The Mystery of the Hidden Fortune is the first book in a cozy series by Christine McHaines. Released 3rd July 2023 by The Book Folks, it's 245 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The followup books in the series, are also currently available on KU.
This is a lightly humorous cozy featuring a hapless, honestly unlikely and rather unlikable anti-hero. He's a bit shiftless, a huge underachiever, not terribly honest, and lazy into the bargain. His parents decamped Britain for the Antipodes (at his father's insistence) to try to force him to grow up and stand on his own two feet. He inhabits his late great aunt's house (rent free) and when he almost literally trips over a hidden treasure, his immediate response is to dip into the unexpected windfall for his own benefit. His natural antipathy to animals (especially a cat) didn't make him more appealing, either; not precisely -cruel- but not nice, either.
The mystery itself is competently plotted and the action was reasonably well paced, but the dialogue and characterisation are often hard going. The language is clean, there are a few instances of "bloody" and nothing worse. There are also a few lightly described consensual sex scenes.
Three stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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