Who Killed 'Tom Jones'? - Gale Martin

Meeting new authors one might not normally read is a great reason to enter author giveaways. This one was a treat!

 

Ellie is working as a receptionist and general dogsbody at the Finger Nursing Home. She has long had fantasies of the perfect man, which in her case happens to be singer Tom Jones. When she sees that a Tom Jones look-alike contest is coming to town, she can’t buy her tickets fast enough. When she runs into an old friend whose husband is one of the contestants and the friend offers to set her up with another of the contestants, what could go wrong? Murder, of course.

 

The characters and the warmth of their relationships are the stars of this cozy mystery. The residents of the nursing home feel like real people, not caricatures. They are treated like normal humans, not like generic “old people.” I would love to know them. Ellie’s relationship with them and with the handyman at the home gives real heart to this book. Her relationship with her old friend, who was use to ruling the roost, was also fairly realistic in my opinion. At least as realistic as you can expect a cozy to get. The characters are funny and goofy and there is plenty of comic relief to go with a good mystery. Light-hearted fun and a pleasant escapist read.

 

The only drawback I saw was that the romance developed at lightning speed. I like a slower burn and there was one scene that was slightly more explicit than most cozies. All in all, I’d love to see these characters return in a sequel.

 

I was given this book by the author in return for an honest review.