Dead Men Don't Lye by Tim Myers

Benjamin Perkins has no idea what is going to happen to his crazy life until he finds the dead body of the man who was dating his sister Louisa. She is considered the prime suspect. Benjamin’s on and off again girlfriend Molly cannot seem to get it out of her head that someone else committed the awful crime. His family is asking him to figure out who really did it but he is not sure how that will happen. He has soap making classes to teach as well as consoling his sister. He better do it soon before he gets himself into some hot water.

Tim Myers was the author of the month for my group for September. I was immediately pulled into the world of the Perkins family. He really let you into the life of this town and all its eccentricities. He had me laughing through most of the story. He was able to create each individual character so that they each stood out on their own. It was wonderful to see! The family was close but at the same time the siblings found it annoying. Yet when they needed it, they found it rather comforting as well. It was very realistic to a lot of families today.

Benjamin really did not want to poke his nose around at first. But once he started, it was not easy for him to slow himself down. His siblings are so much fun. I really liked Cindy. She was the youngest and doing her best to find her place in the family. The soap shop and factory that they ran was so cool to see. Family run businesses are not as common as they used to be. Most kids want to do their own thing and make their own way in the world. That was not true of the Perkins family. They truly loved wherever they were involved. They all took turns on the shop floor, which was fun to see. I also enjoyed meeting Kate and I would love to see her more often to see where things go with her.

I ended up picking this series cause it is the shortest of the bunch. Reading about the soap making class that Benjamin taught was really cool. It was many years ago but I have been to a shop like this but it was in the South of France when I was 18. It brought back a lot of memories as well as the wonderful tour they took us on. I wish I still had the soap I bought back then but I lost it one of the times I moved. I would definitely be interested in reading more of this series. I highly recommend it. A good family cozy mystery that is nice and full of surprises!

Tim Myers/New Author/ Cozy Mystery/ 240 pages/ 5 out of 5

Right now I am reading Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote. I hope to finish it soon. :)