MURDER IN THE MASTER

A gruesome discovery turns a Maryland realtor into a sleuth in Murray’s series-starting mystery.

Realtor and detective-story enthusiast Helen Morrisey finds herself in a quandary when she discovers a body in the bedroom of a property she’s showing to clients: “One glance at the bluish cast around his lips and the vacant, staring eyes” and Helen knows the corpse is that of “top dog” housing developer Al Capelli. What makes it even more upsetting is that Helen knows that her best friend and fellow realtor, Susan Edwards, was having an affair with the dead man, who was married. Helen puts her love of whodunits featuring such sleuths as Jane Marple, Trixie Belden, and Nancy Drew to good use as she agrees to assist “rather hunky” detective Joe McAlister in solving the case. Though she’s attracted to Joe, recent widow Helen is set on remaining true to her inner Jessica Fletcher: “Sensible, methodical….Not interested in romance.” Yet the two find a deep connection while hunting for clues. After Helen and Joe uncover nefarious business practices, a suspicious car accident leads to another death and Helen becomes a target herself. This is a solid debut mystery with plenty of romance, surprises, and a climax that’s quite the cliffhanger. Murray’s vivid prose captures the details of the idyllic setting of Port Anne, Maryland: “Striped buoys and nautical flags flapped in the sunshine….[T]he smells of crab cakes and rockfish reminded the hungry this was still a real water town.” It also details the beauty of the surrounding Chesapeake, as when a sunset “turn[s] tips of waves into tiny stars.” But Murray’s greatest accomplishment is her Twizzler-chomping citizen detective whose devotion to fictional female investigators guides her through her own adventures.

A strong debut whodunit with a memorable main character.