Alas, She Drowned (Stratford Upon Avondale Mysteries, #1)

by Monica Knightley

[Mystereity Reviews]

Oft expectation fails, and most oft there where most it promises."
William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well.

I had really high hopes for this book, it started out as a promising mystery. Set in a charming Shakespearean-themed village, it had a great plot; an odious and unpleasant theater critic is murdered (always enjoyable when that happens!) and lots of suspects to muddy the waters. It really kept me guessing (and turning pages) and I didn't suspect the murderer at all.

But that's pretty much all the book has going for it. I really wish I could've rated this higher than 2 stars because the plot was a lot better than 2 stars but it came down to the unlikable characters. I thought Nick was an obnoxious bull's pizzle (Thank the bard himself for that one!) and Maggie's not much better. I really wanted more out of her character - she had a lot of potential in her back story but ended up a two-dimensional chatterbox with poor judgment skills.

Sigh.