New Book Alert: Murder Under A Wolf Moon (A Mona Moon Mystery Book 5) by Abigail Keam; 1930's Historical Mystery Shines With Fun Feminist Lead

New Book Alert: Murder Under a Wolf Moon (A Mona Moon Mystery Book 5) by Abigail Keam; 1930's Historical Mystery Shines With Fun Feminist Lead

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: When people ask me where are the novels with strong female leads, I always say "Look no further than murder mysteries especially historical mysteries." The genre is filled with a bevy of strong willed independent women, especially who live in times where they weren't encouraged to be such, facing dead bodies, odious killers, and sometimes a disapproving society to solve the murder, discover the truth, and obtain justice. Such examples include Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma, Marilyn Todd's Claudia Seferius, Margaret Frazier's Dame Frevysse, Alissa Cole's Elle Burns, Victoria Thompson's Sarah Brandt, Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody, Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton, Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy and Georgie Eugenie, Radha Vatsal's Kitty Weeks, Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry, Kerry Greenwood's Phrynne Fisher, Rebecca Cantrell's Hannah Vogel, and Alison Montclair's Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge.


Another addition to this illustrious sisterhood is Abigail Keam's Mona Moon. This feisty protagonist is a former cartographer turned businesswoman in 1930's Kentucky. In previous volumes, she inherited her late uncle's fortune, estate, and business. Despite the Great Depression looming, she has become extraordinarily wealthy but that doesn't stop her from being surrounded by suspicion and murder. Many question her actions because she is a transplanted New Yorker and a woman at that. Most men don't think that she is capable of running her uncle's affairs. People also question her friendships and trusted working relationships with black people. In the deep South, that's a no no.

Mona has a strong business sense, an open mindedness, and independent spirit. All of which captures the interest of Lord Robert Farley, an Englishman and spy. The two are engaged and are deeply in love, but Mona is uncertain if she wants to make their relationship permanent.

All of these aspects to her personality make Mona something of an outsider. They also make her empathetic to the problems of other outsiders, especially in the latest volume Murder Under A Wolf Moon. One of whom is Elspeth Neferet Alden Hopper, wife of Cornelius "Connie" Vanderbilt Hopper, a formerly wealthy man fallen on hard times. In fact, Elspeth's money is what returns Connie to social prominence. Elspeth captures Mona's interest because of her fascination with the archaeological career of Elspeth's father, John. She also witnesses Elspeth sobbing in a private moment and little by little gets the details of her unhappy marriage with a verbally abusive controlling husband, racist remarks from others for being half-Egyptian, and death threats that are sent through the mail.

The death threats arouse Mona's curiosity and protective nature. She recruits African-American private investigator, Jellybean Martin to go undercover at the Hopper home and watch out for Elspeth. Jellybean no sooner arrives when Beulah, Elspeth's maid, turns up dead. Jellybean reports the news before disappearing. ("When there's a dead body, the new black man is always the first suspect," he says before Mona helps him evade the racist police and lynch mob that eagerly await him.) It doesn't take much sleuthing before the police trace Jellybean's sudden arrival to Mona's referral and she too ends up a suspect.


The mystery is pretty good as the clues lead to up to inevitable conclusions. Mona receives assistance from her allies such as Jellybean, Mona's maid, Violet, and her personal secretary, Dottie. Some aggravating suspects appear such as Connie's dilletante son, Wally and his horrible sister, Consuelo that further complicate things. Mona also discovers that one of her friends has a closer connection to the Hopper family as initially believed. If the resolution of the murder and the motives behind it are a bit obvious and predictable, at least the means are enough of a twist to throw the Reader off kilter.


What really makes this book as with any good mystery is the lead detective. Mona has a lot of spunk and energy such as when she tells off the local sheriff and boasts that she "just bullied a bully." She also has an extensive knowledge on anything from Egyptian artifacts to civil law which help assist her in her investigation. Many women can relate to her independent spirit and her concerns about choosing a family or career. As much as she loves Robert, she is uncertain whether marriage would cause her to lose her independence. She is a woman not only of her time but any time.

Like her last name, Mona Moon makes her series shine with brilliance. She is one of many great female historical mystery female protagonists that are worth reading about. It is a legacy of which she, and in turn her author, are proud members.