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MURDER CHECKS INN
by Tim Myers
Prime Crime, January 2003
185 pages
$5.99
ISBN: 0425188582


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

MURDER CHECKS INN is the third book in the Lighthouse Inn series, which features innkeeper Alex Winston. The Trasks check in for a week under the conditions of Mathias Trask's will. Jase Winston, Alex's uncle, is Mathias' attorney and plans on reading the will once the entire family has arrived. On the day of the Trask's arrive, Jase is found murdered. He was presumably murdered when confronting the robber who opened his safe and stole Mathias' will. The police force is the stereotypical small town force and does not have the resources or ability to adequately solve this mystery. After Alex's previous successes solving crimes, he decides that he must look into Jose's murder to guarantee the murderer is brought to justice. The suspects in Jose's murder are numerous; the ex-wife, they son and daughter as well as a previously unknown illegitimate daughter and possibly Alex's brother. Alex must race to find the murderer before all of his suspects check out.

Like the majority of cozies, MURDER CHECKS INN features an amateur detective who manages to solve a crime that has the police stumped. This detective will also not share his information with the police and will get in an unsafe situation while exposing the murderer. Although these characteristics are stereotypical of cozies, the major twist is that these actions are done by a man rather than a woman. The book also deals with Alex's love life with Elise, his maid who is engaged to a man in West Virginia. This focus on a possible "happily ever after" ending is also a common characteristic in cozies.

Tim Myer's manages to overcome these stereotypes and pull the book together in a coherent manner. While normally not a cozy fan, Myer's books are enjoyable in a manner similar to Rhys Bowen's Constable Evans series. That is to say, the books are cute, the majority of the characters are interesting without being over the top and the book provides a very safe escape from reality. Reading Myer's books is a diverting way to spend a peaceful nonviolent afternoon. His books are not for the hardboiled fan or those seeking depth or complex situations.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, January 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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