Pickled Petunia Motts Cold Case Mystery #3
Cozy Mystery, asexual, Autisim
Tangled Tree Publishing
Nov. 6, 2021
kindle
212
amazon
Mystery beckons when a young woman seeks out budding amateur detective Pineapple “Motts” Mottley to find her missing mother in the third novel of the Motts Cold Case Mystery series.
Murder comes to Motts’s doorstep when a stranger asks her to investigate a suspicious disappearance. Past experience tells her to say no yet her curiosity wins out. What’s the harm in asking a few questions?
The missing person case quickly evolves into murder when a body is found in the strangest circumstances. Motts sifts through various suspects and lies, only to come face to face with danger. Things become even more personal when a killer from her childhood makes an unwelcome appearance.
How many close calls can Motts escape?
Will she survive amidst a flood of beer and a catastrophic inferno?
Review by Xanthe
Reviewer for The Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Mott’s Cold Case Mystery series has been very entertaining to read and Pickled Petunia continues that with a somewhat dramatic plot that this time Motts is asked to look into by the daughter of a missing woman.
The mystery plot of this book has you guessing about suspects and reasons behind the murder. Paisley is the daughter of Petunia, who has gone missing recently. She’s asked for Motts’s help finding her but also seems a little off when talking about anything but then the same can be said about her own boyfriend and her mother.
Interactions to keep you guessing, people are there to confuse you and Motts’s thinking to bring you into the thought process of someone with autism. It’s a cozy mystery read but things are heating up for Motts as she comes closer to the conclusion of the case but this isn’t the only danger that’s presenting at the moment. Something from her past is rearing its head and Motts is definitely not ready to deal with that again.
One of my favourite things about this series, apart from Motts herself, is the friends and family that surround her. Vina, Nish, and River are her closest people but since moving to the small village in Cornwall, there’s no end of friendships and love from those who only want her to feel comfortable, secure and accepted for who she is.
There may also be the slight worry about the trouble she seems to continually find herself in. Amusingly, Motts seems to have three men who would love the pleasure of her company as more than friends. It’s fun to read her outlook on relationships as an asexual woman but also how, a lot of the time, because of her autism, she’s not aware of the flirting or possible date that she’s on.
This is where her friends come in to save the day by both informing her of what’s going on and gently teasing at the same time. They all seem really sweet and understanding of taking their time so I’m very interested to see how things progress.
This is another good read from Dahlia Donovan. It’s great getting more from this community in a small village in Cornwall, England. It’s such a beautiful place that is lovingly described by the author, almost making it hard to think of such crimes occurring there. I even loved the mention of her Cosplay Podcast, another of her series. With how things are left for Motts and the last catching up to her, it’s going to be a tantalizing wait for the next instalment.
LGBT/FANTASY/MYTH & LEGEND/COZY MYSTERY/MYSTERY/ADVENTURE
LGBT/FANTASY/MYTH & LEGEND/COZY MYSTERY/MYSTERY/ADVENTURE – SERIES
