Part Cozy and part romance, but falls flat
Foreclosed is the first in the Mitzy Neuhaus Mystery series by Traci Tyne Hilton. Set in Portland, Mitzy Neuhaus is a hot shot realtor. With her high profile, unique look and regular spots on local radio, she is also quite the local celebrity. When a prominent Victorian mansion falls into foreclosure next door to one of her rental properties, Mitzy launches into action to recover the property and secure its future use as a residence. Little does she know, a local rival also has his eyes on the same property to renovate into a bed and breakfast for his sister. After a series of robberies, burglaries and personal attacks all seemingly related to the property, Mitzy realizes that there may be more to this charming Victorian mansion than just location and historical appeal.
As far as Cozy’s go, this has got to be the first one I have read without a body count. The campiness and antics that I have come to expect from this genre were present, although I felt that the fast pace of the story did not do it any favors. At one point I actually felt like there may have been too much going on to keep the story straight with a few events occurring with little to no explanation as to how it fit into the storyline.
First impression of the story was that it was cute, but cuteness aside, the overall story for me fell short. With this being the first in a series, however it is possible that a few unanswered questions may be addressed further in the later books. I, for one will most likely let those mysteries remain uncovered.
Jennly Reads 