Amanda AllenRecensioni

Set in the 20s in Santa Fe, Maddie has moved to Santa Fe to become a painter and her Cousin Gwen is in the Movies. Now there is a film crew in the town to film a movie and Gwen is in it so she visits Maddie. Maddie is drawn into it all, there are some references to a previous murder but the story is complete without having to go back to the first book in the series.
Movie Director dies and as he's a heel there are several suspects. Maddie helps solve it, if only to exonerate her cousin.½

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical mysteries, and was intrigued by the setting of A Death in Santa Fe — and I wasn’t disappointed. Although the mystery was well done, it was the setting that drew me in. Snappy dialogue, speakeasies, and an enchanting landscape cast a spell on me.

Although this is the third in a series, it worked well as a standalone. Maddie was a capable (and not too annoying) amateur sleuth. I have already taken out the first two in the series from my library, and look forward to reading any more to come!

1922 Santa Fe and the film industry had arrived in town with the shooting of a film. As does Maddie Vaughn-Alwin’s cousin aspiring actress Gwen Astor. But murder also arrives.
A cozy mystery which took a long time to develop into a mystery. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be much investigating until Madddie decides who the guilty party is, and I didn't particularly take to the main character either. Although the second in the series it can easily be read as a standalone book.
A NetGalley Book

A perfectly serviceable Jazz Age cozy mystery.

Sleepy Santa Fe in 1922 is invaded by a movie crew wanting authenticity for their new cowboy film. Painter Maddie Vaughn-Alwin is caught up in the mystique of the glamor of the film culture. Her cousin, Gwen, arrives with the rest of the actors and tells Maddie that the despicable director has used her and tossed her away. Things go from bad to worse when Maddie finds the director of the film hanging in his office. It quickly looks like this was no suicide and there is a plethora of suspects, including Gwen. Maddie decides she must prove Gwen’s innocence, and the game is afoot.

This is the second book in Allen’s Santa Fe series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

The book is well written, the author uses her research to set the scene without trying to overwhelm the reader with her knowledge, and the characters, while not all charming, are all interesting. The most interesting among them is Maddie herself. The story moves along at a slow pace befitting the time frame and the location. Once the scene is set, it does pick up the pace, but remains dignified.

If you’re looking for a historical cozy, then this is the book for you. If this is the first book in this series you want to read, by the time you get to the end, you’ll want to find the first book.

The major reason why I chose to read Santa Fe Mourning is its setting of Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1920s, and in this respect, the book certainly does not disappoint. The landscape comes to life and so does the time period. In the 1920s, Santa Fe was a place where people with lung ailments went for cures-- and where ne'er-do-wells and rich families' "black sheep" went so they wouldn't be an embarrassment. We also get to learn about some of the real-life people who called the place home. All in all, I was given some happy researching to do about the area's history-- and I'm also planning a return trip.

The mystery surrounding the man's death is solid, although I did find whodunit rather easy to deduce. For me, the major downfall of the book is in its characters. Maddie is a strong main character, and her wealthy background does give her an advantage when trying to tease out some of the clues, but the rest of the cast is rather two-dimensional. I was most disappointed in Maddie's love interest-- a handsome British doctor who comes to work at an area hospital. The man has very little to say for himself. The two meet for dinner, but we're told more of what they spoke about than actually hearing their conversation. The doctor helps Maddie out in her investigation, but we don't hear it from him; once again we're told what he discovered. When a character is supposed to be so wonderful, I want to find out for myself, not be told secondhand, and I would imagine many readers feel the same way.

So... I have a dilemma. Do I read the next book in the series because I love the setting and the time period so much? Or do I give it a miss because the characters are disappointing? I'm afraid the jury is still out.