Anne Marie Stoddard

The author, Anne-Marie Stoddard, gave me a copy of this novel for my review.


Let’s paint a backdrop of a castle themed nightclub reminiscent of the famed Castle Club in Chicago. Throw in a little Aldous Snow (expertly played by Russell Brand in “Get Him to the Greek”). Transport the venue to Atlanta and throw in a little Stephanie Bond cozy mystery styling and you have “Murder at Castle Rock.”

As with most cozy leads, Ame is an unlikely hero. She is an ordinary woman working a job she loves with friends she cherishes and not really thinking toward the future. Getting Bobby Glitter to play the club is a huge triumph for her punctuated by a local rock station covering the event but she’s going to make it work despite the minor trouble that may befall the group. This is going to be crowning achievement and things are going up from here. When the owner of the club, who had recently been acting erratically falls to his death, Ame must know what happened. That’s the hook for cozies. You have the character unable to resist justice. For Ame she knows that her friends weren’t involved in his death and that’s all she needs to know. With her sidekick, the teenaged Bronwyn, she sets out to find the truth and clear her friends of suspicion.

Stoddard’s Stephanie Bond-like style will give this author and character longevity. The author tells us that her passion is the music industry and concerts and I can while she doesn’t belabor the technical details, she gives us a sense of place and reality. We have a character with a job that she does while using intelligence, common sense and a bit of chance to work herself into a case in which she doesn’t belong.

If you’re looking for a vacation, summer or beach read. Something light but interesting and wholly engaging, pick up “Murder at the Castle Rock.”… (mais)