Title: The Primrose Murder Society
Author: Stacy Hackney
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Lila Shaw stopped trusting anyone the minute her husband went to jail for white-collar crime, taking their country club lifestyle with him. Now Lila is broke, friendless, and losing her house—and to make things worse, her true-crime-obsessed daughter, Bea, was just expelled from fourth grade. Desperate for a fresh start, Lila agrees to temporarily move in and clean out an abandoned junk-filled apartment in Richmond’s palatial Primrose building. The luxurious Virginia landmark is filled with retirees who start their days early drinking bourbon and gossiping, in that order.
Soon after Lila’s arrival, the Primrose is thrown into chaos. The owner of the building’s splendid penthouse has died and in his final days he set up a two-million-dollar reward for any resident who helps to solve the 21-year-old murder of his granddaughter at the Primrose. A fan of all detective stories and true-crime podcasts, Bea is inspired to investigate. They really could use the reward money, so Lila reluctantly agrees, in a questionable attempt at family bonding. She’s certain the killer is long-gone after all these years anyway. That is, until another resident is murdered… and Lila becomes the prime suspect.
Now Lila needs to solve both murders to avoid jail, and even worse, losing her daughter to her snobby in-laws. To catch a killer and clear Lila’s name, she and Bea must rely on their elderly neighbors—Jasper, a shy former detective, and Evelyn, an opinionated socialite—along with Nate, a good-looking reporter who keeps appearing at the most inconvenient moments. As the amateur sleuths expose the truth about the Primrose, Lila hopes she can also unravel the trickiest parts of her own life and start fresh.
This was a cute read! Lila has been through a lot, although some of it was because she chose to ignore some glaring red flags. At the beginning of this, Bea was such a brat and needed a spanking (or two) to help get her sorted out, but she eventually settled down—when Lila stopped being so passive.
The residents of the Primrose were such a hoot! I truly enjoyed their antics, although a couple of them were just plain ugly people. The interactions between Bea and Lila were believable, and Jasper and Evelyn added both humor and a foil for the docile Lila.
Stacy Hackney lives in Virginia. The Primrose Murder Society is her first novel for adults.
(Galley courtesy of William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review.)
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