Synopsis -
1885. Arabella Pryce is struggling with heartbreak. And with her recently deceased husband’s will demanding she leave her celebrity behind and refurbish her namesake hotel in Colorado, the distressed actress is forced to board a westbound train. But she’s barely arrived at the haunted, broken-down lodge when the town beauty shows up dead in one of the rooms… and Arabella is named the prime suspect.
Already feeling the sting of the community’s disapproval, she grits her teeth and works with a mischievous ghost to help prove her innocence. But with blood-stained evidence, handsome sheriffs, and libelous journalists turning her investigation into a dangerous drama, this determined thespian fears she’s missed her cue for survival.
Can she shine the spotlight on a killer before more than her reputation dies a horrible death?
The Pryce of Conceit is the suspenseful first book in The Arabella Pryce Historical Cozy Mystery series. If you like driven heroines, atmospheric settings, and dashes of humor, then you’ll love Kari Bovée’s lighthearted twists and turns.
Review -
1885. Arabella Pryce is struggling with heartbreak. And with her recently deceased husband’s will demanding she leave her celebrity behind and refurbish her namesake hotel in Colorado, the distressed actress is forced to board a westbound train. But she’s barely arrived at the haunted, broken-down lodge when the town beauty shows up dead in one of the rooms… and Arabella is named the prime suspect.
Already feeling the sting of the community’s disapproval, she grits her teeth and works with a mischievous ghost to help prove her innocence. But with blood-stained evidence, handsome sheriffs, and libelous journalists turning her investigation into a dangerous drama, this determined thespian fears she’s missed her cue for survival.
Can she shine the spotlight on a killer before more than her reputation dies a horrible death?
The Pryce of Conceit is the suspenseful first book in The Arabella Pryce Historical Cozy Mystery series. If you like driven heroines, atmospheric settings, and dashes of humor, then you’ll love Kari Bovée’s lighthearted twists and turns.
Review -
Author Kari Bovee is known for her historical cozy mysteries. I personally enjoy that these novels feature intelligent female characters who, although they must try to comply with the society of their time, still find a way to be deeply involved in solving the murder (or murders). This is the sixth book I have read and reviewed for this author, and I enjoyed it just as much as the others.
The Pryce of Conceit is the very first offering in Bovee's newest series featuring Arabella Pryce, an east coast celebrated actress whose rich husband just passed. To inherit, his will stipulates she must spend a year out in the wild west running a hotel he built there. Why? He thinks she is too attached to being adored by the public and wants her to experience life away from the stage.
From the moment she arrives, everything goes awry. The train is stopped by a rock slide. She decides to take a walk, only to fall in a wild river. After being rescued by the handsome town, she has enter town on the back of a horse looking terribly unpresentable. Dominos start to fall in rapid succession - it is hinted her husband had an affair and the young woman mentioned is killed shortly after. When Arabella has words with the manager about the sorry state of the hotel, he is murdered shortly after. Each time new evidence is found, it seems to point her way.
Slowly the case against her grows, and public opinion follows. Arabella works desperately to save her reputation by trying to figure out who the real murderer is. Her strongest allies? A resident ghost, her husband's venture partner who died the year before, and her companion Cordelia. All the while there is the growing electricity between herself and the handsome sheriff.
Grace Michelle Mysteries -
A Southwestern Mystery -
In her past life, Bovée worked as a technical writer for a Fortune 500 Company, has written non-fiction for magazines and newsletters, and has worked in the education field as a teacher and educational consultant.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
sounds good, thank you for sharing your review
ReplyDeleteI love her novels as you can see - I've read 6!
DeleteSounds really good.
ReplyDelete