As I write this, COVID-19 forces a good portion of the population to remain housebound. Cinemas, libraries, and even churches have closed their doors. Restaurants supply take-out only. Cars sit idle and streets are eerily quiet as people stay indoors. Doing what you might ask?
Many are taking the time to do chores put off for months—organizing drawers, sorting paperwork, and cleaning out closets. But there are those who see this time as an opportunity to do something they never get to do—read a book. Murder in the Family by Ramona Richards is an excellent place to begin.
The heroine, Molly McClelland must return to her childhood home, a place she never wanted to see again in her lifetime. She inherits her aunt’s house, full of memories both good and bad—and lots of stuff! Rooms full of boxes, newspapers, and furniture. One of those stacks fell on her aunt.
Did her aunt’s hoarding kill her—or did someone make it look that way?
And what about the body Molly found in the attic?
Molly gets no help from her family living in the area. They were the reason she left. But, she finds an ally in the sheriff, and together they work to solve the mysteries surrounding her aunt’s estate.
Murder in the Family is a well-deserved finalist for a SELAH award from Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. The winners will be announced in May of this year. Great characters, good writing, and a plot that is easy to follow make this one of my favorite books.
Besides the enjoyment of a good mystery story, I experienced three take-aways from Ms. Richard’s book:
- I’m going to make time to clean my closets, organize my drawers, and sort my paperwork!
- Community is important. Also kindness.
- Forgiveness is not impossible—no matter how long you may have been mad at someone.
I challenge you to read her book and see what your three take-aways are.
About Ramona Richards:
The author of eleven books, Ramona Richards has worked on staff or as a freelancer for more than a dozen publishers and has edited more than 500 publications. Ramona has won awards for both her fiction and non-fiction, and is now associate publisher at Iron Stream Media, the parent company of New Hope Publishers. Ramona is also a frequent speaker at church events and writer’s conferences around the country. She lives in the Birmingham, Alabama, area.
www.ramonarichards.com