When Emlyn Goode received a sympathy card after her mother’s death, her world turned upside down. The card was from Amanda Stone, a rock star in the Stonemaiden band several decades earlier. Amanda walked off the stage during a concert and “disappeared.” However, recently rumor had it that Amanda had returned to her hometown of Niagara Falls, New York. On the card, Amanda wrote that she knew Emlyn’s mother during her youth and asked to meet Emlyn. And, the adventure begins in the entertaining murder mystery The Day the Music Died: An Emlyn Goode Mystery, written by Susan Lynn Solomon. Emlyn is dating Roger Frey, the Deputy Detective Chief of the Niagara Falls Police Department, while her best friend Rebecca Nurse is dating Detective Chief Harry Woodward from the same department. Although the women are instructed to stay home and take care of their injuries (and that’s another story), the enterprising twosome conduct their own investigation.

This is a quick-read, fun novelette; the reader will probably laugh out loud! Emlyn is smart, sassy and determined. Even her cat Elvira has caught onto her tricks. It seems Emlyn often makes decisions that invite dangerous people into her life, cultivating perilous situations. Author Susan Lynn Solomon has written an exciting and enjoyable mystery in The Day the Music Died: An Emlyn Goode Mystery. Ms. Solomon’s writing style is clear and concise. The characters are intriguing and realistic, while the dialogue is believable and adds to the reader’s understanding of each character in the story. This book would be perfect for a day at the beach.

A rising rock star suddenly disappears from the music scene in 1986, but surfaces again quietly many years later in her home town, Niagara Falls, in The Day the Music Died by Susan Solomon. Amanda Stone sends a condolence card to Emlyn Goode for the loss of her mother and asks to see Emlyn. Just recovering from a beating due to another mystery case, Emlyn and her friend, Rebecca, visit Amanda, only to find out mere hours later that she has been murdered. The past seems to have caught up with both Amanda and Emlyn as the former band members and their manager are in town for what was hoped to be a reunion concert. With the reading of the will, it is obvious that there is something out there that someone is willing to kill for and hopefully Emlyn and Rebecca won’t just become a few more casualties. With local law enforcement as boyfriends, the two should be safe, shouldn’t they?

Susan Solomon writes with a deft touch as her characters, including an albino cat, express unique natures, engage in realistic and humorous dialogue and just the right dose of witchcraft to make things interesting. Flowing smoothly from beginning to end, you can’t help but become caught up in Emlyn’s enthusiasm for getting to the bottom of the crime, in spite of being injured. The Day the Music Died is a quick read at only 69 pages, but there is plenty of action and adventure to fill out the tale and make you want to read more. The Day the Music Died is certainly well worth the effort! Great story - perfectly enjoyable.