By Christina McLaurine
Set off the coast of British Columbia on Sutil Island, Mindful of Murder is a lovely cozy mystery perfect for lazy Sunday reading. Helen, a recent graduate from Butler School, is about to start her first job when she receives a call informing her that her former boss, Edna, has died. Edna’s will lays out instructions for Helen to sort out her affairs. Her main task is to run a retreat for some of Edna’s relatives to determine who will take over Edna’s business, the Yatra Institute. As Helen begins to carry out this plan, Edna’s death makes less and less sense. With the help of her classmates, Helen starts asking questions to get to reveal the truth about what happened during Edna’s last moments.
Mindful of Murder is full of colourful characters. Edna’s relatives (Thaddeus, Wills, Rayvn, and Whitney) and the institute staff (Warfarer, Nigel, and Jensen) are quirky and fun—but Helen herself is the most interesting. Prior to working at the Yatra Institute, she used to be a nun, and before that, she spent time at a Buddhist monastery. It’s certainly not the typical backstory for the typical amateur sleuth protagonist but it works. As Helen asks questions about Edna, it reads as though she’s trying to place all of the pieces of a puzzle together instead of catching a criminal. In a way, this adds to the cozy feeling of the novel.
It’s common when reading mysteries or thrillers (or any genre for that matter) to try and figure out the twist or the ending before it arrives. In the case of mysteries, it’s figuring out whodunnit before it is revealed. Throughout the novel themes of mindfulness, specifically being present, are constantly discussed and referenced. In a way, Juby seems to suggest to the reader to be present where they are in the story and not rush ahead by trying to figure out how it will end. The end will come when it comes. And when it comes to solving the murder, if readers stay present with what’s unfolding exactly where they are in the novel, they will unearth the answers.
It’s a different way of presenting a murder mystery but it works. Mindful of Murder has all of the classic elements of a cozy mystery making it ideal reading for a rainy day or cottage getaway. It’s sure to leave readers hoping this is the first in a series.
Thank you, HarperCollins, for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.