The Corpse with the Garnet Face (A Cait Morgan Mystery)

By Cathy Ace

Rating: 5/5 Stairs

I am so excited to announce that with this review I am also giving away a copy of The Corpse with the Garnet Face. The contest runs through April 19th. Scroll to the bottom to enter through Rafflecopter.

I have had the pleasure of reading three of the previous six Cait Morgan mysteries. Each of these prior outings has put Cait in a “locked room” type mystery. A death occurs, and the suspects are limited to those on hand at the time of the crime. This seventh outing, The Corpse with the Garnet Face, provides Cait with a different challenge.

The book begins with newlyweds Cait and Bud happily facing the challenges of landscaping their new home. Things quickly change when Bud discovers that his uncle has died (an uncle he never even knew existed), and left Bud in charge of carrying out his last wishes. Cait and Bud set off to Amsterdam to try and discover who Uncle Jonas really was and more importantly the message he is trying to send to them from the grave.

While the premise is a little different, Ms. Ace keeps certain elements of Garnet Face consistent with other outings in the Cait Morgan series.

She doesn’t waste time getting to the heart of the story. Typically, this is a murder, but in the case of this book, it’s announcing the existence and death of Bud’s mysterious uncle.
Each novel I’ve read has a different locale, bringing in the local foods, people, and scenery. Garnet Face takes us to the lovely city of Amsterdam. Cait Morgan is a bit of a foodie, and it’s always a pleasure reading about the culinary delights she manages to find.
Cait relies on her keen powers of observation. Her eidetic memory is played down a bit in this book, but Cait’s observations prove key to getting to the heart of things.
As always, the story is as much about the characters as it is the mystery. To me, this is always the hallmark of a truly enjoyable cozy. You may start the series for the mystery, but you come back for the characters. This is especially true in this outing, when the quest is to determine what kind of a person Jonas was. Cait and Bud rely heavily on his circle of friends to learn the truth about Jonas and his true reasons for their quest.

All-in-all, this book is a delight to read. For those new to the series, you will be able to jump right in. And those of us who have read previous installments will enjoy joining Cait again for another adventure. For more Cait Morgan, check out The Corpse with the Silver Tongue, The Corpse with the Sapphire Eyes, and The Corpse with the Diamond Hand.