... an utterly irresistible modern-day mystery that is deeply indebted to the great 'locked room' puzzles of the past ... has all the best elements of Agatha Christie-inspired crime fiction: a clever puzzle, a cast of eccentric characters, and a moody atmosphere. But this is not just a Christie homage: it’s also a smart, decidedly modern crime novel that puts a woman’s inner fight with past trauma front and center. This immersive, engaging murder mystery will fill the Agatha Christie-sized hole in your heart, and in your TBR list ... what elevates this book above the pack is its thoughtfully-crafted protagonist, Shana, and her partner, Tim ... good, old fashioned crime fiction fun, a delightful homage to the classics infused with modern sensibility. A must for fans of Agatha Christie.
Here we have murder, madness and megalomania among the high and mighty ... Death in the Family is a riveting read. It’s a top notch mystery that is intricately layered to keep you in suspense until the last word. It’s a very special start to a new series whose subsequent installments, I, for one, eagerly await.
... a dark and stormy mystery that sets doubt and certainty against one another for up-all-night reading ...Wegert’s debut is impressive in its scope ... As Death in the Family draws to a close, the Sinclair matter is resolved, but we’ve barely pulled back the curtain on Shana’s past. It’s enormously frustrating to close a book knowing you have to wait for the next installment, but it speaks to how finely this debut is engineered. Death in the Family marks a bold beginning to an addictive new series.
This locked-room thriller has all of the requisite tangled motives and deductive crime-solving, along with a riveting introduction to edgy survivor Shana and Tim, her steady, easygoing foil.
Despite some modern trimmings, this debut murder mystery is curiously old-fashioned, a throwback to Golden Age detective fiction, when sleuths such as Hercule Poirot and Philo Vance solved cases by observation, lots of talking, and sheer brain power ... The resolution, unnecessarily complicated, clanks at the joints ... Wegert’s first foray into mystery may be met with limited appeal for lovers of the genre but is overall a valiant effort.
... solid ... Wegert maintains suspense by gradually parceling out her lead’s backstory and how Bram ties in with the Sinclair case. Fans of golden age closed circle murder mysteries will enjoy this effective update.
