A Home-Crafting Mystery

Lye in Wait by Cricket McRae
(Adult Mystery)

Sophie Mae Reynolds runs a home business making soaps, bath salts, lotions, etc.  Should be a cushy life, one far away from murder and mayhem.  Yet, when Sophie finds her next-door neighbor and handyman murdered in her studio, crime comes crashing through the back door.

When police determine that Walter, the handyman, died in Sophie's studio after drinking lye, she turns into their number one suspect.  Sophie is determined to prove them wrong and clear her name.

I really liked the characters in this book.  Sophie is both hard-headed and stubborn and those traits lead her to uncover some clues that point to the murderer.  Her detective skills are both exasperating to local law enforcement agent Barr Ambrose and endearing and the romantic side-note is a nice surprise.

What I especially like about it was more than just the cozy feel. Sometimes, cozy mysteries can leave me feeling a bit underwhelmed but this had quite a bit of unraveling to do and kept my attention right to the end.  I loved the multi-generational feel to the story.  It is one that many family members could read and decode together--something for everyone.  No grisly murders, no bad language-nothing that would offend a young adult or elderly grandma.   In all, a pleasant introduction to this series and author and one I will be checking out again.