After a few years as a police officer in Chicago, Michael Keane has no trouble relaxing into the far less stressful job of deputy sheriff in his small hometown. After all, nothing ever happens in Hidden Springs, Kentucky. Nothing, that is, until a dead body is discovered on the courthouse steps. Everyone in town is a little uneasy. Still, no one is terribly worried--after all the man was a stranger--until one of their own is murdered right on Main Street.
As Michael works to solve the case it seems that every nosy resident in town has a theory. When the sheriff insists Michael check out one of these harebrained theories, his surprising discovery sends him on a bewildering search for a mysterious killer that has him questioning everything he has ever believed about life in Hidden Springs.
My Review:
Murder at the Courthouse is the first book in a new mystery series by A. H. Gabhart. The plot line was interesting and had a lot of potential. Unfortunately I did not enjoy reading this book as much as I thought I would. The plot moved slow and the mystery part needed more development throughout the book. I guessed the bad guy early on in the book. Also the romance was extremely awkward and underdeveloped between Michael and Karen, the woman preacher in town. The minor characters were nicely done. I liked the side plot about Michael helping a troubled kid named Anthony Blake. This was a cozy mystery with a small town feel like the Mitford series by Jan Karon. I want to read book two when it comes out to see where the author takes the story and I have enjoyed reading several other books by this author.
Ann H. Gabhart caught the writing bug at the age of ten and has been writing ever since. An award winning author, she's published many books for both adults and young adults. Scent of Lilacs, her first inspirational novel, was chosen as a Top Ten Christian Fiction Book by Booklist magazine. Her Shaker novel, The Outsider, was a finalist for ECPA Christian Fiction Book of the Year and was a Top Pick by Romantic Times Book Review Magazine. Love Comes Home won the Selah Book of the Year award. Ann writes about Kentucky history and small town life and as A.H. Gabhart is the author of the Hidden Springs mysteries.
Ann lives on a farm in Kentucky not far from where she was born. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. Ann loves hiking on her farm with her grandkids and her dog, Oscar. See more about her books at www.annhgabhart.com or join the conversation on her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/anngabhart
Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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