Murder at Barclay Meadow: A Rosalie Hart Mystery: 1

I had the privilege of receiving an advance copy of Murder in Barclay Meadow, the first mystery novel by Wendy Sand Eckel in the Rosalie Hart series, and have been asked to share my impressions. This book transported me to Maryland's Eastern Shore, where I met a group of strangers who soon became inseparable as they bonded around the common goal of unraveling the mystery of the suspicious death of a beautiful athletic college student, Megan Johnston.The writing is impeccable, with pacing that starts with a leisurely introduction to a string of unforgettable characters and races to a heart-thumping, cannot put down, "I cannot believe I am staying awake this late to finish this book," conclusion. Ms. Sand Eckel has the rare ability to describe in a sentence archetypical characters that you feel you have known your whole life, who soon become fresh, quirky, and unigue. And you will love her sly humor, whether describing a widowed dentist as being "Poligripped" to the side of a reluctant blind date, or another character's laugh as being "as contagious as a yawn," or protagonist Rosalie Hart, walking from her car trying to be discreet about the bottles of chardonnay she is carrying that uncooperatively "clanked incessantly like tattling siblings."A social worker by training and experience, Ms. Sand Eckel has keen insights into the human condition, including the dark, murderous side of seemingly ordinary people. While some mysteries are solved by cloistered individuals, not so here. Rosalie uses the collective wisdom of her new-found friends to bring justice and peaceful rest to young Megan, while Rosalie struggles to regain her bearings after being blindsided by the sudden end of her marriage just as her daughter sets out for college. I'd give MABM six stars if I could.

I liked the mystery and characters very much. Well paced and interesting! My main disappointment is that the author made up a fictional county and river in Maryland. As a native Marylander, it was jarring every time they mention the Cardigan River or Devon County. The Eastern Shore is big place. Sad that the author could not use a Maryland real county and river as her setting, especially when she mentions real places like Kent Island and Chevy Chase, or the frustration with traffic in Annapolis on the Severn River Bridge.

This is a delightful, thought-provoking, compelling debut mystery with a terrific lead character. As Rosalie Hart adjusts to life on Maryland's Eastern Shore, makes friends, and a few enemies, and solves a murder the police ignore, you will root for her every step of the way. I like characters who are multi-faceted, who "do" as well as think, and whose decisions and actions come with unexpected side effects. I like mysteries that tug at my mind and my heart, and challenge easy assumptions. I like surprises that force characters to change, question, and grow. I cared about Rosalie from page one. The author, Wendy Sand Eckel ,knows the Eastern Shore setting Rosalie finds herself in and artfully introduces it to readers. We discover its joys and problems as Rosalie does.Reading this book is like a ride with an expert pilot in a small plane--as soon as you start to read, you're airborne, the author effortlessly keeps the plot humming, throws in a few loop-the-loops for excitement, then brings the story home smoothly. I can't wait to join Rosalie for a ride in her nextbook. And I'm going to go up in this one again, just for the pleasure of the ride.

I couldn't put this book down until I finished it. While reading a murder mystery, there is always the temptation to skip ahead and just see "whodunit", but Ms Eckel makes the journey such a good read that you don't want to miss a page. She juxtaposes the assassination of Rosalie Hart's marriage with the murder of a beautiful college student found floating in the marsh grasses behind her newly inherited home on Maryland's Eastern Shore.After her husband confesses his love for another woman, Rosalie leaves the big city and seeks refuge in her deceased aunt's vintage home at Barclay Meadow located on the banks of the Cardigan River. She soon discovers a body floating in the river and meets the small-town Sheriff who is quick to rule the death an accident. Rosalie notices anomalies from the get-go and launches her own private investigation. She recruits some quirky, endearing characters from a Creative Wrting class she is taking and together, with the help of Facebook, they solve the case. Ms Eckel's Rosalie Hart is a modern-day heroine with old-school values and I just love her. She is a textured, talented woman who will win your heart.

I enjoyed reading 'Murder at Barclay Meadow', and was delighted to find the recipe for Aunt Charlotte's Five Grain Bread at the end of the book. I made the bread yesterday, and if you count the oats and coconut as grains, and while strictly speaking it is a -5-grain bread, when you throw in the coconut flour, flax seed meal, and sunflower seeds, I think one slice is probably your daily requirement for fiber! It is delicious with (or without!) honey butter. I will be making the bread often, and looking forward to her next book.