Miz Scarlet and the Imposing Imposter by Sara M. Barton
Miz Scarlet and the Imposing Imposter
by Sara M. Barton
3 Stars
Pages: 257
Published: 02 December 2013
Publisher's Blurb
When the Wilson family is hit with a financial Ponzi-style fraud, losing everything but the old family manse, they get creative and turn their home into a small inn. The Four Acorns Inn sounds like a good idea, except for one thing -- someone is out to ruin them anyway possible, and that includes murder.
As if that's not bad enough, Scarlet Wilson's love life keeps tanking, no matter what she does. Pretty sad when the elderly ladies have a better romantic life than the forty-something innkeeper. Is she cursed when it comes to men, or is there something more sinister going on?
Better known as "Miz Scarlet", the feisty former teacher finds she's up to her eyeballs in questions when someone posts a threat in the garden. Who's in danger and why? What does it have to do with the Jordan family, who disappeared without a trace? When Miz Scarlet comes across items belonging to the Jordan children, her fears are only heightened.
Enter Kenny Tolliver ("Captain Peacock"), the still-handsome hunk who captured Miz Scarlet's heart all those years ago in high school. Widowed, retired as Assistant Director of Public Safety at Princeton University, now working for Mercer Security, "Captain Peacock" has all kind of tricks up his sleeve. Good thing, because two guests of the Four Acorns Inn have been murdered and no one knows who's next.
What can possibly come between "Miz Scarlet" and "Captain Peacock"? How about the constant interference of "Colonel Grey Poupon", Scarlet's annoying, twice-married brother? Even as Bur Wilson slides into fifty, the old sibling rivalry lives. As brother and sister vie for Kenny's attention, things spiral out of control, further endangering them. Just how involved was Bur with one of the now-dead guests?
When the challenges seem insurmountable, the trio puts differences aside to find the motive for the series of bizarre attacks on the family. Secrets can be buried deep, and it's not always easy to dig them up, even as the guests are dropping like flies. Is there a killer inside the Four Acorns Inn? It's up to Miz Scarlet, Captain Peacock, and Colonel Grey Poupon to solve the clues before someone else winds up deader than a doornail.
Review
Miz Scarlet runs a speciallity boarding house in the New England countryside and is sucked into a perplexing mystery when guests and neighbours start disappearing...
Overall I enjoyed the story but think it got bogged down at the start with too much background information about the main character and her business and family connections that I feel could've been introduced in stages throughout the narrative.
Once the story got going it galloped along and kept me entertained with the plot but once it got to the solving of the mystery and the explanation of the circumstances surrounding the reasons for all of the intrigue it again struggled with too much information and a convoluted resolution.
This is the first in the series so now that the background and central characters are set up then hopefully the next title will be allowed to concentrate on the storytelling and go easy on the, far too full, explanations.
Publisher's Blurb
When the Wilson family is hit with a financial Ponzi-style fraud, losing everything but the old family manse, they get creative and turn their home into a small inn. The Four Acorns Inn sounds like a good idea, except for one thing -- someone is out to ruin them anyway possible, and that includes murder.
As if that's not bad enough, Scarlet Wilson's love life keeps tanking, no matter what she does. Pretty sad when the elderly ladies have a better romantic life than the forty-something innkeeper. Is she cursed when it comes to men, or is there something more sinister going on?
Better known as "Miz Scarlet", the feisty former teacher finds she's up to her eyeballs in questions when someone posts a threat in the garden. Who's in danger and why? What does it have to do with the Jordan family, who disappeared without a trace? When Miz Scarlet comes across items belonging to the Jordan children, her fears are only heightened.
Enter Kenny Tolliver ("Captain Peacock"), the still-handsome hunk who captured Miz Scarlet's heart all those years ago in high school. Widowed, retired as Assistant Director of Public Safety at Princeton University, now working for Mercer Security, "Captain Peacock" has all kind of tricks up his sleeve. Good thing, because two guests of the Four Acorns Inn have been murdered and no one knows who's next.
What can possibly come between "Miz Scarlet" and "Captain Peacock"? How about the constant interference of "Colonel Grey Poupon", Scarlet's annoying, twice-married brother? Even as Bur Wilson slides into fifty, the old sibling rivalry lives. As brother and sister vie for Kenny's attention, things spiral out of control, further endangering them. Just how involved was Bur with one of the now-dead guests?
When the challenges seem insurmountable, the trio puts differences aside to find the motive for the series of bizarre attacks on the family. Secrets can be buried deep, and it's not always easy to dig them up, even as the guests are dropping like flies. Is there a killer inside the Four Acorns Inn? It's up to Miz Scarlet, Captain Peacock, and Colonel Grey Poupon to solve the clues before someone else winds up deader than a doornail.
Review
Miz Scarlet runs a speciallity boarding house in the New England countryside and is sucked into a perplexing mystery when guests and neighbours start disappearing...
Overall I enjoyed the story but think it got bogged down at the start with too much background information about the main character and her business and family connections that I feel could've been introduced in stages throughout the narrative.
Once the story got going it galloped along and kept me entertained with the plot but once it got to the solving of the mystery and the explanation of the circumstances surrounding the reasons for all of the intrigue it again struggled with too much information and a convoluted resolution.
This is the first in the series so now that the background and central characters are set up then hopefully the next title will be allowed to concentrate on the storytelling and go easy on the, far too full, explanations.
The Author
Sara M. Barton is the author of several fast-paced cozy mysteries featuring lively characters: The Scarlet Wilson Mysteries, The Off the Books Mysteries, The International Killer Chefs Competition Mysteries (The first book in the new series is entitled "Frosted!")
She has also written hybrid "cozy thriller" series, offering likeable characters and wild twists: The Gabby Grimm Fairy Tale Mysteries, The Cornwall & Company Mysteries
She also has written dark and dangerous spy thrillers based on historical events dating back to the Cold War. Some of these touch on now-unclassified government-funded research programs examining the feasibility of psychic abilities: The Project Stargazer Thrillers, The Arden Woods Thrillers
Sara M. Barton offers helpful tips, information, and education for families providing care to a loved one on The Practical Caregiver Guides website and her blog. As a passionate advocate for improving the lives of cancer patients and others managing serious health challenges, she has written "The Practical Caregiver's Essential Guide: How to Help Someone You Love" and a short, free guide for caregivers providing end-of-life care called "The Practical Caregiver's Guide to Home Hospice".
She is also a classically trained artist who loves to paint landscapes, seascapes, and portraits.
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