Review: Death Writes by Andrea Carter

Death Writes (Inishowen Mysteries, Book #6)

by Andrea Carter

Release Date: November 19, 2024

2024 Oceanview Publishing

Paperback ARC; 336 Pages

ISBN: 978-1608096329

ASIN: B0BPF68RST

Audiobook: B0D1HDW8P6

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

Solicitor Benedicta “ Ben” O' Keeffe and her boyfriend Police Sergeant Tom Molloy race to Dublin after hearing that some strangers had moved in with Ben' s parents.

In Glendara, preparations are underway for Glenfest,
The festival begins, and an eager crowd awaits Featherstone' s appearance on stage. He is unexpectedly engaging, but when he stands to read from his new book, he stumbles and keels over on the platform. Ben discovers that she holds Featherstone' s will at the office, drafted by her predecessor. Soon, she' s drawn into a complicated legal wrangle over the man' s estate involving his family and the assistant who lived with him.

My Thoughts

Death Writes is the next instalment in the engaging Inishowen Mystery series, and I particularly liked this one because of the difficulties involving elderly scams of which Ben's parents became victims.  I think this happens far more than is reported and I was happy to read about something that may give others clues and warnings so it may not happen to their own parents or elderly neighbours. The other murder plot line wove nicely around the issue with Ben's parents and I really liked how the author wove the two together into a cohesive story.

Because this is the sixth book in the series, I don't really feel like Ben's character developed a lot, but she was still dealing with the demands of her job and her insecurities in her relationship.  I never know what to think when I see someone who is so successful professionally be a dolt when it comes to relationship issues, and I definitely roll my eyes when Ben takes things personally when her boyfriend doesn't give her the information she feels she is entitled because she is a lawyer.  I should mention here that the love interest is a police detective, Police Sergeant Tom Molloy, and I always hate it when a person feels entitled to information about an investigation when they have no business knowing anything, professionally or personally.  And to be honest, Ben is a lawyer, she should know better.Their relationship has grown on me and I have enjoyed the development as they try to work out how to manoeuvre their professional and personal lives to make a relationship work.

The author is very good at tying loose ends in her books and despite having several story lines, everything wrapped up nicely at the end.  I actually preferred the one involving Ben's parents over the one involving the writer, but I don't think it had anything to do with poor development or writing skills, simply my preference.  I love the descriptions of the town and the area in which Ben lives as it seems to beautiful; I want to visit the place every time I read one of these books.  The vivid descriptions are one of the highlights of the books.  

Verdict

Death Writes was a slower than normal entry into this series, but the strength of the book always lies in the characters, characters with distinct personalities and lives.  I enjoyed the development of Ben and Tom's relationship and the difficulties they have as they are both workaholics. As I mentioned, the plot was a big slower, and I did prefer one story line over the other, but it was still interesting and entertaining. I am very curious as to what will happen next as the author did throw a big wrench into the story line and I really have no idea what is going to happen in future books.  And while this book could be read as a standalone, I do recommend you read the earlier books in order to get a richer understanding of the character and story development between Ben and Tom.