A twenty year old death, an aging and grieving mother, inexperienced detectives, and conflicting facts -- that's what Christine Bennett sorts through in this May mystery.
Cinco de Mayo Murder, published in 2006, is the 17th in a series of holiday-themed cozy mysteries featuring former nun, Christine Bennett. This mystery revolves around the death twenty years ago of one of Christine's high school acquaintances. When her friend, Sister Joseph, asks her to accompany her to Arizona on a trip for the convent, Christine is reminded of the fall in that state which claimed the young man's life so many years ago.
Christine Bennett
Ms. Bennett is now married to a NYPD lieutenant and, curious by nature, has had some success at solving mysteries. In anticipation of her trip to Arizona, she looks up the young man's mother, who's now in a nursing home recovering from a stroke. The mother has always feared that her son committed suicide. Christine tells her of her trip and agrees to look into the matter. But, how much can she learn after all of these years? Will she be able to learn the truth?
The Cinco de Mayo Murder is a light, fun cozy mystery with no gore and likeable characters. It's slightly improbable that Christine would interest herself in the 20-year-old murder of a boy she hardly knew, just because she finds she is traveling to Arizona. However, if you can get by that one flaw, then the novel is an enjoyable and undemanding read.
A Host of Holiday Mysteries
The Cinco de Mayo Murder is just one of a series of novels, featuring Christine Bennett. Other mystery novels in the series include The Yom Kippur Murder, The Christening Day Murder, The St. Patrick's Day Murder, The Passover Murder, and The Mother's Day Murder.
About Lee Harris
Lee Harris is the author of murder mysteries, featuring Christine Bennett and revolving around holidays. The first in this series, The Good Friday Murder, was nominated for an Edgar Award. Ms. Harris also writes the Manhattan Mystery series.
