Oak Tree Causes Murder

I received an advance copy of Maggie Dove by Susan Breen and from the moment I started reading it, I had a sense of foreboding. I read half of it, then put it down for a while because the feeling was so strong. Finally finished it and I am glad I did. It was wonderfully suspenseful and cleverly woven, although you always had the sense that something bad might happen.

Maggie Dove lives in a small Westchester County town along the Hudson River. She has survived the death of her teenage daughter and spends her time teaching Sunday School. Her next door neighbor tries to poison her lovely oak tree because it doesn't fit into the painting he is creating. When Maggie finds Bender dead at the foot of her tree the next day, she calls her daughter's friend and local police office Peter Nelson for help.

Peter is a troubled officer seemingly always at odds with his bosses. Maggie believes his new boss Police Chief Walter Campbell is out to get Peter and wants to blame him for Bender's death. When another death occurs seemingly tied to Peter, Maggie sets out to save her friend from being charged with that murder as

well.

Maggie is very introspective, and the death of her daughter 20 years prior has left a deep mark on her soul. She thinks she is healing, but over the years she has grown cold hearted. As Maggie searches for the connection between the two murder victims, she finds it closer than she thinks.

I hope there are more Maggie Dove books as I finally began to like her character towards the end of the book. Find the next book in the series here.