It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
After getting fired from her dream magazine job in NYC, Harriet Baker returns to her hometown, a sleepy beach town in New Jersey, to lick her wounds and recover.
Unfortunately, living with her eccentric mother and narcissistic step-father isn’t necessarily a soothing environment for her. Nevertheless, Harriet won’t be there for long. She just wants to keep her head down until she can return to some semblance of her former life.
Then her mother decides to throw an extravagant birthday party for her. The last thing Harriet would want, but like with everything else, her mom is like a tornado and poor Harriet just gets sucked unwilling up into the cyclone.
At the party, full of her Mom’s friends and acquaintances, Harriet ends up running into her one-time fling, Nic Allbright, whose family is catering the event. She’d not forgot those short weeks with Nic, but it did take her a moment to recognize him.
That’s not awkward at all…
When the party abruptly ends in murder, all eyes are looking to Nic’s sister, Sara, who was the chef at the party. She knowingly left in a huff after a loud squabble with the individual who now lays dead on the beach.
Nic knows his sister is innocent and he needs to clear her name. Harriet also has a motivation to investigate the crime. She’s been offered her old job back if she writes an article uncovering what really happened the night of the party. After all, True Crime is popular.
For her article, Harriet is going to need Nic’s cooperation. She needs access to his sister, and if he is going to clear Sara’s name, he needs Harriet’s skills as an investigative reporter. But will they be able to put the past in the past, and actually work together?
It Happened One Murder is a really cute romantic Cozy Mystery. I loved the set-up of the party and how quickly Lawson got us to the murder, and hence the mystery.
I also really enjoyed Harriet’s perspective, what was going on with her as far as her job and family. I also loved the beach setting. Nic was charming and compelling as a love interest as well. I liked the backstory of their time together as teens, and how differently their lives had gone since then.
While the mystery itself didn’t quite knock my socks off, the likable characters and the romance more than made up for it. The banter between Harriet and Nic was great, and I appreciated that we got both of their perspectives. I think it added a lot, as far as understanding their relationship.
I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy cozy, low stakes, mysteries with a side of romance. I think Lawson balanced all the elements of this story very well and I’m excited to read more from her in the future.
Thank you so much to the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This story is as cute as its cover!