Book Review – QUIET ANCHORAGE by Ed Lynskey
Quiet Anchorage Synopsis
Quiet Anchorage, Virginia, looks like paradise. When she’s accused of murdering her fiance, however, the small town is anything but heavenly for Megan Connors. With her fingerprints on the murder weapon, it looks like an open-and-shut case, and Sheriff Fox, running for reelection and anxious to get credit for ‘solving’ a murder case, intends on ramming through charges and getting a conviction. Megan’s only champions are her aging aunts. They don’t believe she’s guilty, but what can two senior citizens do against the powers of the state and the evidence against Megan?
Isabel and Alma Trumbo may be aging, even worried about memory loss, but they’ve read just about every mystery published in the past half-century. They’re sure they’ve picked up the skills and knowledge they need to prove Megan’s innocence. Starting with the town’s gossips and loafers, then scaling up when the sexy ex-girlfriend of one of the Sheriff’s deputies joins them, they search for alternate suspects, possible motives, and any evidence that might exonerate their niece. (BooksForABuck.com)
Book Review
I simply cannot go past a cosy mystery featuring an elderly sleuth. An elderly female sleuth, all the better. Quiet Anchorage features two elderly sister sleuths that live together with a library of much-loved fictional mysteries at their disposal – what could be a better premise?
Ed Lynskey’s cosy mystery Quiet Anchorage was somewhat of a conundrum for me. Lynskey has come up with a wonderful story framework, shows moments of brilliance in setting a scene and in character development, but there were also moments of confusion. In my opinion, this novel would have benefitted immensely from some strong editing. At times the dialogue was noticeably jarring and a few things the characters did just didn’t quite add up to me.
Having said that, I just adored spunky sisters Isabel and Alma and their quirky behaviours.
Alma heard a ringtone, and her hand slipping under the pillows retrieved her cell phone. She flipped it open, her first words saying, “Hallo, Isabel.”
“Did Young Thor’s hammer jar you awake, too?” Doesn’t it make you want to stamp next door and throttle him?” asked Isabel in her cotton-mouthed irritation.
Alma replied with her own question, “Did you sleep well before the thunder struck?”
…
Thumbing off their connection, Alma marvelled at the convenience to chat on a cell phone. Hadn’t telephone science, or whatever it was called, advanced by leaps and bounds since the telephone party lines relied on back in the Middle Ages? She abhorred their indolence to lounge in bed and speak rather than walking down the hallway to hold a normal face-to-face conversation. She let out a sign, thinking, well, that was progress for you.
A quick read that is very keenly priced, but this is a title I’d only recommend to die-hard cosy mystery addicts.
BOOK RATING: The Story 3 / 5 ; The Writing 2.5 / 5
BOOK DETAILS: Quiet Anchorage
Genre: Mystery, Crime-Detective
Author Information: Ed Lynskey has several published titles in the mystery and crime fiction genre. See his Amazon Author page for more details.
Other Reviews of Quiet Anchorage: Book Den ; Bea’s Book Nook
* My receiving this book free for review purposes did not impact my ability to express my honest feelings about this title.
