Discussion Group Selection For January

The January selection for our Mystery Reading Discussion Group is The Nanny Murders by Merry Jones. This book introduces Zoe Hayes who is a single mother working as an art therapist at an Institute for deranged patients. There are a total of four books in this series at this time. This is the first book in the series that I have read. As the tradition for our Mystery Reading Discussion Group goes, I am casting my votes after reading it – thumbs up!!!

As one of Zoe’s friends points out, Zoe has been living in a “protective bubble” with her adopted daughter. Things have changed with the first chapter of this book when her daughter discovers a frozen finger out in front of her house. Her protective bubble has just burst. Little does she know how important the detective who visits her is going to become an important part of her life. She learns a little about a few missing nannies – one who may be missing this finger. She finds it hard to stop thinking about the case – and the detective. “But there was something else on my mind as evening approached. I was intrigued by Detective Stiles, how his mind worked, how he approached the case. And, aside from all that, I liked the way he smelled.”

Zoe is forced to look at her neighbors with different eyes now. I suspect she is also forced to look at her friends, acquaintances at work, and even herself, a little differently as well. This is one of the things the author does well with this book. She shows how Zoe’s views of people changes.

Another thing interesting is how the author keeps the story going. There are several suspects to the nanny murders. When it appears one person may have been the murderer – another turns up.

One thing I can say for sure, I am adding this author to my list of books to read. It will be intersting to see how she followups on Zoe Hayes. Let me know how you feel about this authoer and this series.