2/5 stars
Amy Among the Serial Killers, by Jincy Willett (2022)
I didn't realize until I was well into the book that it's actually the third in a series, and that probably would have made some difference in my enjoyment of the story. But it works ok as a stand-alone. I'd say the murder mystery plot itself works totally fine, it's the character development that suffers when you don't read the first two. For example, the title character Amy... it seemed like she was supposed to be lovable in her kooky ways, but I just found her annoying and prickly. I bet the first two books set it up so that it makes more sense why the reader should like her!
Anyway, this is a perfectly fine murder mystery, with an excellent title. Despite the fact that Amy is the title character, it's really a book about Carla, an aspiring writer, and owner of a successful writing retreat called Inspiration Point. Writers rent space in the building and are required to work there a certain number of hours per week, or risk losing the room (or "cell," as it's called). When Carla finds Toonie, one of the writers, who also happens to be her therapist, dead in her cell it sets off an investigation that ties the murder to a string of other grizzly dismemberments in the area. Carla and her one-time writing teacher, Amy, along with other friends from their previous writing class, all band together to support each other and help investigate the crimes.
The beginning is a slow burn, and there were other points in the book where I thought I might give up. But just then some exciting twist would happen and I'd have to keep reading. I think this book might be more interesting to a struggling writer, because there's a lot of descriptions of the writing process, how to get yourself going with writing, etc. There is also a lot of long-winded supposition which I got tired of. And the ending, while satisfying, went on for too long. So, overall... it was fine. Not amazing, not terrible. I assume it's better if you've read the first two books.
UP NEXT: Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson
