Three Blind Mice The Halstead Mysteries Book Two
Cozy Animal Mystery
Independently Published
April 14, 2021
201
Reviewed by Charlayne Elizabeth Denney
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Halstead Kansas Dragons have made it to the state baseball tournament, and while high schooler Eden Price, the newest sleuth in town won’t be able to go because the reporters are camped on her lawn, yelling at her every time she leaves, asking stupid questions like ‘Is Lucas your boyfriend.’ There was no way they would leave her alone if she went to the tournament. She would love to support her new friend, and mystery solving partner Lucas, who was the star pitcher for the team, but those reporters’ attention would be on her instead of the game. She couldn’t do that to the team. So, she is staying home, working in the local pizza parlor; and she doesn’t know baseball anyway!
She has a run-in at work with the school’s snooty It-Girl Correen, and her girl squad. Correen is telling Eden to stay away from Lucas. In addition she’s having to duck reporters by hiding in the kitchen, making pizzas for them while her coworkers handle the orders.
When she returns home, after she runs through the reporter gauntlet, her grandmother Maimeo tells her that she has arranged a trip to watch the tournament so they can get away. Buying a wig to help disguise herself so people would leave her alone, they were definitely going, and Eden hoped the wig worked.
At her friend Ashley’s suggestion, Eden goes ahead and talks with a local girl who is studying journalism. The reporterLindsay, is glad to get the exclusive and Eden found that she didn’t hate the interview because the reporter didn’t ask her a ton of stupid questions.
The baseball game is enjoyable, easier to understand with her grandmother who is a baseball fan, explaining what’s going on. The weekend looked like it was going to be fun.
Then life goes all haywire. Maimeo finds the dead body of one of the referees. The police find a baseball bat accidently left at the ball field, bloodied and thrown into the woods. All the evidence points to Lucas and his teammates. Maimeo comes under suspicion too.
Eden works to find the truth out, going from idea to idea, evidence to evidence and each time the suspect changes, then swings back again.
This is where I’m leaving the narrative, anything else will give away the plot and I don’t want to do that. It’s much more fun to read the roller coaster story for yourself.
The book is easy to read, with characters that are true to life. The baseball games it takes place at is written well, without the jargon and illustrated in text brilliantly. A fan will love it and those who have no knowledge of baseball will be able to understand it as the games carry the storyline’s background.
I reviewed book one in this series, When the Time is Right. So many second books in a series aren’t quite as good as the first, but this one breaks that rule. It is just as good as the first. I don’t stay up until almost dawn for many books, but I love Bush’s cozy mysteries. He didn’t disappoint.
If you are a mystery fan, this one is a must. It’s a great read.