The Outsmarting of Criminals

Title: The Outsmarting of Criminals

Author: Steven Rigolosi [Website] [Twitter] [Amazon]

Publisher: Ransom Note Press

Series: Miss Felicity Prim Mystery, Bk 1

ISBN: 9780977378791

Length: 303 pages + "Junusakey Lemonade" Recipe

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I saw it on Wowbrary, and it caught my attention.  The cover's nice and eye-catching too.

Comments:

Miss Felicity Prim might call it "coincidence."  Her sister Miss Celia Prim might call it "cosmic alignment."  I would call it corny beyond belief but also vastly amusing.

Miss Prim is a great reader of books, most especially mysteries.  She has decided to completely uproot her life and begin a career (of sorts) as an amateur sleuth.  She certainly understands the way of things (courtesy of her reading experience).  And asking questions and reasoning is certainly the best way to solve a crime.  People do so overly rely on technology these days.

I'm sure you're beginning to see that this book is written with a very old fashioned feel.   Throughout, Miss Prim goes back and forth between believing herself a "modern woman" while holding to her mother's ideals and scoffing at the technology of the world around her.  In some ways I was put in mind of the Jane Austen era.  Or one of Kasey Michaels quirky historical romances only in cozy mystery fashion rather than romance.

The library copy I've been reading is overdue, and the next person in line is the mother of a co-worker.  So I'm describing the book to said co-worker.  I declared it (while only half way through) to be funny and weird (though that may not be the best of descriptions).  I found the story to be utterly charming, even as I was alternately rolling my eyes at Miss Prim and snickering over some line or another.

And the ending!  You could maybe guess part, but I challenge you to figure out everything.  It's so convoluted!  One 'eh part of note - I did not like the Epilogue.  But it was only one page.

Anyway, according to the author's blog/website this is the first in a series, though I've seen nothing about book two.  I'm sure it will be equally charming.