In Want of a Knife by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli

"In Want of a Knife" is the third book in A Little Library Mystery series by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli. Enough backstory is provided about the characters that it can be read as a stand-alone book, although I personally would have preferred a brief descriptive list of the individuals at the beginning of the book to help keep everyone straight since this is the first one in the series that I have read. The story takes place in a small Michigan town. Because I grew up in a similar community, I applaud the author’s realistic portrayal of the locals. One teenage girl is dead, and one has disappeared. Amateur sleuths, a retired homicide detective, and the local police work together in their desperate quest to locate the missing girl. Are the two cases related? Did the girl wander off on her own or did someone with sinister plans kidnap her? Interwoven subplots add depth to the storyline. Multiple points of view, including sections devoted to the missing girl, really drew me into experiencing and understanding, if not always agreeing with, the motivations behind a character’s behavior. Sometimes, the point of view changes within a scene, but it is relevant and not confusing. The book is split into eight sections, each of which begin with a quote from one of Jane Austen’s books that beautifully ties into the subject matter. Throughout the story are entertaining comparisons between Jane Austen’s women and some of the local women. The author does an outstanding job of not only accurately depicting criminal activities, relationship woes, personality clashes, and conflicts of interest but also skillfully keeps readers guessing until the end. However, the initial hostility of one local towards a new resident does not seem justified to me. I would have liked more of an explanation, either in external or internal dialogue, for her animosity. Tension keeps escalating until an exciting and unexpected climax is reached. I enjoyed this suspenseful mystery with interesting characters, and I plan to read the first two books in the series.