Annie McEwen

Resort to Murder by Annie McEwen transports readers to the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods where the Cooper’s Cove Resort resides with her descriptive writing. I enjoyed getting to know Emmy Cooper and her parents as well as Emmy’s closest friends, Whitney and Marcus (with the mullet). I did feel that Emmy was cliched character. A clumsy woman in her late twenties who blushes and babbles when a guy she likes talks to her. The death of the developer has Emmy’s father at the top of suspect list. Emmy teams up with Whitney and Marcus to prove her father’s innocence. They ask questions and search for clues. The friends set up a murder board in Whitney’s apartment. Trouble finds the threesome as they search for the truth. The mystery can easily be solved early in the book. The reveal left me with a lingering question or two. Emmy has one character trait that I found icky. Her bladder becomes fickle when she is excited, nervous, or upset. I believe Emmy’s lack of control over her bladder is supposed to be funny, but it made me cringe (I do not enjoy reading about a woman peeing herself). Emmy finds a certain officer appealing and cannot help blushing bright red every time she encounters him (goes with the babbling and clumsiness). I like the close-knit town where gossip flows faster than maple syrup on a hot stack of pancakes. I was amazed at how much the characters were able to accomplish in one day. It made me wonder if the days were longer in Wisconsin. Emmy has a decision to make at the end of the book and we will have to wait for the next A Northwoods Mystery to find out her answer. Resort to Murder is a Wisconsin whodunit with a determined developer, a cozy campfire, firm friends, good food, gossip galore, park avenue pink lipstick, and dithering over a decision.… (altro)