*****5 stars
I read this for a book club and found it unique and interesting. When Nell learns of her father’s death after a long separation, she discovers a map that he’s hidden in his desk at the New York Public Library’s map room. The map, what appears to be a simple gas station street map, turns out to be a precious commodity that collectors will pay exorbitant money for and someone will even kill for it.
As Nell uncovers the map’s secret she becomes embroiled in a dangerous quest that leads her to an imaginary town called Agloe where her parents and their college friends ventured using the same map. When Nell’s father’s death is termed a murder and more victims are killed, Nell must solve the map’s mystery to learn what really happened to her mother who supposedly was killed in a fire when Nell was a child.
Once Nell meets her parents’ college friends, the past story unfolds through each of them. The end features a twist, and there’s also a romantic subplot. I highly recommend this book to those who like magical mysteries.
I'm a retired librarian and the award-winning author of the Cobble Cove and Buttercup Bend cozy mystery series and other novels, short stories, poems, articles, and a novella. My books include CLOUDY RAINBOW, REASON TO DIE, SEA SCOPE, MEMORY MAKERS, TIME'S RELATIVE, MEOWS AND PURRS, and MEMORIES AND MEOWS.
My Cobble Cove cozy mystery series published by Solstice Publishing consist of 6 books: A STONE'S THROW, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, WRITTEN IN STONE, LOVE ON THE ROCKS, NO GRAVESTONE UNTURNED, and SNEAKY'S SUPERNATURAL MYSTERY AND OTHER COBBLE COVE STORIES. My new Buttercup Bend series published by Next Chapter Publishing includes THE CASE OF THE CAT CRAZY LADY, THE CASE OF THE PARROT LOVING PROFESSOR, THE CASE OF THE LLAMA RAISING LIBRARIAN, and THE CASE OF THE WHALE WATCHING WEDDING PLANNER.
I've also written a romantic comedy novella, WHEN JACK TRUMPS ACE, and short stories of various genres published as eBooks and in anthologies published by the Red Penguin Collection. My poetry appears in the Nassau County Voices in Verse and the Bard's Annual. My latest book is A MIXED BAG OF CAT TAILS, a multi-genre collection of ten stories featuring cats.
I'm a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Cat Writers' Association. I live on Long Island with my husband, daughter, and 2 cats.
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