Scene of the Grime

I read this book while traveling, and it fit right in with my other cozy mysteries. (Daheim, Hart, Mott-Davidson and others) I always catch a few misprints, as I read, and generally find times when I disagree with word usage, punctuation, and "just plain" grammar, but I don't hold those against the author. This book was a pleasant choice for a quick, fun adventure, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys "escape fiction" as I definitely do. I will be looking forward to the next book in what I hope will be a great new series.

This is a fun little book that take a bright look at life in a small town. You'll probably recognize some of the characters. The cleaning tips are an extra bonus. I read it all in just two sittings. I'll be looking for Sky Taylor's next mystery.

After she lost her husband to cancer, Sky Taylor left the big city to return home to Pigeon Cove, Massachusetts where she writes a cleaning lips column for the Cape Ann newspaper. She applies those same tips to clean homes, offices and bungalows in the area; because she is such a perfectionist she is in demand. In the time she has lived there she has made friends with Abel Monahan who also has a residence in Florida. While she is cleaning the hallway outside Abe's room, Sky sees a hand print on the wall she hears his cat screaming. She opens the door and sees his dead body on the floor, blood still dripping from the blow to his head. She doesn't understand why anyone would kill such a dear old man who also cared about her nor does she know why two men staying in Abe's room are giving her the creeps especially or why they are following her around town. The newspaper reporter who has shown interest in her thinks he has answers if she believes him, but believing him will mean she never really knew Abe at all. Readers will thoroughly enjoy SCENES OF THE GRIME (even the title is humorous), a rich focus on a heroine who compulsively cleans until everything shines. She is a special person and other characters as well as readers sense she is genuine. This is a delightful sassy tale filled with eccentric interesting characters that add to the whodunit. Told from Sky's perspective, readers learn a lot of cleaning tips that are not supposed to be used at a murder scene like she does. Suzanne Price provides a delightful grime cleaning (make that crime cleaning) amateur sleuth. Harriet Klausner