Well, this was the perfect follow up to Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Having the events of that book fresh in my mind made this little cozy mystery even more enjoyable. However Logan gives no spoilers, so you can safely read it before Christie should you choose to.
The main character, Bea, has moved to a small town on an island to avoid some never-fully-explained nastiness in the big smoke of NYC. This is a common feature of this kind of mystery. There is usually some friction with neighbours too, which is where this novel gets its beginning. Bea, Chandra, and Kate are locked in a never-ending disagreement which has ended up in the local courthouse, where the judge sentences them to be a book club, run by his wife, where they must learn to talk to each other and to listen. And maybe read a book.
This is where Murder on the Orient Express comes in. It is their first book pick. After their first rather cranky meeting, they all end up running into each other again at the local Chinese restaurant, the Orient Express. Naturally, they discover the proprietor dead on the floor. All of a sudden, these women have a mutual interest and the template of Hercule Poirot to show them what to do.
Just like Christie's book, there is an overwhelming snowstorm, trapping everyone on the island. Bea's bed and breakfast starts filling up with strays and neighbours when light and heat go out over most of the island. Clues are plentiful and contradictory and the women must use their little grey cells.
The action is well constructed and believable, the characters realistic, and the mystery resolves in a reasonable way. We haven't learned Bea's personal history too clearly, although the guy introduced as a love interest for her thinks he knows what's going on. I must say that I'm looking forward to the second volume to understand Bea a little better and to see if Levi is going to stick around. Excellent fun!
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