chez_jae

MURDER IN SECRET: A COURTHOUSE MYSTERY by Amy J Bryant

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I finished one book last night, then tucked into my latest e-book and finished it, too. It was Murder in Secret by Amy J Bryant, and it's the 3rd in the "Courthouse" mystery series starring Claire Shannon. I mistakenly thought this was the first in the series; my bad. I picked it to read because it's set around Thanksgiving.

Claire can't wait for Thanksgiving. Her brother and his wife and their daughter are coming to visit for a few days. Claire is eager to introduce them to her fiance, Jack. While working her job in the clerk's office at the courthouse, Claire reluctantly agrees to go to the basement in search of a co-worker's diamond earring. She convinces her friend Carson to accompany her. They don't find the earring, but they do find a dead body. Now the victim's brother, a local bully, is claiming that Claire and Carson are the killers, and some people in town are snubbing Claire. When it becomes evident the victim was trying to break into a wall in the basement, the police discover a bag of bones hidden there. Now there are two murders to solve, and Claire is right in the middle of the drama.

This was an okay read, although it was just a shade on the preachy side. Claire is engaging, and I liked how much trust she and Jack had between them. It did seem like each of them had some rather aggressive admirers. I was as taken aback as Claire was that certain people, whom she'd known her whole life, seemed willing to believe ill of her based on one man's say so. I was also a bit taken aback that the County Clerk's office seemed to handle court-related duties as well? The story was set in TX, so maybe that's the case there? In IL, the County Clerk (election office/vital records/land records) and the Circuit Clerk (clerk of courts) are entirely separate. Hm.

Favorite line: "It's been mostly a good visit you know, besides the dead body and the threats."

Good but not spectacular. Average score of three.

( Trope Test )