mystery, magical realism
Hazel has spent her life in a small north Georgia town and
recently opened a book shop now that her kids are older and less needy. When a new customer with whom she had made a
connection is murdered, she takes it upon herself to try to figure out who
killed him since the police are incorrectly assuming they already have the
murderer in custody.
I was sad to see Cash die so early in the novel. He had
quickly entered my heart and, apparently, Hazel had been similarly affected by
him. I agreed with Hazel that his demise
deserved further investigation. However, as the wife of the District Attorney
and niece of a police captain, she was reckless and naïve in her audacious
secret investigation.
Other than my annoyance with some of Hazel’s methods and the
fact that I don’t tend to love murder mysteries, the story held my interest and
I was curious to see how the story would wrap up. I also really liked Hazel’s ability to see
colors indicative of people’s emotions--very cool magical realism—which was the
unique skill she brought to her investigation and referenced in the title Guilt is Midnight Blue.
In Longing is Violet Dusk, Hazel is on the case again when one of her friends goes missing.
She had just given Nina a novel from her bookshop and Hazel’s
first instinct was to feel guilty, thinking that Nina might’ve gotten the idea
to cheat on her husband from the behaviors of the book characters. Feeling compelled to help her friend, Hazel
aided in the search and investigation.
Hazel was less reckless with this investigation. Still,
because they were in a small town and she had a close relationship with the
police chief, she was involved in some seemingly improper activities. Still, she relied
on her personal relationships and natural charm to make some key discoveries.
And her wonderful friend from the woods, Waylon, returns in this sequel to make
a big discovery.
This was another good read from my friend, Josalyn McAllister,
who actually made me tear up at the end during a tender moment. This was a cozy
mystery about real-life people with a little magical realism thrown in.
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