Murder at the Brightwell

I'm a fan of the Electra McDonnell novels so I thought I'd give this series a try. I must say I think the author has come a long way in her writing since her debut novel. Not that it wasn't worthwhile reading, but I felt this one could've used some more aggressive editing, cutting unnecessary sentences and paragraphs, as well as some better mystery plotting.

It was about 50-50 mystery and romance but the romance bits were much more engaging than the mystery—and I am reading it more for the mystery.

I particularly felt like the author held her cards too close to her chest with regard to the characters. I didn't really learn anything notable about them until the reveal at the end. Up until then I didn't have many theories about who did it because I didn't know enough backstory about the characters to feel like they had any motive, and she didn't really create a distinct path of clues to follow.

I am always skeptical when authors are compared to Agatha Christie because they are almost never like her at all—her name is just a buzzword—but one way the author differs from her predecessor is that Christie much more focused on stringing together the mystery plot. It pieces together like a puzzle. This one didn't.

I engaged with the protagonists and the relationships so I intend to keep reading the series. I am hoping the mystery elements improve over time.