A Trip to the Water's Edge (A Mattie Mitchell Mystery) by Mary A. Berger

Take a couple of fun-loving gals who witness a murder, add to that a food poisoning problem, throw in some fun with an aerobics class and a laughable attempt to “cook from a real recipe,” and you have the makings for another hilarious adventure with Mattie Mitchell in A Trip to the Water’s Edge, the sequel to the equally comical novel, The Trouble with Mattie, the first in the Mattie Mitchell Mystery Series. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

A Trip to the Water’s Edge is a humorous chick-lit mystery.  This is the second book in a series involving protagonist Mattie Mitchell and her faithful side kick, Clare Tibbitts.  Since the author familiarizes the reader with past events, this novel can be read as a standalone.  While hanging out and doing what best friends do, Mattie and Clare find themselves in the middle of trouble.  They witness a murder while out hiking and someone has poisoned a guest at Autumn Leaves House.  Mattie seems to have a knack for getting involved and being in the middle of things.  Overall the concept of this story is good, and I can see the direction the author is taking.  However, the story just didn’t do it for me. The first part of the book dragged and while parts were funny, it didn’t have me turning the pages.  The flow just wasn’t there and the suspense didn’t build quickly enough. The cover of the book doesn’t tie in with the story and I feel it will confuse the reader. The cover makes me think of a fantasy or magic genre.  I would have loved to have seen an animated book cover depicting Mattie and Clare trying to cook in the kitchen or hiding behind a tree.  The last part of the story picked up speed and I found myself enjoying it.  Mattie and Clare are likable characters and some of their interactions made me chuckle.  It will be interesting to see how Berger’s writing develops in the next book of this series.

I want to thank E. Wright for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this book 2 coffee cups out of 5.

Purchase here: B&N or here: Amazon
 website: http://mattiesmysteries.blogspot.com/