"Murder Two Doors Down" by Chuck Storla

 

"Murder Two Doors Down" by Chuck Storla is a light-hearted, humorous whodunit mystery following an insurance agent in a suburban Atlanta subdivision that gets mixed up with murder. I loved Only Murders in the Building, so the blurb caught my eye. I knew within the first few pages that I was going to enjoy this book—and boy, was I right!

Brad Hanson lives with his wife, Rhonda, in the Estates at Chestnut Lake. They have two adult kids away at college. In addition to his day job, he also serves as secretary of the homeowners' association board. His life is as boring as can be—until a murder or two enliven his days. He’s set in his ways and considers his marriage happy overall, despite the growing list of rules his wife has set for him.

When someone murders cranky old Inga Oskarsdotter, Brad becomes the chief suspect. As frustrating as the homeowners' association meetings can be, he would never kill a neighbor. He might think about it from time to time, but who wouldn’t??

The police seem determined to pin it on him, leaving Brad no choice but to investigate and find the real killer before he’s sent to the can. He doesn’t share his sleuthing with his wife—she isn’t exactly supportive. All she seems to care about are her reality TV shows and a new kitchen. With Tony as his sidekick, playing the Watson to his Sherlock, Brad follows the trail of blood—but only manages to dig himself deeper into the mud. The plot thickens as the body count rises, and it becomes clear there’s a murderer on the loose, with no other suspects in sight but him.

This was a perfect delight to me. It has satisfying drama, an engaging protagonist, and plenty of humor. It starts off a bit slow, but once the story kicks into gear, it’s captivating. Told in Brad’s first-person POV, the author paints a colorful portrait of him and does a tremendous job capturing the personalities of the characters.

I liked Brad with all his eccentricities—his set of rules, his tendency to talk too much, and his love of quoting statistics to the annoyance of others. He takes questions too literally, doesn’t have any close friends, is clueless at times, and has compulsions to check things over and over. And yet, I still liked him and rooted for him. His wife irritated me with her long list of banned topics, her lack of appreciation for him, her impatience toward him, and the way she treated him overall.

It’s not edge-of-your-seat suspense—and that’s okay. The mystery is solidly developed and compelling. The writing is very detailed—sometimes a little too detailed—with miscellaneous information. But you can picture each character, each place, and each scene vividly.

I felt like the book could be trimmed a bit, as some things started to feel repetitive. It could use another round of editing to really shine. There were a few close-together words, too many statistics, and a bit too much food and clothing description that slowed the plot. While I partly suspected who did it, that didn’t dampen my enjoyment at all. I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out why.

All in all, this book was a great read. It had everything I hoped for—humor, mystery, and a quirky lead I could root for. This is the first in the An HOA Homicide Mystery series, and I’d love to read the next one. If mystery is your genre, pick this book up and look forward to a good time. Recommended to fans of amateur sleuthing, suburban neighborhood dynamics, and those who like their murders with a spoonful of humor.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own. 

* For more info about the book: "Murder Two Doors Down" by Chuck Storla