Enjoy First in Mystery Series by Wendy L. Young!

oyApple pie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"The center of town was still a relatively simple affair. Most of
the town was made up of houses spiraling away from an
intersection of three main streets. The Corner Pie Shop was
right in the middle...
"The pie shop was, and had been for the past seventy-nine
years, a Campbell Creek institution. The story went that first
they built the factories. Then they built the gas station. Then
there was the church. And then there was pie...
"Ricky raised an eyebrow. 'Pie? For breakfast/'
"Pie, Ricky-Bob, is a Southern virtue," Will said, "and one
I believe in with all my heart.
And that's all you need to know."

Come the Shadows:
 The Cabin Creek Mysteries
  Book 1


By Wendy L. Young







You know it's a quiet little town when the central meeting place is the Pie Shop! What a cool idea--pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner! At least it was for Will Harmon, a member of the police force in this small town.

We meet him first at the site where a body had been found in an empty bread factory. He hoped to get the case since there hadn't been a murder in 17 years, but once again it was already assigned--to somebody who would never share details with him! So, since he also learned at that time, that he had a new partner, Rogers, he told him to meet him at the Pie Shop for breakfast! They hadn't had a new officer for more than 10 years and Will knew that he would be expected to train him. Then when he got home, Laura, his wife announced that they had new neighbors--the Rogers... Too much togetherness?

Most of the town enjoyed living in Cabin Creek, but recently a developer had proposed a new project for the town. All of the old factories were now deserted so many would find work if approved. Laura was very concerned that they didn't know much about what would take place and that it was moving so fast, so of course, Will was also involved. The town seem to be moving toward a division.especially when Laura took on the lead role in requesting detailed information, including building plans. But then the developer started to talk with individual property owners and was offering enough that many started to make commitments to sell.

In the meantime, Will knew little about the dead body except what the new ME, his sister, Jessa, was willing to share. This was her first case, however, so she was holding to procedure. Until she realized that she was also being led by her superiors to hurry and close the case...

That's when she called her brother, she told him it was murder! And sought his guidance...
Will of course jumped on the case, investigating even when he wasn't supposed to, happy to realize that his new partner was willing to help and had some experience with homicide.

Sure, the murder mystery investigation was important, but readers also become involved in Laura's fight against the town's politicians regarding the new development--and we learn quickly that Laura is a formidable woman! In fact, readers will enjoy meeting the whole family and will begin to look forward to meeting them again in the series. The ending was a surprise and was handled quite effectively even though it involved an unexpected turn.

Spotlighting the plight of small towns which are built when work is available and then are hurt when the factories close or move away is one that can be often found across America. But new development is not always the answer and must be thoroughly investigated! Wendy Young has taken a routine situation, created caring people, as well as criminals that do what they do best. Adding murder makes this one I would include in the "cozy mystery" genre since Laura got into the investigation!...You'll know you want to continue the series because of the setting, the people...and the great writing style that's been presented. Enjoy this one!

GABixlerReviews

Wendy L. Young has been writing for more than twenty years. She writes character-driven mystery and suspense set in the fictional town of Campbell Creek, North Carolina and is currently at work on the third installment of the series. 

Wendy lives in East Tennessee with her husband, son, and one grouchy cat.
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