Maid of Murder (An India Hayes Mystery) by Amanda Flower

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty Debut Mystery!

Description:
India Hayes is a lot of things . . . starving artist who pays the rent as a college librarian, daughter of liberal activists, sister of an emotional mathematician, tenant of a landlady who has kissed the Blarney Stone one too many times, and a bridesmaid six times over. But she's about to step into the most challenging role of her life: amateur sleuth.

Childhood friend and now knockout beauty, Olivia Blocken is back in town to wed her bodybuilder fianc with India a reluctant attendant . . . not just because the bridesmaid's dress is a hideous mess, but because she's betraying her brother. Mark still carries a torch for the bride who once broke his heart and sent his life into a tailspin.

When Olivia turns up dead in the Martin College fountain and the evidence points to Mark, India must unmask the real culprit while juggling a furious and grieving Mother of the Bride, an annoyingly beautiful Maid of Honor, a set of hippie-generation parents, the police detective who once dated her sister and is showing a marked liking for her, and a provost itching to fire someone, anyone--maybe even a smart-mouthed librarian. I

India's investigation leads her on a journey through childhood memories that she'd much rather have left in the schoolyard, but to avoid becoming the next victim, it is a path she must follow.

Maid of Murder is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud mystery set in an amusing world of academia. Readers will fall in love with India Hayes's fierce loyalty and wit.

Biography

Amanda Flower, an Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she'd found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Her debut mystery, Maid of Murder, was a 2010 Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Novel and the first in a series featuring amateur sleuth India Hayes. In July 2012, Amanda will debuting her second mystery series, the Appleseed Creek Mystery Series, which is set in Ohio's Amish country. In addition to being a mystery author, Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland. Visit her online at www.amandaflower.com.

My Review ~

India Hayes is an artist who makes her living as a campus librarian in a small college town. She and her pampered cat reside in a duplex owned by an eccentric Irish landlady who lives in the adjoining unit. Olivia Blocken was India's childhood best friend who insisted India act as a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding. India's brother, Mark, is a depressed and rather pathetic individual who is a local college math professor. Just days before the wedding Olivia died from traumatic head injuries sustained as a result of being pushed into a fountain on the college campus near Mark's office. Mark was discovered holding her after pulling her from the fountain. Due to circumstantial evidence he was ultimately taken into custody for the suspected murder of Olivia Blocken, his old high school flame. The fires are still smoldering where Mark is concerned as he'd never stopped loving Olivia. 

Amanda Flower has written a cozy mystery with unexpected elements of humor, suspense, and chaos. Her characters are as diverse and capricious as the weather. This witty mystery is well written with character and humor, as well as suspense and mystery. The fur flies between cats, sisters and liberal activist parents. Eccentricities prevail and tempers flare as Mark's family attempts to prove his innocence. Maid of Murder is a well written and humorous story of tempestuous proportions.

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the author for the purpose of my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received as a result of this review.