A quirky village mystery with unorthodox characters and settings that is quintessentially Australian in nature. Some of the pivotal quirks may not translate well, which would be a real shame as it is a very well written and thought out mystery that has all the elements mystery lovers want.

MC Bess is adorable, if not a little too perfect and Margaret gives true meaning to the words Ice Queen! What an unlikely pair to develop a friendship! However their interactions are so convincingly written that it seems inevitable from the start.

I loved the Hags, the teen misfits that Margaret hires for their technology expertise. They add another level of humour and lightness, while being integral to the solving of the mystery.

They say a good mystery has you guessing until the end. In that case, this book certainly succeeds. It was well balanced in that it satisfied everything I was looking for without overdoing the romance.

This was a good murder mystery. There wasn’t much romance, but the story was interesting. I was surprised to learn who the murderer was. I wasn’t familiar with some of the Australian terms and slang, but it didn’t really take away from the story.

Murder mystery books aren’t my go to genre but I decided to try it. I didn’t like the style of writing or the character although I did like how it wasn’t predictable and kept you guessing who did it.
Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Wholly unpredictable story

I didn't read the publisher's synopsis before diving into this book but it barely scratches the surface and only gives a tiny taste of what goes on in the story, the town where it takes place and its inhabitants. The cover of the book gives little to nothing away as well so be prepared to be surprised and to have questions as you read, questions that pile up faster than answers for them. The murders and crime kept me guessing, not knowing whodunnit all thru the book, and being surprised by twists in the plot and reveals around the crimes. Most of the characters are quirky or odd or downright awful personality- and behavior-wise and there are lots of them so those keen to solve all the mysteries may want to take notes as they read. (I thought to do that when I was already too far along in the book for it to be fruitful or of use). Margaret is an ice queen of sorts and clashes with Bess's intentionally optimistic outlook but both are formidable and complex characters in their own right; theirs is an unusual rapport to say the least. Numerous characters' traits reveal themselves as the story unfolds so the reader's feelings about them may shift or change radically from start to finish. The teenagers and animals in this story defy expectations and one animal in particular has a moment of heroism that was both amazing and totally unexpected; all the characters defy stereotypes and are atypical in one way or another so they're fascinating and refreshing to read.

I read this book slower than I normally would in order to try and monitor the characters, watch for clues and guess what would happen next but guessed nothing accurately which made for exciting reading. The story is funny, scary, creepy, mysterious, sensual and so much more.
The goings on in the book are difficult to summarize without spoiling any of it, but if you're wanting a change in your lesfic reading to something wholly unpredictable, dramatic, romantic, quirky, mysterious and suspenseful, this will satisfy that need and pull you into this weird town, its unusual museums and eccentric inhabitants and visitors.
(Reviewed April 14, 2019)