Book Review: Murder by Sunlight by Barbara Graham
Disclaimer: I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.
It’s coming up on the Fourth of July in tiny Park County in Tennessee, and Sheriff Tony Abernathy must deal with not just the heat and increased traffic, but a sudden wave of crime. Someone is going around assaulting people in an attempt to find “Bob”, a man is found impaled on a tree, and a woman is murdered–by sunlight! Good thing the sheriff’s wife Theo runs the local quilting shop, where she can catch the gossip while a charity quilt is being made.
This is part of the “Quilted Mystery” series, none of which I have read before. Amusingly, the fact that several high-profile murders have occurred around one small town is acknowledged, and may be causing political problems for the sheriff.
The story reflects the business of a sheriff’s department, with many issues popping up, some connected to the main plotline, others mostly irrelevant. I found most of the characters likable, or at least believable–as often happens in murder mysteries, the central victim has a personality that leads you to question why she wasn’t murdered before this.
I really liked that volunteerism leads to at least one character having as happy an ending to their part in the story as is possible under the circumstances. And crafty people may enjoy putting together a quilt pattern that’s slowly revealed through the book.
It’s a good fast read and a fun mystery. Thrifty readers may want to check to see if there’s paperback editions of the earlier books, or consult the library, as the hardback is $25.95 new.
