Murder Under the Tree (A Kay Driscoll Mystery Book 2)

Kay Driscoll and her husband Phil are about to celebrate their first Christmas at Sudbury Falls. They have parties to attend, a party of their own to host, their sons are coming in for a holiday visit, and one of their sons will be celebrating a birthday just after Christmas. Needless to say Kay has a lot to do. Christmas presents have to be bought, birthday gifts have to be found, decorations have to go up, and Kay is loving every moment of these hectic days especially since hubby, Phil, will be home with her for the entire week. Kay is in bliss until … yes, there’s always an “until.”While attending a holiday party at the Hawthorne Hills Retirement Home Kay and the rest of the guests watch as Les Hollings, a caretaker, eats some food, starts to choke, falls to the ground, and dies. Les was allergic to peanuts and somehow peanut butter got into this food thus killing him.The retirement home swears that they don’t use any peanut butter since some other guests have the same allergy. Sweet Marissa’s Patisserie had catered some of the food and Marissa said she didn’t use any sort of peanut product in the dishes that went to the retirement home. So how did the peanut butter get into Les’ food and no one else with a peanut allergy had problems? Well, that was obvious to Kay. Les was murdered for some reason.With a little persuasion Kay agrees to investigate the murder not that she’s a detective but she did help solve a previous murder during Halloween. Husband Phil begs her not to get involved and the Sudbury Falls police chief especially doesn’t want her involved but what they don’t know can’t hurt them even though she herself just might be hurt in the process. But Kay starts her own investigation anyway with a little help from her best buds Elizabeth and Deidre.“Murder Under the Tree” by Susan Bernhardt is the second book in the Kay Driscoll Mystery Series. “The Ginseng Conspiracy” is not only the first in the series but also Ms. Bernhardt's first novel. It was terrific but “Murder Under the Tree” far surpasses it. It’s almost like the author got into her natural writing groove. Her skills are sharper and seems to lack the fear that she might have had about pleasing her publishers and readers with her first novel. Here she’s obviously writing from her heart. The party scenes and Kay’s home life descriptions are just about perfect and far from boring. I especially enjoyed the way she spoke about Sudbury Falls and how the community was gearing up for the Christmas Season. It made this Jewish New Yorker wish she lived in a small town and participated in all the Christmas activities and decorations. Big kudos to Susan Bernhardt for coming so far in her skills to write what she obviously felt and throwing her fears to the wind.Now for the mystery portion. It was good. There were lots of suspects and you never really knew who the killer was until close to the end. Although I did start to suspect before Ms. Bernhardt gave the murderer’s name. The characters are enjoyable and well thought out. There’s a nice twist at the end when one of the character’s made a surprise discovery. That part was kind of nice and heat breaking too.One thing was left up in the air and I read the last few pages a few times to make sure I didn’t miss it. The characters did talk about this missing aspect so I’m wondering if that will be answered when I read the third book which I have in my Kindle.Will cozy lovers like the Kay Driscoll series? Sure, although it isn’t really a cozy even though some of the basics for a cozy are here. Mystery lovers will take to it because Ms. Bernhardt’s books are wonderful thrillers too.And while I’m at it, I want to suggest that Susan add some recipes to her books. She talks a lot about food and I’d like to see a recipe or two. What can I say? I like food.Do yourself a favor and start the Kay Driscoll mysteries. You’ll then see for yourself how a writer progresses from being good to incredible.

Synopsis:While Kay attends a Christmas tea at Hawthorne Hills Retirement Home, a beloved caretaker dies from an allergic reaction to peanuts. When the official coroner's report rules the cause of death to be accidental, a small group of residents suspect foul play and call upon Kay to investigate.Kay uncovers sinister plots of fraud, revenge, and corruption at the Home. During this season of peace on earth, good will to men, additional murders occur. Despite multiple attempts on her life, and with the support once again of her best friends, Elizabeth and Deirdre, Kay continues her quest for bringing justice for the victims.Kay's first Christmas in Sudbury Falls is an unforgettable one, with equal amounts of celebration and danger. Tis the season to be sleuthing! (Goodreads)Review:Kay and her friends, Elizabeth and Deirdre, become involved in another murder investigation. This time someone dies at retirement home, and it is not one of the elderly residents. It is a caretaker that appears to be loved by all. When it is determined that the death was caused by an allergic reaction to peanuts, the ladies know they have to find answers and bring justice to the victim. With so many suspects and so few clues, it will not be an easy task but that fact will not stop them from achieving their goal.The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. Kay, Elizabeth and Deirdre all have strengths and weaknesses that make them seem more realistic. Kay is a very determined woman and does not like to take no for an answer. This is both a strength and a weakness, in my opinion, because sometimes she puts herself in harm's way. Elizabeth is very smart and seems to be the “common sense” one between the three friends. But she is a bit flighty when it comes to the men in her life. Deirdre is the “new age” member of the group and sometimes she is a little “out there” with her ideas. But she keeps the friends grounded and helps to center them again when things get chaotic. I love the way they are all different but their personalities meld together into a unique lasting friendship that compliments each other. They feel like real people that I would want to be friends with and experience life with. Everyone should have these types of friends in their lives.The mystery is well plotted and carried on throughout the entire book. There are many suspects to consider and motives to uncover before the case can be solved. The more Kay looks into the life of the deceased, the more she learns about his not so stellar past. Is the murder related to a past indiscretion or something that has happened in the here and now? There is also another mystery in the book, that being Elizabeth’s “stalker”. I felt this added another layer to the book. There were a few “wow” moments while I was reading where my jaw dropped opened and I enjoyed that a lot.I really enjoy when an author gives the reader an insight into their lives, whether it be with locations that they love, traditions that they they follow or hobbies that they enjoy. I think this makes the book more realistic and I become even more vested in the story. I think that this author did this with the Christmas traditions that Kay did with her family, and she did it well . It felt to me like the author was sharing some of her own family traditions with me and I loved this.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This is the second book in the Kay Driscoll series and the second book that I have read and both have been equally good. I will definitely be reading the third book, Murder By Fireworks, which has already been published. If you have not read any books by this author, do yourself a favor and grab all three. You will not be disappointed.

I have downloaded this onto my tablet and am saving it for when I go into hospital for surgery. Did dip into it briefly and look forward to reading it in full.