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Welcome back to the blog, everyone! Today, I’m diving into A Cold November Murder by Patricia Smiley, the second instalment in the Justice Bay Mystery series. I recently finished this one, and it lands at a very respectable 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
If you enjoy a cosy mystery that mixes small-town charm with a slight hint of the supernatural, this might just be right up your street. The story centres on our intrepid main character, Emmaline “Emma” McCoy. She is a former executive who has recently relocated from Los Angeles to the remote Northern California coastal town of Justice Bay to run a local shop. She has only been in town for a couple of months when she makes a grim discovery: a dead stranger loaded down with a suspiciously large amount of cash.
Driven by an inexplicable sense of responsibility toward the victim, and guided by a series of strange visions, Emma decides to take matters into her own hands. What follows is a classic amateur sleuth narrative as she relies on good old-fashioned shoe leather and dogged determination to ferret out a killer who is hiding among the bucolic scenery.
Smiley does a fantastic job of world-building; Justice Bay is the kind of quirky, atmospheric town you can easily lose yourself in. Emma is a witty, relatable protagonist, and the snappy banter she shares with the eclectic supporting cast provides a nice counterbalance to the tension of the murder investigation.
So, why the 3.5 stars? While the core mystery is engaging, the pacing felt a bit uneven in the middle sections. Additionally, some of Emma’s investigative leaps—particularly those relying heavily on her visions—felt a little too convenient for my liking, slightly detracting from the grounded, traditional mystery vibe I usually favour. However, the warmth of the characters and the crisp dialogue kept me hooked until the final reveal.
Overall, it’s a fun, character-driven read that fans of small-town mysteries will certainly appreciate.
Thanks once again to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review
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If you’d like to buy A Cold November Murder you can get it from Amazon here
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