Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Book Review: A Little Night Murder

A Little Night Murder: A Blackbird Sisters MysteryAuthor: Nancy Martin
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Series: Blackbird Sisters Mystery # 10


Murder under the stars... 

Nora Blackbird—pregnant at last!—is spending summer afternoons wallowing in the Bucks County pool of her best friend, Lexie Paine, who has just been released from prison. At night, Nora is covering Philadelphia’s high-society events for the local newspaper. And this time she doesn’t have to look far for a good story.

Next door, a Broadway show is in rehearsal at the estate of Toodles Tuttle, the long-deceased but ever-legendary composer. Reigning over the estate is Toodles’s diva widow, Boom Boom. The demanding old broad still rules with an iron fist, and considering the chorus line of enemies she’s racked up over the years, her death has been a hotly anticipated event. So imagine everyone’s dismay when it’s her beloved daughter, Jenny, who drops dead—from a cause that is anything but natural—just as the lights are set to go on for the lucrative new Toodles musical.

Yet murder is only an overture to the drama to come.... 

Nora’s sister Libby, a soon-to-be-grandmother, has gotten herself into a sticky situation, wooed by both a lowly bug exterminator and a cheesecake-loving Broadway impresario. Edgy sister Emma has a dangerous new boyfriend who may jeopardize her show-jumping exploits. And the love of Nora’s life, Mick Abruzzo, has been desperate to prevent Nora from meeting the most notorious member of his mobbed-up family—his mother.

Now Nora has to deal with the bump-and-grind of her personal life, and also bring the curtain down on a daring killer—before he forces her to exit stage left, permanently.


The good news was that if my batty sister was focusing her considerable energies on Ox Oxenfield, at least she wouldn’t be planning my wedding.

We walked through a small bathroom and into another bedroom. And found Michael’s mother on the bed with a man.


“Good God, Nora, what the bloody hell happened to you?” I lifted my arms to better show off my enormous figure. “Do I need to explain the facts of life?”


I have followed the Blackbird Sisters series religiously since Nancy Martin started writing them. I can never get enough of Nora Blackbird and her sisters, Emma and Libby. This book was no exception. It was probably one of the better books, or the best, in the series. I fell in love very quickly with the fact that Nora was pregnant with a little girl. I thought this added a very exciting twist to her character and to her and Michael Abruzzo’s relationship. Nora and Michael are also planning a secret wedding in this book, which is always fun. I love watching their relationship grow. I am sure not a lot of people root for Michael since he has the bad boy persona, but I for one am a big fan.

Nora stumbles across yet another murder in this installment, and this time she feels a little connected to the victim because of their past and the victim’s involvement with Nora’s family. Her death looks to be a heart attack, but we all know Nora can’t stop there. She soon starts to find grueling details and clues that just don’t add up. Of course, you can’t have a good Blackbird mystery without a few crazy characters being involved and helping Nora solve the case. Nora’s friend, Lexie Paine, has just recently gotten out of jail and Nora is trying everything to protect her from the press. Lexie is Nora’s best friend, so these two girls find lots of trouble and adventure together.

I loved the idea of Nora being a mom, and she fits that persona so well. Her character has really grown and came a long way since the first Blackbird mystery. She is also learning to deal with things a lot better now that she has matured and grown up dealing with her two crazy, and sometimes deranged, sisters. A new character steps on the scene in this book that gives Nora quite the run-around. Enter Michael’s mom, and Nora’s soon to be mother-in-law, Bridget. Of course Bridge brings a lot of drama to this novel and boy is she good for a few laughs. This cast of silly characters is one you just have to check out for yourself!


***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at NAL in exchange for my honest review***





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