Murder at the Mill: Emma Berry Mysteries, #4

By Irene Sauman

Two men are dead, but can Emma figure out which one was the intended victim before her friend is charged with murder?

Emma has done what she can to resolve the relationship issues resulting from that old promise, and has gone away to visit her friends, the O'Neills at the Lockwood property on the Darling River. When the flour mill explodes, not everyone in the family believes it was an accident and Emma becomes involved when Brendan O'Neill is accused of killing the miller. After all, no one would want to kill the head of the Lockwood family. Would they? Or are things not what they seem among the Lockwood brothers?

Does Evan have his eye on Andrew's wife? Or did Declan want Andrew out of the way so he could run the family property? Even Alfie the beagle has an agenda, if only for beef jerky treats.   

But there are twists in the story and being manipulated by the family doesn't sit well with Emma. She needs to reveal the culprit before she has to return home, or leave the Lockwoods with a murderer in their midst, and the O'Neill's with an uncertain future.

And when she does return to Wirramilla, will she find the problems she left behind there have been resolved? Or are all their lives still in limbo?

It's a great read, full of the historical details, humour and well-paced action that we've come to expect from Irene Sauman. Reviewed on Amazon Australia, December 8, 2020.

This book follows British/Australian English. A clean cozy mystery: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jakada Books
• Release date: Mar 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9780645034936

Irene Sauman

Irene is a retired historian living in Perth, Western Australia. She grew up and went to school in New South Wales by the mighty Murray River, the setting for her cosy mystery books. Now living in Western Australia, she has three children and four grandchildren, and a sister who beta reads her books for plot holes and to see how quickly she can solve the mystery. So far she's not winning. When not writing, Irene reads, watches tennis, is an awesome croquet player (old age and treachery will defeat youth and enthusiasm every time), and has a reasonably green thumb, which means very little dies in her garden, unlike in her cosy mysteries. Her favourite authors-past are Anthony Trollope, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie. She read heaps of modern authors too, of course, not restricted to those who write cosy mysteries, but they are a favourite.