This was my first Rhys Bowen---I liked it ok. Compared to the Aunt Dimitys that I read all summer long, it was a masterpiece. The main character, Molly Murphy, is intelligent, mature, interesting, and a lady. She seems to enjoy her husband and young son and displays realistic and appropriate behaviour to the people around her. A complete opposite from the Aunt Dimity MC, Lori, who is quite unlikeable in just about every way...but that's another story.

This particular mystery was interesting and somewhat believable, although it was pretty obvious very early in who the daughter was and who committed the crimes. Reading this, for me, was more about finding out how these things played out---and not who was responsible. I was pretty annoyed by the unrealistic and contrived reactions from Winnie upon the "two revelations". Surely these could have been thought through and written much better than they were.

I'll give a few more of these a try over the next few months and see if I've found a new mystery series to enjoy. ( )

Sad to know there may be no more Molly Murphy books. Sadder still that this apparently final book in the series was a mish-mash of stuff. Loose Ends that didn't amount to much of a story in the long run. I still gave it 3 stars because I love the series on the whole, even though Daniel remains an assjack. ( )

Molly is suffering from some depression over her miscarriage but agrees to visit a friend of her mother-in-law in upstate NY. She, 2 yr old Liam and Daniel, her husband, arrive and immediately sense something is wrong in the house. Winnie, lost a child, 10 yrs previously. She disappeared. No one knows what happened, if she was kidnapped or she walked away as a 3 yr old. Molly starts asking questions and things get more tense. Meanwhile, Briney, the orphan Mollie rescued is upset because her father is coming back for her and she doesn't want to leave. ( )

A very enjoyable Molly Murphy Christmas story that started out very dark, with Molly depressed about her recent miscarriage and the trauma of the enormous San Francisco earthquake. Husband Daniel is away in Washington D.C., and Molly returns to Patchin Place after caring for a recovering Mother Sullivan. Gus and Sid are off to a holiday meet-up of their fabulous fellow Vassar alum, and Bridie's long-absent father has sent word that he plans to return to take her back to Ireland. Poor Molly is depressed about having to spend a lonely Christmas until a last-minute invite from a friend of Mother Sullivan's takes them to a lovely old house in the country.

And... they walk right into a tense atmosphere, complete with an old, unsolved missing child mystery. This helps bring Molly back from her depression, and oddly enough, the story lightens up as the situation becomes more dreadful.

*eARC Netgalley* ( )

Molly Murphy may have given up her detective agency when she got married, but she can't help herself from solving any problems that effect her or the people she meets. Although I had a little trouble keeping all the people in the mansion straight, I did enjoy this Christmas mystery. All the time this was happening, I was wondering what would happen to Bridie. I'm glad it ended happily and I hope Rhys Bowen writes more Molly Murphy books. ( )