Monday, September 13, 2010

The Thanksgiving Day Murder

The Thanksgiving Day Murder by Lee Harris is one of a series...all with holiday-related titles...about Christine Bennett, an ex-nun who has a talent for solving mysteries that others have long given up on. In this one we find that

"More than a year ago Natalie Gordon vanished at the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The police and a private investigator still have no leads. When Natalie's despairing husband pleads with ex-nun Christine Bennett to help, she can't say no. Not only are Natalie's present whereabouts a mystery, but so is her past. Someone has stripped her personnel file in her old office. Starting with a cardboard box of Natalie's belongings--a few books, keys, some cosmetics--Christine searches for a life someone has tried very hard to erase...."

As Chris starts digging into the details of Natalie Gordon's life, she also finds a mystery related to her own memories of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. In each case she begins to wonder if she really wants to find the answers. Will Natalie's husband be hurt by what she finds? Will her own life be changed by what she discovers about her own past?

These mysteries featuring Chris Bennett are fun and light. No matter how difficult the subject matter, Lee Harris never gets gritty when writing about it. We definitely stay within the cozy realm and the books can easily be finished in an evening. While it may be said that Chris seems to have a lot of "luck" in her investigations, they are always interesting and her character is very likable and believable. It helps that she really likes what she does and is very compassionate in her dealings with victims and perpetrators alike. I highly recommend this series when you want something satisfying but not too heavy.

Three stars out of five on Visual Bookshelf.

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