Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Manhattan in Miniature: A Miniature Mystery - Margaret Grace

Manhattan in Miniature: A Miniature Mystery
Margaret Grace
Perseverance, Apr 7 2015, $15.95
ISBN 9781564745620

Lincoln Point, California SuperKrafts store manager Bebe Mellon has a booth in a Manhattan Christmas crafts show.  She invites her friend retired English high school teacher Gerry Porter to accompany her to help with the setup.  Having grown up in the Bronx, an excited Gerry calls her former neighbor Cynthia Bishop that she and her tweener granddaughter Maddie are coming to town.  Ignoring Gerry’s explanation that she is working, Cynthia, who was there for her when her late husband had cancer and knows about the sleuthing success, tells her that someone murdered her Aunt Elsie; but NYPD refuses to investigate.

Besides assisting Bebe, Gerry shows Manhattan to an awed Maddie.  However at the event, Maddie watches a woman pocket an item on display from a table; while Gerry looks into the alleged homicide.  Grandma’s inquiry places the California pair on the radar of a clever killer.

The eighth Miniature mystery (see Monster in Miniature and Madness in Miniature) is an appealing amateur sleuth that combines two fine investigations with a charming tour of the Big Apple.  Although I admit I am biased when it comes to New York City settings having grown up in the Bronx (I even know why the borough is called THE Bronx), Manhattan in Miniature is a superb cozy.


Harriet Klausner

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