy mysteries I am sure that you would enjoy this one.
ladybex's review
2.0
I received this book free from House Party. I really wanted to like this book because I love mysteries. I had a hard time relating to the characters and the plot was slow and took a while to get anywhere.
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