In her debut
novel Kat Ailes explores what happens when a death happens so close to a
prenatal class in a small town.
Alice and her partner Joe have decided to move from London to the small sleepy town of Penton because they are expecting their first child together. The agree that the small town feels like the perfect place to raise a family. That is until a local shop keeper's body is found just a few feet from where Alice and Joe are attending their prenatal class. What Alice and Joe also don’t expect is that somehow everyone in the class is now a suspect. With that in mind, Alice and the other women in the class has a common goal, to prove that they did not murder the shop keeper and find out who did. Penton is far from the idyllic town that they thought it would be and between the shady commune in the woods to a mysterious death that occurred 10 years prior, moving to the country may not have been the best thing.
I really enjoy small town mysteries as I find that while the small town may look quant to those who are just visiting you have to know that there are probably secret galore in that town as well. Hard to keep secrets when everyone knows each other. What makes this one different from books that you have read in the past is the main two individuals who do the detecting are Pregnant, well along pregnant, like could pop at any moment. This add a unique perspective in what Alice decides to do, I mean when you're pregnant and already off work what better way to spend your time than to investigate a murder.
This is a cute cozy mystery that is not that high on suspense and more about a very pregnant women and one who just had a baby try to figure out who a murderer is. There are some different aspects with the hippie compound that seems to be the center of it all, as well as the death that occurred 10 years ago that seems suspicious. With all this i will say that Ailes did a good job of keeping things straight and not confusing. I was able to figure out one twist but not the other. We only get Alice's POV in this book so i feel like you get to know her quite well and her motivation to investigate the murder is really seeded in her need to find friends.
Helen is the best character and I will not be swayed from this. Really Helen is the hero here.
I like that Ailes highlights at the beginning of a book how hard it is to root up one's life when they are older and how much harder it is to make friends as an adult. It's like we all forgot how to make friends and are just overly concerned that we will say the wrong thing, that we do say the wrong thing. Alice i very conscious of this and often put her foot in her mouth.
The book did feel overly long by the end of it though and everything get tidied up in a neat bow. I think you can also tell with the writing style that this is Ailes debut novel but I have no issue with that.
This was a good easy read, with some fun and funny moments. If you want a break from more serious books, this is one to give a try. I mean they are pregnant, why not investigate a murder.
Enjoy!!!
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