I read a really good book recently, y'all. Let me tell you a little about this terrific Cozy Mystery.

Death of an Irish Diva, by Mollie Cox Bryan, is the third novel in her Cumberland Creek Mystery series. I enjoyed my previous two "visits" to Cumberland Creek, Virginia, in [b:Scrapbook of Secrets|11468378|Scrapbook of Secrets|Mollie Cox Bryan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1313271992s/11468378.jpg|16402640] and [b:Scrapped|15806987|Scrapped (Cumberland Creek Series #2)|Mollie Cox Bryan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344713373s/15806987.jpg|21531373], and this "visit" is equally fun and enjoyable.

The recurring characters in the series are believable, interesting, and likable. Among them are Vera, a former professional dancer who now runs a dance studio, and Vera's 83-year-old mother Beatrice. Bea is a retired quantum physicist whose late husband was a physician. Vera is recently divorced, in her mid-forties, and mother to 3-year-old Elizabeth. Vera and Beatrice are closer now; in the past, however, they had a strained relationship at times. Their interests are so different that they can have difficulty understanding each other's viewpoint.

Sheila, an avid scrapbooker and Vera's best friend since childhood, is the owner of a scrapbooking supplies shop and the host of the weekly Scrapbooking Crop for their friends. Other recurring characters and Crop members are schoolteacher Paige; DeeAnn, baker and owner of the local bakery; and Annie, freelance journalist who is also writing a book.

My favorite characters are Annie, because of her chutzpah, and Beatrice. Author Mollie Cox Bryan portrays Bea not as a stereotypical senior citizen who is slowing down physically and mentally, but as an independent, intelligent, active woman who is feisty enough to stand up for herself whenever necessary.

The storyline has a good flow to it, due in part to the unusual writing style. The narrative point of view varies from chapter to chapter, so the reader sees the plot unfold through the eyes of several characters. If a chapter ended with a cliffhanger or a teaser, I found it very hard to put the book down. When I did manage to put down Death of an Irish Diva and return to the real world, it was easy to pick right back up where I (ever so reluctantly) left off.

I really enjoyed reading Death of an Irish Diva by Mollie Cox Bryan, and recommend it to fellow lovers of cozy mysteries, especially to those who are also scrapbookers or who want to begin scrapbooking. [The author, in the voice of Sheila, explains new trends and techniques in scrapbooking, such as digital scrapbooking and hybrid scrapbooks. There is a glossary of scrapbooking terms in the back of each book in the series, so even non-scrapbookers like me are not lost and confused with the unfamiliar terminology.]

{Review originally published at Jane Reads} ( )