When Zeffie Got a Clue (Christy Castleman)

by Peggy Darty

It’s an ordinary afternoon in Summer Breeze, Florida, when a young, wide-eyed girl steps into I Saw It First, the trash-to-treasure shop Christy Castleman and her Aunt Bobbie have opened. Clutching a jewelry box, Zeffie Adams tells Christy she needs money to pay her grandmother’s medical bills, prompting Christy to offer this curious visitor more than the jewelry box is worth–or so she thinks.
 
But complicated questions form when Christy rips out the box’s lining and uncovers a clue to a cold case murder mystery from eight years ago. Despite warnings from her family and handsome boyfriend Dan Brockman, Christy decides to do a little detective work of her own. After all, the infamous murder happened close to her grandmother’s farm. How risky could it be to take the jewelry box back to the Strickland plantation and ask around about it?

Soon Christy finds there is more to the small box than someone wants her to know. A jewelry theft. A mansion murder. Dangerous family secrets buried in history. Can Christy convince others to let go of the past before it’s too late?

• ISBN10: 1400073332
• ISBN13: 9781400073337
• Publish Date: 18 March 2008
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
• Imprint: WaterBrook
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781400073337

Reviews

[cherryblossommj]

When I was younger I loved mysteries. I love to read them and watch them on various television shows or movies. My mother, my sisters, and I all watched Murder She Wrote together when I was really young and I can still remember the popcorn on the floor... [a: Peggy Darty|140862|Peggy Darty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1243043194p2/140862.jpg] has made a really believable mystery stand out in this [b: When Zeffie Got a Clue|2678534|When Zeffie Got a Clue A Cozy Mystery|Peggy Darty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320410825s/2678534.jpg|2703823]. I found out the hard way that this is the third in a series, and although I have not read the others and was able to understand the plot completely, there were some points where I was largely frustrated and a mention of a previous event that I can only assume would have been explained in a previous cozy mystery. I do fully intend to put [b: When the Sandpiper Calls|1609180|When the Sandpiper Calls (Christy Castleman, #1)|Peggy Darty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1185826640s/1609180.jpg|1602731] and [b: When Bobbie Sang the Blues|935233|When Bobbie Sang the Blues (Christy Castleman, #2)|Peggy Darty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320410820s/935233.jpg|920217] on my TBR pile.

Zeffie is a sweet little girl in an unfortunate point of circumstances in her young life and Christy, the local mystery writer/murder solver of the area of Summer Breeze, Florida is able to jump into detective mode and seek out answers to find for Zeffie's questions as well as others that are closer to home from her own youth.

This is the first Christian cozy mystery that I have read, and it really makes me thirst for more. The overall story is riveting and near impossible to put down once started. There are many different emotions and as a reader, one really gets pull into everything that is going on and debates all of the clues themselves.

I really recommend this book if you have a few hours to spare and jump in to see if you can help Christy and Zeffie find what they are looking for!