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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In Andrew Higgins's Murder Most Necessary, after inheriting a house in the Mourne Mountains town of Killnakree, following the death of her aunt Clodagh Sutton, Belfast librarian Demelza Blaine leaves her former life behind and accepts a position at the local newspaper owned by Natasha Gilchrist. Her arrival offers distance from a painful breakup until beautician Liz McKee, the first neighbor to welcome her into the community, is found dead only hours after introducing Demelza to the town’s social circle. When a threatening message warns that more deaths will follow, Demelza is drawn into an investigation involving Detective Sergeant Gideon Meredith, hidden connections between the residents, and events reaching back many years before her arrival. As fear spreads across Killnakree, Demelza realizes that somebody in the town has been waiting for the right moment to act.
Andrew Higgins's Murder Most Necessary is the first of three standalone novels in The Blaine & Meredith Murder Mystery Series, and I'm a fan ready to grab books two and three. Higgins does an excellent job of balancing the bane of violence and the heartbreak of grief. I was pretty choked up when Steve McKee touched Liz's coffin privately, and later, Lady Henrietta's recalling of how Arlene collapsed at the Groove and Soothe Festival. Demelza is immediately likeable, showing true patience and sincerity even while pursuing answers. She also has her own human flaws, such as impulsiveness that repeatedly places her in danger. Ireland is almost a character in its own right, and the author makes Killnakree feel inhabited with cobbled streets, granite terraces, and crowded pubs. There are some great twists and a well-placed red herring or two, and readers who adore small community-centred crime fiction, amateur investigations, and Northern Ireland settings will love this series. Very highly recommended.
