The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle
A Book Club Mystery, Book #2
By Laura DiSilverio
ISBN#9780451470843
Author’s website: www.Lauradisilverio.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
Agatha Christie is on the book club’s reading list in the latest from the author of The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco. This time, Amy-Faye and her friends might have to read between the lines to catch a killer.
Amy-Faye Johnson’s book club, the Readaholics, is engrossed in Murder on the Orient Express, and Poirot’s surprising resolution is stirring up debate. Is the solution remotely realistic? Is justice served by Poirot’s decision? Well, the book is fiction after all…
Then, just as Amy-Faye is planning the grand opening of her brother Derek’s pub,
his hot-headed partner is murdered. To keep Derek from being railroaded as a suspect, Amy-Faye and the Readaholics take a page from Poirot and investigate. But as the clues lead to unlikely places, surprising motives, and a multitude of suspects, Amy-Faye and her pals wonder if truth can be just as strange as fiction.
Review:
The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle, Ms. DeSilverio’s sophomore entry in the Book Club Mystery series, hits all the right marks making it an engaging, entertaining puzzle worthy of Hercule Poirot himself.
Amy-Faye Johnson is more than happy to put her event planning skills to use for her brother Derek’s brew-pub grand opening celebration. Though the party starts out fine, several things go wrong, too many to be mere coincidence, leading Amy-Faye to wonder if there is a saboteur at work. The rough night comes to a shocking end when Amy-Faye and pub employee Kolby find Derek’s business partner Gordon Marsh (who also happens to be Kolby’s father) dead in the dumpster. It quickly becomes apparent that not everyone was happy with Gordon, but when Derek is arrested for the crime, Amy-Faye and her fellow book club members, the Readaholics, channel their inner Hercule Poirot to find the real killer before it is too late for Derek.
The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle is a fun and engaging read. The Readaholics have chosen to read Murder on the Orient Express, and Ms. DiSilverio does a good job of weaving Agatha Christie’s classic into the mystery at hand. I realize that most people are probably familiar with Murder on the Orient Express, having either read the book or seen a movie adaptation, but beware of spoilers if you have not.
Not having read the first book in the series (yet), I really enjoyed getting to know Amy-Faye, her friends, family, and assistant. They are a well rounded group of varying ages, occupations, and personalities. They, and the backdrop of the fictional town Heaven, CO, provided interest and rich detail that enhanced the story. I like Amy-Faye; she is intelligent, an organized thinker, and I admire her devotion to her friends and family. Her fellow Readaholics are equally interesting, and I particularly want to know more about Maud. The tidbits about her past that were dropped make me curious about this conspiracy theory driven, outdoorsy hippie. I also think Amy-Faye’s love interest Hart is great, and I look forward to seeing where their relationship goes.
Gordon was sufficiently dislikable, and it was easy to see why he would be the murder victim. There were plenty of suspects with plenty of motives, including wronged business relations, his ex-wife and son, step-sister and her husband, and a group of women collectively known as Women Outing Serial Cheaters. There were lots of plot twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. One final revelation in particular was surprising.
With its inviting setting, appealing characters, touch of romance, and smart murder mystery with a nod to the Christie classic, The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle delivers the complete cozy mystery package. It is engaging from the first page to the last. I recommend it to fans of the book club backdrop and any reader who enjoys a clever, cozy whodunit.
