On Flashback Fridays I will share with you the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
I Spotlighted this book back in February.
It finally reached the top of my To-Be-Read stack.
Up North Murder: Up North Michigan Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Mystery
Setting – Michigan
CT Communications (October 2, 2016)
Paperback: 226 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0998212203
Kindle ASIN: B01LY1XJ42
A phone call can change your life forever…
Abigail Williams gets that phone call. Gordon Dorsey, Abby’s uncle and last living relative has drowned in the lake on his property, and Abby is his sole heir.
There are a few complications, however.
Abby’s inheritance is a trout farm in Michigan, but she’s a city girl from Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Abby doesn’t believe the official story of her uncle’s death.
And the biggest complication… the four-legged furry owner of the farm who seems to have her own ideas about how things should be run.
Culture shock is the least of her worries.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Abigail Williams leaves Arizona for Upper Michigan after she receives word that her uncle, Gordon Dorsey, has passed away. She doesn’t get many details, just that her last living relative has drowned. A terrible accident. They had mainly remained in contact by cards and letters and she knows he retired to a farm but she didn’t realize it was a TROUT FARM complete with a young caretaker and a very special canine. Not long after she arrives she starts to think her uncle’s death may not have been an accident. Now she just has to prove it!
I was drawn in by Abigail Williams immediately. She jumped right into her inheritance with both feet, willing to learn everything she could about the farm and the business her uncle had created. Her uncle left her the place not just because she was his only surviving relative but because he believed she was a country girl at heart. Could he be right? Could she be happy in a place with spotty cell service, no Starbucks, miles to a store of any kind? She had time to figure that out but first she needs to know if her uncle really was murdered and who would have killed him. I enjoyed the way she did her investigation. She jumped right into that as well.
The author does an excellent job of setting the scene. It was super easy to picture the lake, the house, the barn, and the land in my mind. I was traipsing right along with Abigail for every step. I learned a bit about trout farming too.
The story was very well written, the characters well drawn and authentic. The dialogue was genuine. The story had a slow build as Abby came up with several suspects and motives. As she worked to eliminate them the pace picked up. While the actual killer was one of my top suspects the climatic ending was surprising and scary.
I am so excited to know this is going to be a series. I just wish the next story was already available because the ending of this book had me rushing to Amazon to see if it was available. I would have purchased it right away.
This is a great start for this series.
About The Author
Cheryl Taylor was raised in northeastern Michigan and pursued a degree in agriculture communications from Michigan State University. In 1986, Taylor moved to Arizona where she worked in publishing and advertising in the livestock industry, then eventually moving into teaching in 1998 after receiving a masters in education from Northern Arizona University.
“Gone to Ground
In addition, Taylor is working on several cozy mystery series, including the Up North Michigan series, which takes place on a trout farm in the northeastern part of the state where she was raised, and the Rock Shop mystery series, which takes place in northern Arizona.
Taylor currently resides in northern Arizona with her family of horses, cattle, dogs and birds.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
