Murder at the Mikado
by Julianna Deering
Rating: 3.5/5
A Drew Farthering Mystery
Bethany House – Fiction Mystery
One month before he is going to marry the woman of his dreams, Madeline Parker, Drew Farthering, amateur sleuth, finds himself smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery. His old girlfriend, Fleur Landis, is now married with a young son and is the main suspect in the murder of a theater colleague. When Fleur asks him to help clear her name, Drew reluctantly agrees after speaking with her husband and son. With Nick and Madeline’s help, Drew dives into this mystery in the theater world. Will the presence of his former flame drive Drew and Madeline closer together or apart? Can Drew discover who the real killer is before more people die?
Having realized that this book was not the first in the series, I knew reading it would be a little difficult, but the first chapter was very confusing for me to read. By the second or third chapter, I knew who the characters were and the plot was better established, which made reading the rest of the story enjoyable. I loved the old school feel of this mystery. This story was all about old fashioned sleuthing. No computers or google. No cellphones. No special gadgets. As much as I love futuristic sci-fi, this story was very refreshing.
The characters were not as developed as I would like, but I think if I had read the previous novels, they would have been better explained. I enjoyed the relationship between Drew and Madeline – it seemed very real and endearing. The story had light references to faith, which I enjoyed – I felt the references were woven into the story beautifully.
After I finished reading the book, I re-read the first chapter, and everything made so much more sense. I definitely need to pick up the first two stories by this author.
I definitely recommend this book for those who love a good, clean mystery.
I received this book for free from Bethany House but was not required to give a positive review.
