My Musing ~ A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes

A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes is the first book in the NEW “Keepsake Cove” mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, November 2017

Callie Reed pays a long overdue visit to her aunt, Melodie, at her fairy-tale cottage in quaint Keepsake Cove, which is home to a bevy of collectible shops on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Just as they’re beginning to reconnect, Callie discovers her aunt’s body on the floor of the music box shop she owns. Grief-stricken, Callie finds she can’t accept Melodie’s death being ruled accidental. How could her strong and healthy aunt take such a fatal fall? And why was she in the shop in the middle of the night?

As Callie searches for the truth, signs seem to come from her late aunt through a favorite music box, urging Callie on. Or are they warnings? If Callie isn’t careful, she could meet a similar deadly fate amid Melodie’s collection.

I love visiting small quaint town and Keepsake Cove is one where we find Callie Reed mourning the loss of her aunt. What appears to be an accident turns into something sinister when the pieces starts falling in place and it’s up to Callie to bring a killer to justice.

I liked the pacing and the comfortable tone of this book which made it easy to follow and kept me entrenched in all that was happening. The narrative was visually descriptive putting me in the middle of all the action. The suspect list was plentiful, and the author gave just enough clues to keep me intrigued in all that was possible, but it was that perfectly timed clue that gave me the “aha” moment and I enjoyed watching it all play out with this wonderful cast of characters as the killer’s identity was revealed. A terrific first book in the series and I can’t wait to read more about Callie and her friends and that small quaint town of Keepsake Cove.