Clare Chase

obituary-writer, pet-dog, Dachshunds, amateur-sleuth, local-law-enforcement, cozy-mystery, ex-cop, small-town, journalist, friendship, local-gossip, Suffolk, PTSD, flashbacks, infidelities, secrets, lies, unpleasant-victims, suspicion, suspense*****

The first death was 25 years ago and was a suspicious death where a small child found the body and was haunted by it. The new corpse is that of an unpleasant businesswoman and brings back the flashbacks and sense of horror to the young woman now grown and planning her wedding. Eve and Robin feel a need to assist the police investigation, but quietly and in their own way. The tale is twisty and there is danger, a hidden tunnel, and far too many infidelities clouding the way. Another winner in the Eve Mallow series!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!… (more)

unputdownable, ex-cop, small-town, small-business, journalist, friendship, secrets, dachshunds, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, Suffolk, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, adult-children, divorced, infidelities, unpleasant-employee, vandalism, threats, lies*****

The woman who got murdered was the sort who delighted in causing problems for others and flaunting them. There was no lack of suspects but a distinct absence of proof. The characters are always so clearly drawn, the twists surprising, and the red herrings sneaky. The publisher's blurb is pretty good, so no need for a recap on that. Loved it!
Eve Mallow is a character that draws you in with her personality, honest journalism in writing obits for select famous people, her sleuthing, and (of course) her delightful dachshund.
This is not an unbiased review as I love this series and the work of this author!
I requested and received an uncorrected advance review e-book copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!… (more)

The tenth book in the series and Eve has another mystery to solve. The story is character driven and the complex mystery kept me completely stumped the whole way through. Eve is a nice character with the ability to mingle in any setting with ease and has a way of ferreting out the truth when something doesn't seem right. She spends a lot of time talking and asking questions and that got a little bit monotonous for me at one stage but the drama and suspense towards the end was exciting.
Her dog, Gus, is adorable and I enjoy it when he's involved. Robin didn't feature much in this instalment but he is also a firm favourite character.
This was a clever mystery and I'm glad to see that book 11 will be out in November.… (more)

unputdownable, small-town, small-business, murder-investigation, murder, dachshunds, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, England, cosy-mystery, journalist, extortion, ex-cop, tv-personality, friendship, boarding-school, secrets*****

The author drew the "victim" so clearly that I couldn't WAIT for her to get murdered! The characters are always so well drawn, the twists diabolical, and the red herrings inventive. The publisher's blurb is pretty good, so no need for a recap on that. Loved it!
Eve Mallow is a character that draws you in with her personality, honest journalism in writing obits for select famous people, her sleuthing, and (of course) her delightful dachshund. She also has a day job working part-time in her friend's tea shop and a romantic friend who is a former police detective who is in a protection program.
This is not an unbiased review as I love this series!
I requested and received an uncorrected advance review e-book copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!… (more)