Let There Be Suspects

I am soooo pleased that Emilie Richards has written this series of novels. I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas mystery. It was a good mystery plus full of chuckles.

I confess...I love this series! I found the first book to be less than great because the main character, Aggie, seemed just too-too... too perfect. However, all that is gone in the second book of the Ministry is Murder series, and I LOVED this one! Though the murder didn't happen until after page 90, I thoroughly enjoyed the build up and the family dysfunction! It was great fun, and very realistic. I found myself immediately wanting to read the next one in the series, Beware False Profits, but I don't have it yet. I am eager to read it, and that is always a good sign for a series, in my book! Great fun, interesting characters, good mystery, and satisfying ending -- all the ingredients for a good cozy mystery are find right within the pages of Let There Be Suspects.

If you are not familiar with the writing of Emilie Richards get on board with Let There Be Suspects. It's funny and heartwarming and so well written I'm sure you'll be an immediate fan. This is the second in the Ministry is Murder series where mildmannered Aggie Sloan-Wilcox deals with the everyday life of being a Minister's wife raising a family, dealing with relatives and busybody paritioners and oh yes solves murder in her spare time. Be prepared to laugh out loud while you read this book.

Just finished this second in Richard's new Ministry is Murder series. I am a cozy mystery addict, but this series is already my favorite of all times. Emilie packs unique characters in a page-turning plot and manages to make me belly laugh along the way. Absolutely delightful. I didn't want this book to end, and I can't wait until the next one in the series.

Aggie Sloan-Wilcox knows that as a minister's wife, she can't get involved in too many scandals. That's why she's trying to put that whole finding a naked body on the front porch thing behind her. As part of that effort, she's hosting a Christmas open house for everyone in the congregation. Things won't be as easy for her as she had hoped, however. Her free spirited mother, Junie, has planned a family reunion without consulting Aggie. Everyone is scheduled to arrive in time for the party. Still, Aggie is delighted to see her sisters, Sid and Vel and figures Junie's eccentricities won't be too much of a problem. However, Junie shows up with a bit of a surprise, their foster sister Ginger. Ginger has a way of making enemies wherever she goes. She manipulative and controlling while appearing sweet on the outside. Junie has never seen this, but Sid was Ginger's victim one too many times during childhood, and their old rivalry leaps to life immediately, making the church's new punch bowl a causality. Things only get worse when Ginger is murdered on Christmas Eve and her body left at the town's nativity scene. Sid doesn't have an alibi, so naturally, she becomes the chief suspect. Aggie can't stand by and let Sid take the fall, so she begins looking into Ginger's past. This turns up more new suspects then Aggie could ever hope to eliminate. Can she sort through them to find the killer before Sid goes to jail? While I enjoyed the first entry in this series, I absolutely loved this one. Aggie and her family are very real people who leap off the page and into your hearts. The plot moves forward quickly and had me confused until the end. The sub-plots involving Aggie's daughters didn't slow things down and added to the fun. The next book in this series can't get here fast enough for me. I highly recommend this mystery for cozy fans.