Moose Willow Mystery
Terri Martin
Modern History Press (2022)
ISBN 9781615996896
Reviewed by Jen Oliver-Rigsby for Reader Views (12/2022)
“Moose Willow Mystery” introduces readers to Janese Trout, an administrator at the local community college, who gets herself wrapped up into a mystery of disappearing people, a possible Bigfoot, and trying to maintain control of her life despite her mother. Janese is in charge of the community’s igloo building contest and that alone causes a stir among citizens; people accusing others of cheating. This leads to a strange murder, and Janese’s best friend, State Trooper Bertie, is off to investigate. Meanwhile, a stranger comes into town…to only find them gone. Can Janese help Bertie figure out what is going on in the Upper Michigan town Moose Willow before it is too late?
Janese seems like your everyday type of character who gets themselves wrapped up in strange going-ons without even trying. She also seems very absentminded, like how long does it take someone to take a pregnancy test? This reader has mixed feelings about Janese’s character. At moments it seems like Janese is strong and at other times she seems very dumb and not worth the read. This reader does not know if this is because the timeline in “Moose Willow Mystery” seems off or not. At times, it is hard to figure out how much time has passed or even why days have passed when major events take place.
The mystery started off strongly, with lots of different components being added in, and then it seemed to have disappeared. The mystery became more about Janese’s everyday life instead of anyone trying to figure out why a person was murdered, where Janese’s boyfriend disappeared to, what is this Bigfoot creature that people have seen and heard. Eventually, the story does go back to conclude these events, but it seemed rushed. More time could have been taken in developing the mystery instead of the focus being on Janese and her mother’s antics.
Overall, “Moose Willow Mystery” was entertaining as a fictional story novel more than as a cozy mystery. Does it have a mystery? Yes. Does it have romance? Yes. Does it have the small-town vibe as most cozy mysteries do? Yes.
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