A Well Constructed Murder: Bellbrook Murder Mystery Book 1 - Cozy Crime Novel for Adults | Perfect for Book Clubs & Mystery Lovers | Bellbrook Murder Mysteries Collection

Karla Bell left home to make a life for herself, and she has, as the owner of a well-respected concierge company. But she's returned home for her grandmother's funeral, and discovers that she's now the owner of all the late woman's property. Also returning is her prodigal mother, who has inherited the money, so Karla needs to make renovations with what she's acquired on her own. The first thing she plans to do is renovate the two cottages -- Mirabel and Bellflower -- but when she goes to check on the contractor she's hired for the job, she finds him dead. When there's a second body, no one knows what to make of it.Now, with the help of her police chief father, her police officer sister, coroner best friend -- and reluctantly, her mother -- Karla must figure out who the murderer is and why these two were murdered...This is the first book in the Bellbrook series, and the reason I decided to read it is because I have read the others and wanted to go back and see "where it all began." I can say that I was not disappointed in this book. It gives the full background of Karla and her family (other books reference it); and her troubled relationship with her estranged mother. For her part, Karla's mom Lynn is trying to mend things, but Karla is resentful and reluctant -- at least at first.The mystery itself is written well, with plenty of suspects. There are a lot of red herrings, and things to throw you in first one direction and then another. The clues are all there, and as we get closer to the end, we begin to see in which direction they are pointing. What I love is Karla's ability to tell when people are lying. An interesting trait indeed.When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it's all rather sad in itself, but as I stated above, a very good book indeed.