This is a cozy mystery, well written, good character development and a satisfying read. Then you get to the chase scene and whoa, what happened to the cozy part. That is the misconception many readers have of cozy mysteries. Well, think again. This is a suspenseful, exciting story, filled with baffling murders. I am planning to read the other books in this series. I recommend you try them.–An Amazon Review
So, is The Cemetery Club a cozy mystery? Well, yes, I believe it is. However, as the writer of the review mentioned, some parts of the book are not so cozy. And, also as she mentioned, one of those parts is the chase scene and the ensuing tumble down Deertrack Hill. Terror! That’s what Darcy and her mom felt as they hid from the murderers–just raw, heart-stopping terror!
“The crashing in the underbrush grew louder. From my hiding place, all I could see between sumac stalks was the feet of the approaching men. One wore scuffed brown boots, the other, black lace-ups. Afraid to move so I could see them more plainly, I tried to breathe quietly.
‘They must have been thrown out somewhere. Like I said, they’re dead. Come on. We’re wasting time. We’ve got to get out of here before someone stops to look at that broken guardrail and calls the police.’
The guttural voice sounded familiar.
Holding my breath, I heard footsteps nearing our hiding place. Mom’s hand on my arm shook. Trying not to blink, I peered through the thicket and saw rain-stained boots stepping nearer. The man bent over, shoving aside sumac branches. His hands were inches from my face. In his right hand he held a big, black revolver. On the third finger of his left hand he wore a gold ring, a gold ring whose replica was in my mother’s recipe box back home.
Feeling, rather than hearing my mother gasp, I knew that she saw the ring too. I prayed that she would not give away our hiding place.” –The Cemetery Club by Blanche Day Manos and Barbara Burgess
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http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/191-2065721-4081241?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=blanche+day+manos
pen-l.com/Mystery.html
Your excerpt sounds exciting, Blanche.
Some parts of my mysteries are not all that cozy either. That’s why an editor of Create Wisconsin called them meatier cozies. There’s lots of suspense and tension, which is how a mystery should be, plus humor.
Best wishes to you. The Cemetery Club is already on my TBR list. Definitely sounds thrilling.
Thank you for writing, Susan. I’ve downloaded your Ginseng Conspiracy and look forward to reading it. Yes, cozies are very different. I like those that are filled with suspense and tension too and enjoy reading them. I hope you like The Cemetery Club!