Mary MacDougall Mystery Duet - Richard Audry

A Pretty Little Plot

With confident steps, Miss Mary MacDougall, makes her way to class. As the daughter of John MacDougall - a renowned, wealthy businessman - she has the luxury of spending her time taking painting lessons.

However, Mary is not your typical society girl. She longs to become a private investigator, to find a mystery filled with clues desperate to be found and deciphered.

So, when she awakes one morning to find one of her fellow classmates has been kidnapped, Mary's brain goes into overdrive and fingers itch to solve the case. Matters take a turn for the worse when she discovers another friend was also taken and that their teacher, Edmond Roy, is arrested for the crime.

The intelligent, practical 18years old uncovers that he was the last person to see Harriet Crosby and Daisy Larkin before their capture. Why the sudden invitation and insistence of his joining them for lunch? As facts reveal themselves to the would-be detective, Mary needs to establish Edmond's innocence. Is he incarcerated mainly because of his Indian heritage therefore enabling the real culprit to get away with a crime?

A great introduction to an amateur sleuth. Audry's main protagonist is engaging, intelligent and ahead of her time in wanting to become a female investigator. Fueled by stories from likes of Conan Doyle, Mary approaches the kidnapping in a thoughtful manner. The plot is easy to follow and the twist of who committed the deed, surprising. Set in the 1900s, the author gives glimpses of Duluth at that time adding richness to a well thought out mystery.

A Stolen Star

In Mary's second outing as a budding detective, she finds herself befriending an international opera singer, Josephine Borrell. The esteemed singer is to wear the Star of the North, a spectacular sapphire owned by Mrs. Ensign, a widowed millionairess.

Before Joesphine leaves Duluth, she is invited to a dinner at Mrs. Ensign's. And, before Mary leaves for said dinner, a knock at her front door reveals Edmond Roy along with two fellow artists - introducing them as Erno Ritala and Annika Ritala, jewelers. They all live in North Michigan where Edmond has been commissioned to work on a mural for a bank. Shocked at seeing him after so long, Mary arranges to meet him the next day.

Distracted at seeing the young, attractive artist again, Mary reminisces over the passionate kiss shared at his departure and barely eats the sumptuous meal prepared by Josephine's personal French chef. When Mrs. Ensign requests an impromptu reenactment of the concert, she also insists that the famed opera singer wear the North Star again. When the box is opened, the revered jewel is missing.

Immediately alert, Mary dons her imaginary deerstalker and starts to investigate. Who benefits from taking the sapphire? Mrs. Ensign claims its cursed (although it had no effect on her), and it wouldn't be easy to sell. The young sleuth centers her suspects to those in the old lady's house - including the servants. Is it an inside job or should Mary look further afield, further to two strangers who make jewelry using precious stones?

A great second outing for Mary MacDougall. Audry reminds the reader of key characters from the first book and brings others up for consideration. With an essence of (Agatha) Christie about the missing gem, the plot is straightforward but with enough complexity to keep the reader guessing. The author has packed a lot in to a novella but it's not overwhelming. The budding romance between Mary and Edmond is light relief.

Both stories are an excellent foundation to Mary MacDougall, private investigator. With engaging, well thought out characters and believable plots and great historical references, this series will surely become a favorite go-to for fans of mysteries. A highly recommended read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author to review. The opinions expressed are my own and I am not required to give a positive critique.