Death at Whispering Lake by Joanna Carns

by Dianne, guest reviewer

Harlow “Harley” Kennedy drives from Chicago to Whispering Lake, a village in Michigan, to make decisions regarding funeral arrangements for her recently deceased uncle and to fulfill her duties as executor of his will. After Harley’s arrival in the small town, she begins to suspect that her uncle’s death was not due to suicide. She gets caught up in a controversy among the townspeople concerning a casino development project. Harley’s uncle was vehemently opposed to the project and stood in the way of its success. After the death of a second man, who also was a thorn in the development company’s side, Harley is convinced that both men were murdered. However, she hits a brick wall when to comes to the police sergeant conducting an investigation, so she takes it upon herself to ascertain the truth. This decision puts Harley in danger. Will the culprit(s) get away with murder or will justice prevail?

"Death at Whispering Lake" is the first book in a new series, and Joanna Carns has created a diverse group of characters who come alive on the pages and are imbued with distinctive personality traits that trigger their emotional and behavioral responses to situations. I like how Carns has imbued Harley with some quirky traits, such as quoting obscure trivia facts when she is nervous, obsessively cleaning surfaces, and comparing people in her life to characters in "Pride and Prejudice".

A wonderful debut penned by Carns that incorporates a romantic subplot into an exciting mystery along with an accurate representation of life in a small community. Short chapters encourage readers to keep turning the pages, and the chapter titles work as hooks to pique one’s interest. The story progresses at a steady pace as the tension builds to a peak, and with more than one viable suspect readers are kept guessing until the final reveal. At the end is a blurb about the next book in the series, Murder by Morel. I look forward to more of Meg’s adventures.