In MURDER AT MORNINGSIDE, Missy DuBois makes hats and other
fixings for brides-to-be while her best friend creates
wedding dress confections next door. Hired to work for
Trinity Solomon's wedding, the two find themselves at
Morningside Plantation for the big event. Normally, I like
cozies, especially the first in a series, because they are
fast reads, don't require much critical thinking and I get
introduced to a bevy of new characters. While MURDER AT
MORNINGSIDE by Sandra Bretting checks some of these boxes,
I had some believability issues from the start. I felt
Missy DuBois as a southern belle was overplayed, and while
the heroine makes some blunders in all cozies, DuBois
seemed even ditzier than usual. She befriends, Ivy Solomon,
the bride's stepmother at a tea and hat contest. When
Trinity's body is found in the women's bathroom, Missy
wants to investigate what happened because of her
friendship with Ivy? After an hour?
Missy has a bunch of characters to choose from including
all the bridesmaids who don't shed a tear, a father who is
well-known and not liked at all for his abuse of employees
and cheapskate ways and the myriad of employees at
Morningside any of whom might have ulterior motives for
being there.
This does not mean there isn't promise for
the series, it just means that the more realistic Missy
becomes, the stronger the books. There were similar issues
with the plot, and even through it's the first book in a
series, I wanted to know more about the characters—to feel
like I knew them and could root for them—not that they
could be anybody.
I am curious about Missy's friend, Ambrose. They're
obviously close but not as close as Missy would like? Is he
gay? Shy? Inquiring minds are curious and will likely check
out the next book to find out more on that front. While
this is Bretting's first book for Kensington, she has
written two books for Five Star that I may check out as
well. I try very hard not to judge an author on one book.
Hat designer Missy DuBois opened her shop, Crowning Glory,
along Louisiana's Great River Road to cater to the
sophisticated Southern bride. But bless her heart, who knew
creating stylish wedding veils would lead to murder?
Hired to craft a veil for a socialite getting married at
Morningside Plantation means Missy can bask in the height of
antebellum atmosphere. But when the bride is found dead in a
women's bathroom, Missy the milliner finds herself entangled
in one unfashionable murder. With the list of suspects
thicker than the sweltering Louisiana heat, including a
gaggle of bridesmaids shedding nary a tear and a family with
no shortage of enemies, it seems anyone at the mansion may
have done away with the bride-to-be. While Missy has
Southern charm to spare, she's going to need more than
manners and a manicure to put a hat pin on this murderous
affair . . .
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