You know you have had a busy week when the post you have scheduled didn’t have the review yet and you didn’t have time to go back and add it in!  Sheesh!  I’m sure we have all had days like that…at least I hope I am not the only one.  I featured this book earlier today on my Mystery Monday segment and now for the review.

Synopsis

From Anna Loan-Wilsey comes the first installment of a new historical mystery series featuring Hattie Davish, a traveling secretary who arrives in a small Ozark town only to discover her new employer has disappeared. . .

On the eve of the heated presidential election of 1892, Miss Hattie Davish arrives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a scenic resort town where those without the scent of whiskey on their breath have the plight of temperance on their tongues.

Summoned for her services as a private secretary, Hattie is looking forward to exploring the hills, indulging her penchant for botany–and getting to know the town’s handsome doctor. But it’s hard to get her job done with her employer nowhere to be found. . .

An army of unassuming women wielding hatchets have descended on the quiet Ozark village, destroying every saloon in their path–and leaving more than a few enemies in their wake. So when their beloved leader, Mother Trevelyan, is murdered, it’s easy to point fingers. Now that she’s working for a dead woman, Hattie turns to her trusty typewriter to get to the truth. And as she follows a trail of cryptic death threats, she’ll come face to face with a killer far more dangerous than the Demon Rum. . .

Review

I haven’t read too many historical cozies but really enjoyed this one. It is set in the early 1900’s when alcohol was taboo to some and others were trying to stop people from drinking by passing laws.  Pretty sure this was before prohibition!  I thought the background on the springs in Eureka Springs and the healing properties that people believed they held was interesting and well written.

I had a couple ideas of who might have been the killer but never guessed it correctly!  That is the sign of a good mystery to me.  I went back and forth but this person was never on my radar.

We give this book 4 paws and can’t wait to read the next 2 books in the series!