I want to apologize to the author and publisher for my delay in posting this review. I was supposed to have posted it about a month ago in connection with the official release date, but I have been struggling with my health and not managing to get chores done on time. I will endeavor to do better in the future, although I have some others that are also a bit late yet to publish.
I greatly enjoyed the voice and tone of Snapshot of Murder. It had the classic feel of Christie or Rinehart but without the narratorial distance. The mystery itself was excellently done as well. An easy 4 stars for this book.
Although the death itself appears later in the book, more than enough suspenseful elements are introduced earlier to hook the reader and keep pages turning. There’s a threat, a mysterious possibly returned man, a historical disappearance, and questions–at least for the reader–regarding a seemingly innocent death.
The historical setting and culture add elements not possible in a modern mystery. The main character is a credible rebellion against the expectations of her time period. She supports similar independence in a secondary character.
Through some hints in the novel itself and the book list at the end, I determined this was a later book in a series. Although I’m sure having read more of them would add further facets to the relationships, not having done so didn’t leave me feeling left out. I also still felt like there was appropriate depth in enough of the secondary characters.
The writing style was enjoyable and pulled me in while still maintaining a hint of the historical feel. That balance in the style really impressed me. The copy I read, although still an ARC selected from NetGalley, was more cleanly edited and proofread than others I’ve selected.
Overall a very satisfying and enjoyable read and I’d really like to see more from this author and of this series.
