It’s the summer of 1953, and Elizabeth Grady is settling into Haggerman’s Catskills Resort. As a vacation getaway, Haggerman’s is ideal, and although Elizabeth’s ostentatious but well-meaning mother is new to running the resort, Elizabeth is eager to help her organize the guests and the entertainment acts. But Elizabeth will have to resort to untested abilities if she wants to save her mother’s business.
When a reclusive guest is found dead in a lake on the grounds, and a copy of The Communist Manifesto is found in his cabin, the local police chief is convinced that the man was a Russian spy. But Elizabeth isn’t so sure, and with the fate of the resort hanging in the balance, she’ll need to dodge red herrings, withstand the Red Scare, and catch a killer red-handed.
Release Date:Â Sep 14, 2021
Series:Â A Catskill Summer Resort Mystery
Book:Â 2
Publisher:Â Penguin Group
Imprint:Â Berkley
Price: $7.99
Elizabeth Grady is helping her mother, retired show dancer Olivia Peters, run Haggerman’s Catskills lakefront resort. Elizabeth does the bulk of work running the resort, but Olivia is on hand to use her star power to smooth over any public relations hiccups. Except for a neighboring resort owner trying everything he can to make Haggerman’s look bad, things are going pretty smoothly. Things take a large turn for the worse, though, when the body of one of their guests is found in the lake. There is no doubt it’s murder, and the local police chief starts a rumor the victim was a communist. He accuses both Elizabeth and Olivia of being fellow members of the party, which in 1953 would mean the end of their business. Elizabeth works to clear their names and find the actual motive and the real killer.
I’ve enjoyed a few different series by this author and as a fan of the movie Dirty Dancing, I couldn’t wait to read this book. There aren’t any dance lessons being given in this book, a band does play in the evenings and some of the staff members mingle and dance with the older guests. The author does a good job of transporting the reader to the Catskills in the early 1950s through the descriptions of the fashions and customs of that era. I like the main character, Elizabeth, and her wonderful sense of humor. I really enjoyed the banter between her and her best friend and hotel staff member, Velvet McNally. By the end of the book, Elizabeth has two different handsome men vying for her affections, so future books should be interesting.
The mystery itself is intriguing, with a lot of potential suspects. I like the way Elizabeth is able to get information about the crime even when the local police and even the FBI fail. The ending is a little more complicated than it needed to be, but it provides a solution to the murder and wraps up all the various subplots. I’ve never been to the Catskills, but I enjoyed spending time at Haggerman’s through this well-written cozy mystery. I would definitely read future books in this series.
~ Christine
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