Weekly Reader: Murder in Myrtle Bay (Ruth Finlay Mysteries Book 1) by Isobel Blackthorn; Secrets, Affairs, Lies, and Murder Surround a Small Town

 

Weekly Reader: Murder in Myrtle Bay (Ruth Finlay Mysteries Book 1) by Isobel Blackthorn; Secrets, Affairs, Lies, and Murder Surround a Small Town 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: We spent some time in the Atlantic exploring the history, current events, and legends of the Caribbean. Where to next? Why explore the danger and violence found in the Pacific Ocean of course. We saw a bit of the Pacific in Adrian Deans' Asparagus Grass beginning in New South Wales Australia but mostly it was the start of an around the world and into the stars trip.

This and the next book that I am going to review are murder mysteries set in the Pacific Islands of Australia and Hawaii respectively with the locals at their best and worst.

Cozy Mysteries usually show the best of small towns with friendly helpful residents, cute shop names, and, okay there's murder going on but there are many who want to solve it with the help of many eccentric families.

What makes Isobel Blackthorn's Murder in Myrtle Bay Ruth Finlay Mysteries Book 1 stand out is while it shows that charm and eccentricities of small town life, it isn't afraid to show these towns at their worst: the judgemental attitudes, the years long feuds, the clannish snobbishness when someone new comes along, the socioeconomic and sometimes racial divides that puts certain people in specific categories, and of course the strong emotions which result in violence and murder.

Friends, Ruth Finlay, and Doris Cleaver, are visiting the Factory, a now closed factory which has become an antiques and collectibles market. The duo find the dying David Fisk, who looks like he was hit on the back of his head and insisted that "he didn't do it" before expiring. This leaves Ruth and Doris with many questions. Who attacked David? What didn't he do? Who would dare attack him in broad daylight in an open market? How did they manage without anyone noticing? Ruth and Doris saw many friends and acquaintances that day, so which one is guilty?

Murder in Myrtle Bay is in many ways a typical cozy mystery with the usual tropes: murder in a small town, a victim with plenty of enemies and few friends, and an interesting detective, or in this case detectives, that takes their Reader through the mystery. That doesn't make Murder in Myrtle Bay, a lousy book. In fact, it's a lot of fun. It's the type of book that you want to read on the beach or on a warm summer night with a cold drink in hand.

Part of what makes this book are the lead characters themselves. Ruth and Doris are a fun fascinating duo who stand out as they try to solve the mystery of who killed David Fisk.

Ruth and Doris are an attraction of opposites. Ruth is a magazine writer in her 30's or 40's with an aging father. She grew up in Myrtle Bay, at least since high school, but she is something of an outsider, partly because of her standoffish personality and occupation as a journalist. This murder investigation also involves her asking a lot of personal questions to people that she has known for a long time making her even less liked. This scrutiny often makes her self conscious and overly serious at times.

While Ruth feels like a self conscious outsider, Doris knows she is an outsider and doesn't care. In fact, she dramatizes it. A senior, Doris dresses flamboyantly and can be very outspoken. Doris is also quite a gossip and knows the family histories in town and is even related to some of the noted families. She gives Ruth some much needed background information over who feuded with whom and who cheated on whom. Doris makes a strong presence whether it's getting a local to do some landscaping or to admit previous affairs with other women. While Ruth shies away from people, Doris is up front and center.

The mystery that Ruth and Doris find themselves in is pretty solid especially since it happened in open public and both admit that they saw friends and acquaintances coming in and out of The Factory meaning the murderer is more than likely someone that they know. 

Among the difficulties of living in a small town is that almost claustrophobic feeling of everyone knowing everybody. You go to a store and you see regular staff members or customers. You might see old school friends. Old friendships might be rekindled but also old grudges, rivalries, and fights may resurface. It's hard to live in the moment when there is someone always reminding you of your past.

Another aspect that Blackthorn's writing opens is the sharp lines that are often drawn among people in such towns. As Doris reminds Ruth of the different family rivalries and love triangles, it's clear that the two women are surrounded by a hierarchy and system where some people are on top and some are on the bottom. While that's true in most places, that's usually an abstract. In small towns, the people on top are known, usually families with a lot of wealth and connections. If not families, then institutions like the local churches or associations that shape the towns in their own images. If you are considered the wrong income bracket, live on the wrong side of town, the wrong skin color, the wrong religion, the wrong sexuality or gender identity, or become a subject of scandal, you could be made a pariah.

This claustrophobia and hierarchy is what Ruth and Doris have to muddle through as they get to the truth. There are many people, especially from certain families, that want to keep their image and reputation intact and won't let something like a dead body and a murder investigation get in the way of that. 

Murder in Myrtle Bay is a reminder that just because an area is rural doesn't mean that it isn't filled with hatred, prejudices, and violence. If anything, it's often worse than an urban landscape because Death could be wearing a familiar and even once friendly face.