In the Catskills of New York during the summer of 2019, Detective Susan Ford, who had been working alone, now teams up with Jack, her new partner. Their first case leads them to the Monticello Playhouse, where a production of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is set to open that night. The play's director has been murdered and his gruesome condition bears a striking resemblance to a series of murders in 1969, a case that Susan's father, retired Detective Will Ford, was the lead investigator on. As the story shifts back to 1969, Will provides information on the case. He recalls his involvement in the Woodstock music festival and as he remembers more and more crucial information, Susan and Jack are able to put the pieces together to this mystery. With a cast of actors and crew, no one is beyond suspicion.
While The Summer of Love and Death is the third book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. Marcy McCreary's first two novels in the Ford Family Mystery series are so good that it makes sense to start from the beginning and read The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon and The Murder of Madison Garcia. This is McCreary's most intricate storyline, involving many characters and a secondary case that may or may not be connected. Along with Woodstock, McCreary does a great job weaving in other significant events from 1969, including the Miracle Mets and the Apollo 11 moon landing, into Will's story. For everyone who loves to play detective while reading a good mystery, add this book to your list.
Many thanks to the author and publisher CamCat Books for providing an advance.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Mystery | Police Procedural.
Publication Date: August 13, 2024.
Please "like" this post if The Summer of Love and Death sounds like a book you might like to read. I'd love to know. Scroll below the photo and click on the red outlined heart on the lower right-hand side of the page. Comments can also be left below.
Comments