IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW (Molly Murphy Mystery #20) by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles will be released on March 12, 2024 by Minotaur Books.
Fleeing a typhoid outbreak in New York City, Molly takes the children to her mother-in-law’s house in the country. Molly soon grows bored and goes to join her friends Sid and Gus as they visit Sid’s family at a Jewish bungalow community in the Catskill Mountains. Sid’s family has brought in a matchmaker to find husbands for her and her younger cousin. When the cousin’s intended is shot to death in the woods, Molly finds herself dusting off her old detective skills. The local law enforcement believe that Sid’s cousin is responsible for the murder, and Molly is determined to prove otherwise. The case becomes more complicated when Sid’s (unwanted) fiancé disappears in a blast a nearby mine. Luckily, Molly’s husband, Daniel, comes out from the city to take over the investigation.
IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW gest off to a slow start. It takes some time for Molly to get out of the city and to Sid’s family’s farm. Then there is time spent establishing that the soon-to-be victim is an unlikeable man that has made plenty of enemies. The murder finally kicks off the investigative part of the story, but Molly remains a bit hands-off. Because she is pregnant, she leaves it up to others do some of her investigative work. With each new book in the series, I keep hoping for a return of the old Molly. Since the change in authors, all of the main characters have become a watered down version of their former selves. As long as you can’t separate the old Molly from the new Molly, IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW is still an enjoyable book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.