If you are looking for something fun to read with laugh-out-loud moments and a wonderful cast of characters, you probably can’t go past Leslie Langtry’s Merry Wrath Mysteries. With titles like Maltese Vulture Murder and Musket Ball Murder, it’s pretty clear that these crime novels are not intended to be taken too seriously! I am now up to Book 19 in the series (yes, really) and am looking forward to getting started on it.
The premise of the series is that Merry Wrath (born Fionnaghuala Merrygold Czrygy) was a CIA assassin who was “outed”, and returns to her small hometown of Who’s There, Iowa, to lay low. Living on a generous payout from the Agency, she sets up a girl scout troop with her best friend Kelly. However, murder victims soon start turning up around her and she gets tangled up in investigating their demise, in spite of the best efforts of her detective neighbour who would much rather she didn’t. The girl scouts are responsible for much of the humour as they grow up, starting the series as five-year-olds. By Book 18, they are eleven and have become an integral part of Merry’s world, creating their own mischief and mayhem along the way. There is also a menagerie of quirky animals – alive and dead (you’ll have to read the books to get that last reference).
You do wonder how Merry survived as a CIA assassin, as she seems to get herself into all sorts of predicaments that you think a seasoned professional would avoid. Vignettes of this past life are woven through the stories and, while many are preposterous, they fit the light-hearted tone of the books.
A critical criterion for me when selecting a novel is that it is written well. Nothing turns me off an author quicker than poor grammar or factual inaccuracies. Langtry writes well and keeps the plot moving at a cracking pace. It is possible to read one of her stories in an afternoon so it is good news that they are available as Kindle books in “boxed sets” of three for under $10. I read a lot of “serious” crime novels as well, but for sheer fun I can’t go past these. These novels deliver pure escapism with delightful characters and engaging plots; a welcome reprieve from the realities of 2021.
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