AUTHOR: A.H. Gabhart
DATE: 2015
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ****
After a few years as a police officer in Chicago, Michael Keane has no trouble relaxing into the far less stressful job of deputy sheriff in his small hometown. After all, nothing ever happens in Hidden Springs, Kentucky. Nothing, that is, until a dead body is discovered on the courthouse steps. Everyone in town is a little uneasy. Still, no one is terribly worried--after all the man was a stranger--until one of their own is murdered right on Main Street.
As Michael works to solve the case it seems that every nosy resident in town has a theory. When the sheriff insists Michael check out one of these harebrained theories, his surprising discovery sends him on a bewildering search for a mysterious killer that has him questioning everything he has ever believed about life in Hidden Springs.
Murder at the Courthouse fits Wikipedia’s definition of a cozy mystery to a T: sweet and warm, in spite of the body propped against the courthouse pillar. Michael Keane left the big, fast-paced city of Columbus to avoid this kind of scenario. After all, everyone knows everyone in his hometown, so other than a few minor incidents, what could go wrong?
With quirky characters and an attractive small town, this story is easy to read, and its mystery kept me guessing. A.H. Gabhart brings Hidden Springs and its inhabitants to life with. Except for the murdered stranger, of course. The story’s pace felt more like a stroll than a race, but it seemed fitting.
I enjoyed Murder at the Courthouse and award it four stars. The publisher offered me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion, which I have given.