In a Midnight Wood: A Jane Lawless Mystery (Jane Lawless Mysteries (27))

Jane Lawless, a crime podcaster and private detective, and her best friend, Cordelia, are visiting an old friend, Emma, in Castle Lake for the annual art festival. It is happening the same weekend as Emma’s class reunion, and the day Jane and Cordelia arrive, bones are found in the churchyard. It is one of Emma’s classmates, her old boyfriend, who disappeared during high school. The town police, to Jane’s thinking, seem pretty incompetent, so she starts her own investigation and hopes to use her work on her podcast. She begins to uncover some terrible secrets involving several of Emma’s classmates and even the man in a troubled liaison with Emma in the present. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Jane Lawless mystery without a little romance, a whole lot of great meals, and Cordelia being outrageous.

Author Ellen Hart has a wonderful franchise with the cozy mysteries of Jane Lawless. This book will not disappoint her faithful readers, nor will it disappoint any new to her writing. There are red herrings aplenty to keep readers guessing. Everything is woven together into a tight piece with well-developed characters, snappy dialogue, and excellent writing. This is a perfect autumn read.