Book Review: Murder at the Met (Penelope Harris Mysteries #2) by E. W. Cooper

Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Published on: 08 April 2021
Published by: Ink Dog Press
Type: HEA, standalone, series
Genre: Adult, Historical Series, Amateur Sleuth, Mystery/Suspense
Author: E.K. Cooper
Read: 01 April 2021
Shelved:04 April 2021
Rating: 5/ 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get it here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookbub | Goodreads

Synopsis:

November 1928, New York City. No one can keep a secret like high society – especially when that secret is murder.

There are two things Penelope Harris would rather do than get involved with another murder—sing opera and flirt with Thom Lund. When two tickets ensure Penelope and Thom get some precious time together at the Metropolitan opera, neither believes another murder will interrupt their romantic evening.

Fate has a different plan. Before the night is over a failed manufacturing tycoon is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, his poisoned and dying daughter nearby. Is it an accident? Suicide? Or murder? When a fellow soprano pleads for help, Penelope just can’t help her inquisitive nature.

As Penelope pulls back the cover on a diabolical crime, Lund rushes to complete the investigation of a suicide on the Gold Coast of Long Island. What they find will uncover the sordid underbelly of high society and put Penelope on the wrong side of her own gun.

Review

Murder at the Met is the second installment of the Penelope Harris Mystery. The title is a dead giveaway of what the story is about – a suspicious murder at the Metropolitan Opera (Met), wherein our two heroes, Penelope and Lund, were present. Although the title gives the main plot, there are still many complex “moving” clues and goings-on that make this story a captivating and thrilling one.

Penelope Harris comes into the book as the new voice teacher for the Metropolitan Opera. She needs to find work soon after her experience in Book 1 that marred her with gossip, and no one was interested in getting her to sing or teach. A sold-out show at the Met brought Penelope to meet up with a man from her past that would finally make his intentions known. Too bad, it had to be amidst the chaos of a murder investigation, poisoning, and robbery in the mix.

Thom Lund is a private financial detective who was also at the wrong place. He was at the Met for a performance when he bumped into an old friend from Book 1 and someone from who Lund thought he got over. His visit was a cover to speak to a potential client, but it all snowballed into another case that got him involved more directly as one of the four thousand possible suspects in the murder that evening. This complication dampers his current caseload at needs his full attention.

Before I start this review, I want to reassure readers who might wonder if reading Book 1 is necessary to appreciate Book 2, that no – you do not need to read the first book to enjoy the storyline, scenes, and characters. Readers can dive into Book 2 immediately and catch up with the details since the author provided some pertinent information to help “fill in” Penelope, Lund’s background story, and their pasts.

Without giving away too much, Murder at the Met brings Lund and Penelope’s sleuthing prowess that will bring readers “on the edge of their seats” from the start until the last chapter. Written from multiple characters’ POVs, I suggest readers take time reading it and repeat it if need be to not miss on details. There is a whole bunch of characters/suspects to rule out.

I adore the book’s historical feel, and the opera world’s inside politics of the opera world. The book takes readers back to the 1920s, as the author described each scene in vivid detail from the clothing, the food, the people, and the socio-economic situation in the story. The writing is logical yet ominous at the same time, which builds the air of uncertainty from the start.

Readers – be mindful and read carefully so as not to miss out on important clues. There were many small details to be taken into account that might not be significant at first until the end.

I love how the author expertly wove the scenes like a movie – very cinematographic style with words. It fits the suspense theme with “hidden” thoughts well hidden. Just when readers think they got the case solved, the author places a “wrench” into our theories, washing it away like the ocean washing away our sand fort, and we start from scratch.

I enjoyed the “slow-burning” attraction between Penelope and Lund. They worked well as partners helping give insight and details that were critical investigation and given other “angles.” They remind me of Sherlock and Watson but in a guy-girl setting. They have a slow-burning attraction that makes the book even more interesting as they sort out their feelings internally while simultaneously solving crimes.

As the book’s mysteries unfold, many family secrets related and unrelated to the murder surface as the investigations dig deeper. There are a lot of shocking truths, revelations, and an ending that will leave readers bewildered. The players all have their set of ideas, personae, and façades that are a treat when shown to “the privileged few.” More sinister things happened that even extended to a supposedly “unrelated” case that Lund was working on. Who knew that all of the things happening within the Met are interrelated to all the characters.

In summary, Murder at a Met is a fascinating, fantastic read. It will keep readers in their seats and devour the book immediately – wanting to find out the who, what, why, and where. Things are NOT what they seem on the surface, and readers need to dig a lot deeper to find out the “uglies” in the story. The ending was a sad yet complex one as the truth unfolded uncontrollably. The techniques reminded me of memorable A&E mysteries (i.e. Agatha Christie or Miss Marple, etc.) that I loved and missed so much. I love how the author got enthralled in the mystery and suspense. That is how I know a good book is all about – when it makes me revisit and rethink the details, plot days after finishing it.

This book is a keeper!

About the Author:

E.W. Cooper, author of the Penelope Harris Mysteries, was ecstatic to learn her debut in the series, The Jade Tiger, was the 2020 Booklife Prize Finalist in Mystery/Thriller. A lifelong fan of classic mysteries and Grand Opera, Ms. Cooper is hard at work on the second book in the Penelope Harris Mystery series, Murder at the Met (April 2021). She lives quietly with her partner, children, three dogs, and one cat in a very noisy house in South Texas.

To learn more about Penelope Harris Mysteries (and the author) go to http://www.ewcooper.com and snoop around.

GIVEAWAY ALERT

In celebration of the release of Murder at the Met, a giveaway is being run!
Up for grabs is a $25 Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of Murder at the Met!
This Blitz-wide giveaway is open internationally so head-on to Rafflecopter here to join.
Good luck!