Book Review: Murder by Yew is a deadly cup of tea

Murder by Yew is a debut novel written by Suzanne Young. It is published by Mainly Murder Press, located in Wethersfield, Connecticut. The publishing house was created to form a bridge between New England authors and mystery readers who especially enjoy novels set in this part of the United States.

The Writing Loft embarks on a new path with this posting … book reviews! Every year thousands and thousands of books get published. Bowker, the global leader in bibliographic information management solutions, announced earlier this year that more than 275,000 new titles were published in 2008. Many of these books are brought to market by small publishing houses and are promoted by the individual efforts of the authors.

In this post, Jeannine C. Stauder serves as guest blogger/reviewer for The Writing Loft.

Murder by Yew
Written by Suzanne Young

Reviewed here by
Jeannine C. Stauder

Murder by Yew is a debut novel by Suzanne Young and has all the elements that make a good story: subtle clues throughout, good foreshadowing, and always a sense of mystery. Her protagonist, Edna Davis, is a modern-day Miss Marple who engages in the fine art of investigation with class and determination.

When Edna and her doctor husband, Albert decide to retire, they searched for the perfect property to enjoy their golden years. They find a cottage with three acres of land in their home state of Rhode Island. Edna, an artist and amateur herbalist falls in love with the property and its vast array of trees and exotic plants not usually grown in such a cold climate.

Edna starts reading the journals that the previous owner, Mrs. Hazel Rabichek, has left behind. She learns the woman used lethal garden plants in accepted dosages to produce healing recipes. Edna experiments with those recipes and brews herbal tea for herself and her friends.

When her handyman, Tom, dies from poisoning, Edna comes under police scrutiny. She immediately launches her own investigation into Tom’s death to clear the suspicion that has fallen on her.

To add to Edna’s distress, Albert goes to a medical conference in Denver and leaves Edna alone for the first time in their married lives. A recent rash of home invasions compounds Edna’s anxiety.

The characters are well-developed. Mary, native to the area, is Edna’s closest neighbor and friend. She can tell a tale or two about the town folks. Dee, a newcomer with a mysterious past, wants to be accepted by the members of the local garden club. She pushes friendship on an unwilling Edna. Tom, a good-natured handyman, and hero to his disabled five-year-old grandson Danny, is also a native with a vast knowledge of past residents. Beverly and Shoes, a sister and brother team, recently located to the town, would like to take over the cleaning and repair work for the residents.

Edna has plenty of suspects in Tom’s poisoning. She uses her knowledge of herbs and her artistic abilities to solve the murder.

The reader would do well to be alert to the clues Ms. Young sprinkles throughout the story. The ending is a good wrap-up, leaving the reader wishing for more of Edna and her inquiring mind.
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This book is available through http://www.mainlymurderpress.com, http://www.Amazon.com and http://www.BarnesandNoble.com.
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Author Suzanne Young was born and raised in Rhode Island. She has worked as a writer, an editor and a computer programming since earning her degree in English from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. Among her publishing credits is the first chapter in Police Accountability, chronicling the evolution of police performance measures in the U.S. A resident of Colorado for more than 30 years, Suzanne works full-time in software development and writes fiction in her spare time. A member of Denver Woman’s Press Club, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime, she is also a graduate of the Arvada, Colorado, Citizens Police Academy. Please visit http://www.SuzanneYoungBooks.com and/or contact her at Suzanne@suzanneyoungbooks.com.
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Guest blogger/reviewer Jeannine C. Stauder divides her time between sea-level Connecticut and the mountains of Colorado, where she is a member of the Steamboat Springs Writers. She wrote the stories of people’s lives for many years in her professional capacity as an adoption coordinator and family therapist. Insight into the emotional workings of adults and youths provided the groundwork for her writing career. She has written short stories for middle- school-age and teenagers as well as adult short stories. She received first place in Pen Works contest for creative non-fiction and third place for short fiction and poetry. Her poems are published in Voices of The Valley. She has contributed articles to the Connecticut Post newspaper. She is a retired member of the Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. As the mother of six children and grandmother of eighteen, she recognized the need for stories that focus on the lives of young people. Her first Young Adult novel is Saturday’s Child.

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