I've long been a fan of the author, and enjoyed her cozy Mrs. Murphy series as well as her more serious writing. This anthropomorphic cozy series is a pillar of the genre (and the author a prolific and dependable source of cozy reads in several series).
The dialogue and writing are pitch perfect (including such historical southern vernacular as 'dependencies' for slave quarters). Typically for Ms. Brown, the writing is solidly comfortable and engaging. Reading her books is almost like visiting with an old friend you haven't seen for a while; you just pick up where you left off the last time, even if you haven't seen them for ages.
I had read the first couple of books in this series, then sort of lost track of it and hadn't read any of them for several years. I didn't have any trouble following the story or keeping the main characters straight in my head whilst reading. There is a comprehensive dramatis personae section at the beginning of the book in case the reader needs to sort of who is who. That being said, it is the 29th book in the series and would probably be best read roughly in order. The story is told in alternating flashbacks from the modern day to the 18th century. The dates are given in the chapter headings, so it's no trouble to keep the intertwined stories straight. It's a testament to the author's technical ability that she manages to write period appropriate dialogue alternated with modern times without giving the reader whiplash or managing to lose the disparate plot threads.
One note for long term readers of the series: there are a number of returning characters missing from this one. Big Mim, Boom Boom, Miranda, and some others do not make an appearance in this installment. I also found the admittedly accurate period depiction of slaves, racial violence, and slavery quite a downer for a cozy book. It's probably edifying to talk about openly, but especially in light of the recent racial upheavals, I found it especially sad that we've not managed to make much of an apprciable difference in following 230 years.
I personally love anthropomorphic mysteries, but fair warning, if talking animals bug you, this probably isn't the series for you. The book also does a superlative job of giving a glimpse into Virginia hospitality and etiquette and the 18th century culture parallel to the modern day.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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