Death in Duplicate

Susan and Jed Henshaw are thrilled to become grandparents for the first time when their daughter Chrissy gives birth to twins. Susan is even more thrilled when Chrissy, her husband Stephen, and the twins move in with them until they find a place to live. Twins are a lot of work and Chrissy and Stephen hire a baby nurse, Shannon Tapley, to help out. Things are a bit hectic but everything is going okay until Susan's next door neighbor, Nadine Barnes, recognizes Shannon and tells Susan that Shannon was a suspect in several deaths at a nearby nursing home. Susan is still dealing with that revelation when Nadine is discovered murdered in her own kitchen. Really worried now, but not sure how much to tell the police, Susan, with some help from her friend, Kathleen Gordon, begins to investigate not only Nadine's death, but also the events at the nursing home. When a second murder occurs, Susan begins to think she should pull back and let the police do the work. But the killer may already believe that Susan has gotten a little too close to the truth and may try to stop her. I've read many of Valerie Wolzien's Susan Henshaw mysteries and "Death in Duplicate" is one of the best in the series. Susan is a good strong character, willing to do what it takes to protect her family. While she's not in this book as much as she is in other books in the series, ex-policewoman, Kathleen Gordon, adds a lot to the scenes she is in. As in all the other Susan Henshaw mysteries, Susan's husband Jed is a bit bland as is her daughter Chrissy (this is truly Susan's book and series). Shannon is the standout among the supporting characters, wanting to protect her cousin Mike who is the chief suspect, yet afraid he really is the killer. A couple of the nursing home residents, Sally and Tally, add a lot to the book. Wolzien seems to be well aware of her readers thoughts - just when I was wondering why Susan knew so much more than the police, Wolzien lets readers know that police chief Brett Fortescue is well aware that Susan is withholding information. There's a nice sense of humor throughout the book (I loved Stephen's parents Rhythm and Blues) and some of the humor is tongue in cheek like when many people recognize Susan as a bit of a celebrity because she's had her picture in the paper from solving other cases. The mystery is well plotted and while there aren't a lot of suspects, I thought I knew who the murderer was, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was completely wrong. "Death in Duplicate" is a great cozy mystery.

This is the first book by Valerie Wolzien I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to reading her other books in the series.!

When Susan and Jeb Henshaw's new twin grandchildren, their daughter Chrissy , their son-in-law Stephen, their two mastiffs, and the twin's nurse Shannon come to stay with them until their Chrissy and Stephen can find an apartment in New York City, they are thrilled. That is until Susan's neighbor Nadine Barnes watches them move in and promptly tells Susan that Shannon was a suspect in the deaths of three residents at the Perry Island Care Center. This case still remains open. Susan decides to investigate the care center homicides in the hopes of clearing Shannon because she sees how much she seems to care for her daughter and grandchildren. Plus she doesn't know how they would function without her! Their house is overtaken by baby things and dinner time isn't relaxing anymore. When one baby is quiet, the other one needs to be taken care of. While Susan is investigating the care center homicides, someone murders Nadine. Now Susan wonders whether Shannon silenced her neighbor. Susan continues sleuthing to try to find out more. In the process, she discovers that Nadine's husband and his mother, both real estate developers, have plans for Perry Island. One of their plans is to destroy the nursing home. Can Susan uncover the truth about the murders with putting herself or those she loves in danger? I always enjoy books by Valerie Wolzien in the Susan Henshaw series. Susan is such a likeable character. Now that her children are grown, she is having new experiences but still having time to investigate murders. Her friend Kathleen is a great help in her investigations, along with her friend the chief of police, Brett. I think Susan would be fun to have as a neighbor, except it would be dangerous to live near her-her neighbors tend to die! I highly recommend this book.

The latest Susan Henshaw Mystery is a fun read! I think I enjoy finding out what is going on with Susan's and Kathleen's families as much as I do solving the mystery. This time Susan's daughter and her husband move in with the Henshaw's (with their twin newborns and nanny), and almost immediately, the next-door neighbor is found murdered. Susan and Kathleen investigate, and as always, figure out who the killer is. This novel is a great addition to the series.