As Read Herring Hunt by V.M. Burns opens, Samantha Washington has finally settled into her life as owner of Market Street Mysteries Bookstore, with Dawson Alexander, the star quarterback of Michigan Southwest University, or MISU, helping out at her shop and living in her garage. But then Dawson breaks up with his gold digging girlfriend, whom Nana Jo calls the “little floozy.” When she gets murdered, the police arrest Dawson, getting Sam and the rest of her family fired up to find the real killer, and Nana Jo insists they must do so before the next football game, or MISU won’t make it into their bowl game.
Read Herring Hunt was an exciting book, full of humor and creativity. I especially loved the fun team of senior women who work their contacts so effectively that they get information faster than anyone else can. The plot has many interesting twists and turns that kept me fascinated.
In addition, Sam wants to be a mystery writer, so the book alternates between the contemporary setting and the mystery taking place in 1938 England. The family of a cousin to the king does a favor to a duke and hosts a weekend party for Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, for whom Edward VIII abdicated the throne. Wallis, a known Nazi sympathizer, has assembled a group of people from around the world, and the royal house wants to keep an eye on her. Little does anyone expect for the maid to be murdered, possibly in the place of the duchess, leading to a dramatic denouement.
Both plots were so compelling that I kept getting disappointed when the book would change plots. I enjoyed each set of stories, as well as the characters, who were drawn effectively, in each story. I really loved getting to connect to both the contemporary and historical plots. The book as a whole was creatively and very well written. I give it five stars!
