Murder @ A Little Bead Shop

Suzan Aileen Cottrell loves beads so much; she spends her days selling them for the owner. Suzan is puzzled when a jar was left out of alignment, and believes it must have been something she had missed. After all she has other things on her mind, like supporting her daughter as she works on stopping her husband’s roving eye. There is also her highly secret other job dealing with computers.

Suzan calmly deals with a pre-school beading class, a smashed in front door and a body behind the curtain amongst other things. Suzan might be a grandmother, but she is cool under pressure and a great help in fixing other peoples problems. When the computer disappears it begins to look very suspicious, and she begins to realize things at the Little Bead Shop are getting out of hand.

This is a delightful short story, with enough twists and turns to please any murder / mystery reader. The main character is lively and very likeable, while like many people, another persona lives within. The secondary characters are interesting and add another layer to the tale. The mysterious Jade, as the owner of the shop is an enigma, with an agenda of her own. Amelia’s battle to keep her husband faithful, while minding her children and holding down a job was brilliant. Ms. Walus has woven it into the story without ever taking over the main plot.

The conflicts were intriguing, with several layers flowing together seamlessly. Action was easy to follow with an enticing beginning and an intriguing ending. The plot was believable, with excellent dialogue added to a page turning mystery from a clever author.

April 2007