AUTHOR: A.H. Gabhart
DATE: 2017
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ****
Young Maggie Greene may be trespassing in the old, empty Victorian mansion on a quiet street in Hidden Springs, but all she wants is some private time in the magnificent tower room to write her stories. Certain she'll be in trouble if caught, she hides when a realtor shows up. But someone else is in the house too, someone even more worried about getting caught. When Maggie finds the realtor's body at the bottom of a flight of stairs and the other person gone, Deputy Sheriff Michael Keane is called in. He assumes the realtor's death is a tragic accident--until a second person is found dead in the house. When Maggie is threatened, Michael must catch the murderer before anyone else dies.
Even though this is the third installment featuring the small town of Hidden Springs and its Deputy Sheriff Michael Keene, the real star of Murder is No Accident is Maggie Greene. She’s the one who hears the first death. She gets the threatening phone call. She has to protect her little brother. So while Michael eases into the mystery, Maggie is at its epicenter.
I have read all three of Ms. Gabhart’s Hidden Springs mysteries, and this is the most suspenseful by far, due to the involvement of fifteen-year-old Maggie. She is a worthy heroine, trying to do the right thing but unsure exactly what that means—especially when her young brother is threatened. Her budding relationship with Anthony felt realistic and added sweetness to the story.
As in the other two books, secondary characters add a lot of color to the town and its stories. As far as a faith element, there was very little, but the story does have a Christian worldview. One thing I wished for in this series was a good description of Michael Keene. He is described as “handsome,” but after reading three books about him, I still cannot picture him. Maybe I missed that part.
Murder is No Accident is a good read, one I could recommend to any age, and it earns four stars. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are my own.