Mums and Mayhem: 11/04/20

Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower is the third in the Magic Garden mystery series. Fiona Knox has the contract to provide flowers for the folk music festival, featuring the village's most famous fiddler, Barley McFee. Her parents are visiting and by the end of the day, her Dad is accused of murdering the fiddler.

The set up of this one reminded me a bit too much of a mixture of two Midsomer Murder episodes: "The Axeman Cometh" (Series 10, episode 4), and "The Ballad of Midsomer County" (Series 17, episode 3). Basically there's a famous musician with ties to the village and to unexpected characters.

While a long standing rivalry or festering hurt feelings may seem compelling, they didn't fit here. Like Hold The Cream Cheese, Kill The Lox by Sharon Kahn (2002) or White Nights by Ann Cleeves (2008), the answer is closer to home, metaphorically speaking. In all three mysteries, the actual clues are presented as background noise more than promising leads. While it's a clever ruse the first time, it gets easier to spot after a few mysteries.

Four stars

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