Prah, Constantine, and Baryeh Reviews: Snow White Red-Handed (Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery #1) by Maia Chance

We are officially in the midst of summer and I hope you’re all enjoying the gorgeous weather as much as I am. This month we went the way of a mystery. Nothing hard core and gloomy, more of a cozy mystery. I’m looking forward to seeing what Constantine and Baryeh thought of the story. Remember to head over to their blogs once you’re done reading my review.

The Blurb

Miss Ophelia Flax is a Victorian actress who knows all about making quick changes and even quicker exits. But to solve a fairy-tale crime in the haunted Black Forest, she’ll need more than a bit of charm…

1867: After being fired from her latest variety hall engagement, Ophelia acts her way into a lady’s maid position for a crass American millionaire. But when her new job whisks her off to a foreboding castle straight out of a Grimm tale, she begins to wonder if her fast-talking ways might have been too hasty. The vast grounds contain the suspected remains of Snow White’s cottage, along with a disturbing dwarf skeleton. And when her millionaire boss turns up dead—poisoned by an apple—the fantastic setting turns into a once upon a crime scene.

To keep from rising to the top of the suspect list, Ophelia fights through a bramble of elegant lies, sinister folklore, and priceless treasure, with only a dashing but mysterious scholar as her ally. And as the clock ticks towards midnight, she’ll have to break a cunning killer’s spell before her own time runs out…

 

My Review

There are four components that came together in this book to make it work: the historical aspect, fairy tale elements, mystery element, and has the tiniest bit of romance. The best part about the novel was that when I finally figured out who the killer was, it was too late (for me as an amateur sleuth) because the book was almost done. For that I give Ms. Chance a standing ovation.

The characters were very likable, but there were a couple of situations in the story that had me asking questions about if such a thing would actually happen. These moments didn’t have anything to do with the fairy tale aspect of the story. All the activity and intrigue in the book made reading the story fly quickly.

Ophelia is a scrapper and a survivor. A strong character who went to great lengths to help her friend, and eventually herself. Her backstory is fascinating and the things she applied from her past to help solve the mystery added a fascinating depth to the story, especially in a horseback riding scene- I loved it.

I give this story four out of five cottage shaped chocolate bars.

Ms. Chase gave me a real, hold in my hot little hands paperback for an honest review.

 The book can be purchased at Amazon.