Edited Out

Seffi Wardwell Mystery, #3

by

Rebecca M. Douglass

Feel the cold as Seffi pursues a killer!

Edited Out is the third book in author Rebecca M. Douglass's warm and winning Seffi Wardwell Mystery series set in the wintry small coastal town of Smelt Point, Maine, where everyone knows everyone else, all their business, and outsiders stand out like lighted buoys. Though not known as a tourist destination, Smelt Point is the annual host of an off-season artists' residency, and this year, there are five artists and writers participating and staying in Chloe and Arden Patterson's struggling inn, where Seffi Wardwell helps part-time. When an obnoxious writer who has singlehandedly developed a strong local following of ill-wishers is found dead in the inn's solarium, Seffi steps up to track down the murderer and save the inn's reputation. 

I so enjoy Seffi, her friends, and their vividly described town; just don't call it charming or a village! These tough Mainers know their town is pretty much low on charm, relishing their fishing heritage and the jobs the local cannery provides, the magnificent coastal views, and their almost fanatical obsession with gardening of all kinds. The five artists-in-residence offer a temporary distraction to the locals as winter descends, blanketing the town in ice and snow. The weather also creates a pseudo "locked room" situation when the much-disliked Zaria Carver is murdered. 

Seffi, a recent transplant from the West Coast, is still settling in as a resident and is well aware that she is still viewed by many as an outsider herself. However, her wide-ranging participation in local activities has garnered her many good friends, as evidenced by their enthusiastic show of regard after her exciting 'life or death' confrontation with the killer. Seffi has personal sadness in her backstory, but, as an aside to the resolution of the murder case, there are hints of change in her future. 

I recommend EDITED OUT to cozy mystery fans, especially those who enjoy LGBT representation and Maine or coastal settings in their stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.