Description
When an elderly billionaire businesswoman drops dead during her wedding to a much younger golden boy at the very moment of the “I dos,” her improbable bridesmaid, Marya Cook—the lavender-clad, Bible-quoting octogenarian sleuth known to the locals as the Purple Pest—cries, “Murder.” Marya’s sensible sidekick, Uber driver Martha Collins, sees her to-do list balloon as she juggles her sleuthing with police politics, money problems, and maybe…just maybe…romance.
Join Martha and Marya on a cruise to the Greek Isles and back to Pequot Bays, New York, waterfront home to the wealthy and those who serve them. Meet the rich victim’s hopeful heirs, shady servants, and of course, the frustrated fiancé as Marya combines her eye for “the little things” with her own peculiar logic to sift through the multitude of murderous motives, means, and opportunities in search of the killer.
Sail away with Martha and Marya in this, the third installment of Emily Hanlon’s acclaimed Martha and Marya Mysteries series, as Marya gambles against the odds at high-stakes roulette…and murder.
katie.r.fitzgerald –
The Wagers of Sin is the third book in the Martha and Marya Mysteries series, but it’s the first one I’ve read. I had no problem jumping right into the friendship between the two main characters (their dynamic is a delight to read!) or diving into their latest case.
This book reads like an episode of a TV crime drama such as Inspector Morse or Marple (both of which I love), but with lots of Catholic elements infused into the story a la Antonia Frasier or Sister Carol Anne O’Marie. I loved the way Mass, various saints, and the sacraments (as well as a sacramental, the scapular!) are woven into the plot, and that Scripture verses are repeated throughout.
The Wagers of Sin has everything I love in a cozy mystery: a fun setting (a cruise ship), close-knit friendships, and a clever puzzle, with the added bonus of faith-based content. I really enjoyed it, and would definitely read more from this author.
I’m so thankful to Chrism Press for sending me a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Bethany –
Before I was even a quarter of the way into Wagers of Sin, I’d grinned numerous times and even chucked. And that trend continued throughout the entire book. Yes, I know it’s a murder mystery, but Martha’s manner of thinking things just tickles my funny bone. I was looking over my highlights and laughing at them anew, even.
Also before 25%, I was itching to know “who done it”—even though the crime had not yet been committed in real time. I had to exercise some serious self control in not flipping to the end, and that was even more of a struggle the further along in the book I got, which is probably why I finished at 2 a.m. Personally, I found the plot riveting and Martha amusing enough to put up with Marya’s rambling thoughts. Granted, these could also be amusing. My only complaint with them is that it took me that many more words and minutes to find out who the culprit was!
Romance: completely spice free, though we do see some clothing descriptions of some women and they are not what one would call modest. Additionally, divorce is pretty present, though it doesn’t seem as if it is condoned—more of that it’s in the book because it’s in real life, kind of like the skimpy clothing.
Violence: though it is a murder mystery, we do not see anything gruesome. The main character sees something but turns away before we follow her line of sight, and there are only general descriptions of details.