Murder by the Millions

Literary Dining Mystery, #2

by

Daryl Wood Gerber

Murder mystery cleverly mirrors many aspects of THE GREAT GATSBY.

Murder by the Millions is the second book in author Daryl Wood Gerber's unique Literary Dining Mystery series, and with its welcome returning characters, new faces, and a myriad of parallels with the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic, THE GREAT GATSBY, it is a stellar new addition. From contentious business rivalries to disappointments in love to the scrumptious mentions of baked treats and well-researched historical recipes, this book has a little something for every fringe of cozy mystery fandom. 

Allie Catt and her two business partners, half-sisters Tegan Potts and Vanna Harding, are well along in their plans and preparation for their next big literary dinner, this time based on The Great Gatsby, when a newcomer to town, handsome developer Jason Gardner, swans into town, upsetting a whole swath of the folks of Bamblewood, North Carolina. Jason had bid on and been awarded the purchase of a row of four historic homes along the far end of Main Street with the intention of demolishing them and building a shopping mall in their place. While the town council is slated to approve his plans, many others, including Allie, are vocal in their opposition. Still, she wants to maintain an open mind, especially after spending some time with him as he explained his vision. But later, when Allie discovers Jason stabbed in the back with a spearpoint like one from her own collection, she becomes the police department's prime suspect. Someone is trying to frame Allie, and they have gone to great lengths to do a good job. 

Allie is the busiest young entrepreneur in town, with her catering business growing in leaps and bounds and her daily work at her best friend Tegan's bookstore, where she has a small financial interest. She is also finally finding some personal time to socialize and enjoy the perks of having an entire bookstore at her disposal. Her relationship with Police Detective Zach Armstrong seems to have permanently veered into the friend zone, and his assignment as the lead detective on the murder investigation isn't going to improve it. She's driven and energetic, so despite being warned off, she takes a hands-on approach to clearing her name. 

Many of the residents of the small town frequent the bookstore daily, so it was fun reading all the book titles and author names discussed over the course of the book as they come in for their next read. However, I've never encountered such widespread enthusiasm, nor such a deep understanding of The Great Gatsby's themes, or even knowledge of the plot as it's depicted in the book, in real life. Everyone LOVED it. But after reading about the literary dinner and dress-up —the culmination of all their plans, preparation, and anticipation —I could understand why the patrons there studied up before participating; it sounded amazing. I especially enjoyed the numerous parallels between the murder victim, Jason Gardner, his life and circumstances, and the fictional Jay Gatsby. 

The murder occurs after the victim's relationships with many of the townspeople have been vividly established, which results in plenty of potential suspects for Allie to check out and eliminate from her list. There are some really good red herrings to distract her and readers from pinpointing the actual perpetrator too soon, and of course, there are some awkward as well as perilous encounters on the way to the final resolution. I enjoy these characters, with their quirks and, sometimes, fractious, messy relationships, a lot, and was well entertained from start to finish. 

I recommend MURDER BY THE MILLIONS to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy literary-themed storylines. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.