Death Comes to Dogwood Manor by Sandra Bretting

"Death Comes to Dogwood Manor" is the 4th book in the Missy DuBois Mystery series by Sandra Bretting. Although I haven’t read the previous books in the series, I found that this book was easy to get into and I got to know the characters quickly. Although I would suggest going back to read the first book, the author did a good job of catching the reader up on what was going on in the characters’ lives if they are not familiar with the series.

The main character, Missy, is likeable and has an interesting business of catering to brides with her hat boutique. There are some other fun characters as well that keep you entertained and engaged throughout the book, including a love interest and a friendly law enforcement officer (who are not one and the same, as in most current mysteries it seems, which is a definite plus).

The mystery begins when a billionaire dies and Missy unfortunately stumbles upon his body. It turns out the cause of death was arsenic poisoning but you’ll never guess how this crime was carried out! There are lots of suspects and a few red herrings are thrown in to keep the reader guessing. The story was fast paced and a lot of action was packed into a shorter book. Besides the unorthodox murder weapon, the author also included a cliff hanger at the end which is sure to make the reader anxiously await the next book in the series.

I definitely enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book via the Cozy Mystery Review Crew.