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Book Review
Reviewed: 26 May 2025

Murder in the Master

by: Judy L. Murray

Chesapeake Bay Mystery - Book 1

  • Rating: full starfull starfull starfull starstar outline (4.0/5)

dead bodies don't sell houses...

Once I got used to the Herman's Head (am I dating myself with this long ago TV reference) kind of vibe with famous fictional detectives, I sat back for murder mystery ride.  Unlike a number of the cozy mysteries I read/read-and-listen/listen to, the main character is mature. The relationship with the police is mature. Minimal "dumb stuff" that you scream at the pages/audiofile about couples with open and honest communications. Bonus is that the amateur sleuth is less nosy and more of in the right place at the right time while doing her job. I'm not knocking the other stories, I read and enjoy loads of those, just pointing out how this one was differs. The mystery was cool. I was off on where I thought it was going (think I was purposefully lead astray). 

An enjoyable read. Off to book 2.
Happy Reading!

Release Date: 14-September-2021
Cozy Mystery, Female-Led

Plot Summary

Real estate rule #1: A dead body creates buzz. A dead body in a house for sale is never the buzz you want.

It isn't the first-time real estate agent Helen Morrisey has found someone naked in bed while showing a house to a potential buyer. But this one is different. One glance at the bluish cast around his lips and the vacant, staring eyes, and Helen knows big-time developer Al Capelli is never going to sign another sales agreement.

His death is big news for a small, top of the Chesapeake water town where a family empire is built around secrets and their brash money style is resented by locals. Within days, his lover, her old friend, begs Helen to find the killer before she's arrested for murder. With her fight for the underdog style, Helen jumps in. She quickly realizes that solving a murder mystery in real life is a lot more dangerous than reading one. Helen decides to create her own Detection Club of expert sleuths—Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, Nora Charles, Agatha Raisin, and, yes, Nancy Drew to help unearth the truth.

Detective Joe McAlister recognizes the value of Helen's insight into back office real estate deals and local players. And for the first time since her husband's death, Helen meets a man who might be able to return zingers as quick as she can toss them out. Mystery lovers hungry for a smart gutsy woman, a fast-moving plot, and an insider's look into a business everyone talks about, but few understand, will devour this first in a series Murder in the Master.