After a series of setbacks, Abby Maguire decides to start her life all over again. She leaves her lifestyle reporter job in Seattle and moves to Eden, a small town in Australia. She is all excited about her new job – a reporter at The Eden Rise Gazette, the brainchild of newspaper mogul – Dermot Cavendish.
On her way from the airport to Eden, Abby picks up a stray purebred mutt, who was once someone’s pet. As she reaches Eden, she leaves the dog at the Vet and plans to meet her employer – Dermot at his residence. As Abby reaches his place, the door is open. Abby enters in to find that her employer is lying dead on the Sofa.
With her new job in jeopardy and rumors of Sebastian Cavendish – Dermot’s grandson, wanting to sell the Gazette, Abby is in two minds about ‘starting her life all over again.’
Gossip spreads like wildfire in Eden – Abby is counted as a suspect by the townspeople while the Detective, Joshua Ryan, thinks otherwise. From lifestyle to crime reporter – is this Abby’s new job? Can she solve the mystery behind her employer’s murder?
This is the first book in A Dear Abby Cozy Mystery series and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it! The story starts with Abby driving from the airport to Eden, and she’s talking to the dog! As the story proceeds, Doyle, the dog, and Abby form a strong bond. Throughout the story, there are one-sided conversations between Abby and Doyle. And… Doyle seems to understand each and every word of what Abby is saying. He nods his head, indicating a No, or grins, like a human – truly a man’s best friend, eh?
The quirks of Eden’s residents is hilarious. When the rumor spreads that Abby might have killed her employer, Mitch, the pub’s owner asks Abby if she killed Dermot. Then there is this incident where Doyle goes missing in the pub. And everybody starts searching for a dog. Markus, Mitch’s brother, finds Doyle, but when Mitch asks “Has anyone seen a dog?”, they all look at Markus, then at Mitch, nod their head and say “No”. Markus has found Doyle but there is no dog in the pub!
Then there is Faith, an employee at the Gazette, who later on, turns out to be Abby’s best buddy. Joshua Ryan, the detective who first arrived on the scene of the murder, warns Abby not to don her detective/crime reporter hat and solve the mystery. But secretly, he wants her to help him solve the case. Sebastian Cavendish, Dermot’s grandson, is on friendly terms with Abby – even invites her home for dinner. Joyce, the cafe owner, helps Abby to narrow down the list of suspects.
Quirky, gossipy yet loving – this is how I would describe the people of Eden. The only thing that I felt missing was romance. How I wish there were tiny sparks flying between Ryan and Abby or Sebastian and Abby. Since this is the first book in the series, you never know – maybe, there is some romance in the next book.
How can I not mention the Lamington’s cake! That is the main attraction of the story! Abby’s first assignment was the weekend’s bake sale – the Lamington’s cake – sponge cake dipped in chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut. Sounds delicious! There is a recipe of the same at the end of the book.
The writing was informal and neat. I loved the author’s writing style. The plot and the story are marvelous. The ending was unexpected and good. Abby does prove to be a good crime reporter! Each and every character in the book play an important role in the story. It goes without saying that Doyle was a cute little darling – the star of the story. Abby is the second best character in the story – her detective skills are excellent. If Abby is second best, then who is first, you ask? Doyle, of course!
End of the Lane is a cute, charming and wonderful cozy mystery.
My Rating: 5/5
Book Details
Title: End Of The Lane (A Dear Abby Cozy Mystery #1)
Author: Sonia Parin
Published on: January 11th, 2018
Genre: Cozy mystery
Purchase Links: Amazon.com | Book Depository
Featured Image Credits: Goodreads.com
Thank you BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
The Book Decoder 
I like the idea of a recipe at the end of the book. Also, I’m very impressed. You are posting book reviews so very frequently.
This is like the new trend – a few cost mystery series have recipes at the end of the book.
Thank you, sir. 🙂 I have been doing a lot of reading lately. 🙂