Just Plain Murder by Laura Bradford

Just Plain Murder by Laura Bradford ISBN-13: 9780440000402 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: Nov. 27, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Jakob and Claire have been enjoying spending more time together in lovely Heavenly, PA. With Claire's help, the detective is making slow progress reconnecting with members of his Amish family who shunned him when he left to pursue a career in law enforcement. Jakob's mentor, Russ Granger, the long retired police chief who inspired him to become a cop is back in town. Claire's always wanted to meet the man who changed the course of Jakob's life. But not long after he arrives in Heavenly, Russ is murdered. Jakob is shocked and grieving. He feels guiltly about not meeting his friend that night. Claire and Jakob soon find that Jakob's old boss may have stumbled into something sinister before he was killed.


My Review:
Just Plain Murder is a cozy mystery. It's the sixth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this novel didn't spoil the whodunits in the previous novels.

The author wove in details about living near the Amish and what it's like for people to be or leave the Amish. The characters were engaging, complex, and reacted realistically. The mystery was clue-based, but it's more of a police procedural than a puzzle mystery. Claire helped the detective by doing some things with him. Because the victim was a friend of the detective, he was too close to see things that another detective might've spotted sooner. Once Claire came along to view things with fresh eyes, she spotted the clues and the detective immediately followed up on the new lead.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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