My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3 stars to Leighann Dobbs‘s Dead Wrong, her debut novel in the Blackmoore Sisters Mystery series. I selected this book as it was a free electronic iBooks read on my Apple iPad and because I had read another debut novel in a different series by the author. It’s a fun, short read, contains a direct path to the resolution and begins to drop a few hints about potential magical ways that run through the town and in the Blackmoore family.
Story
Four sisters, living in huge cliff-side Victorian home belonging to their family for centuries, are barely scraping by to afford the taxes on their inheritance when one of them is thrown in jail for killing an elderly fuddy duddy who accuses them of being witches. Morgan, who jokingly told Prudence how she’d kill her, finds herself the primary suspect when the woman winds up dead in the same manner she’d threatened the previous morning. The sisters unite to find the real killer while fighting off the persistent real estate broker attempting to buy their home and offer them a way out of maintaining the family land. As the sisters question the neighbors, search their attic full of mysterious boxes and tchotchkes, and commiserate on their love lives, the mystery comes to a quick resolution leaving the sisters even more curious about their family history.
Strengths
1. Noquitt, the Maine town setting, has all the classic characteristics needed to charm readers. Think “Practical Magic,” the movie about a witch family starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, and you’ll instantly know what you’re dealing with!
2. It’s a very quick read with little in the way of sub-plots and side-stories. If you are a reader fond of just the mystery without any distractions, you’ll love it but you’ll also probably guess it fairly quickly.
Weaknesses
The story has so many hints and clues about future things to come, it’s almost too simple. We already know 3 primary characters are keeping secrets but don’t know exactly what they are. We already know they are witches even though nothing has come right out and said it. It does build a little suspense but too obviously.
Final Thoughts
I do like the story and the setting. I see potential. These are the kinds of books I’ll squeeze in when I need something fairly light and quick as you can run through it in about 3 hours one evening before bed or on a Sunday morning before you start your day!