Book 43, 2020

[chez_jae]

Hickory Dickory Dead by Cheryl Bradshaw

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I just finished reading Hickory Dickory Dead by Cheryl Bradshaw. This is the first book in the "Maisie Fezziwig" series, featuring Maisie, retired medical examiner, widow, and neighborhood busybody.

After hearing a woman scream in the middle of the night, Maisie grabs her gun and goes to check on her neighbors. She doesn't find anything amiss, but the next morning, she hears a baby crying next door and breaks into the young couple's house. There, she finds a frantic baby, a murdered husband, and a missing wife. Bored in retirement, Maisie begins looking into the crime, much to the chagrin of local police, her sister, and the widower across the street. Maisie's sleuthing turns up clues the police had missed, and as she follows the trail of connections between seemingly unrelated crimes, Maisie is not only one step ahead of the police, she has also landed herself in a killer's crosshairs.

First of all, I thought this would be a cozy mystery. I mean, what could be more cozy that a senior sleuth who has an eye for gents much younger than herself? It was not cozy. The crimes committed within the story were dark, as were the prior acts committed that led to the current situation. It was dark and twisted, but the story was so compelling that I had difficulty putting it down. I had to know how it unfolded! Maisie is a wonderful character, brash and vulnerable in equal measures. The plot careened along at a breakneck pace (kind of how Maisie drives!), and I was fully invested in the solution.

Favorite line: "If brains were lard, he'd be hard pressed to grease the pan."

Not what I expected, but a darned good read. Five stars!