Dread on Arrival (Hemlock Falls Mystery, #17)

by Claudia Bishop

[MurderByDeath]

I'm a longtime fan of this series, but I had thought that I wouldn't see another book after the last one. So I was pleasantly surprised when I heard this one was coming out, but also a little hesitant. I got the feeling reading the last book that the author was worn out over this series.

I really liked Dread on Arrival. It was set up differently from your standard cozy fare, which oftentimes, no matter how much you enjoy reading it, is very formulaic. The first almost 2/3 of this book is setup for the murder - so if you're looking to jump right into the crime, this book isn't for you. And much more time passes in the course of solving this mystery; nothing neat and tidy about summing up the mystery before all the suspects leave. The murder itself isn't obvious at all, and the one plot device I felt for certain would end up being significant, wasn't. These are small differences, but they're enough to make the book feel a bit fresher to me.

I've always loved the characters and Hemlock Falls, and Dread on Arrival is like a visit with old friends. I still wish Quill would stop being a pushover and I'd love to see more of Myles. Meg was slightly more of a background character this time, but still her same old feisty self. I found the sub-plot with Marge and the election hilarious, and as much as I like Marge, I loved seeing the tables turned on her.

If Ms. Bishop keeps writing about the Inn and Hemlock Falls and the Quilliam sisters, I'll continue to look forward to reading about them.