Book Review: Misery Hates Company

Misery Hates Company

• Series: A Marigold Manners Mystery (Book One)

• Written by: Elizabeth Hobbs

• Published by: Crooked Lane Books

• Release date: November 5, 2024

• Mystery type: Historical mystery

Miss Marigold Manners has the poise and style of a well-bred young woman from a wealthy Boston family. Unfortunately, she has a poor person's bank account. When she gets an invitation from a mysterious long-lost relative, she heads to Great Misery Island off the coast of Salem, Massachusetts. Murder, malice, and mayhem ensue.

Misery Hates Company is a smart debut in a new historical mystery series by Elizabeth Hobbs

The mystery is set in 1894 on a moldering farm on Great Misery Island, a remote and sparsely populated island off the North Shore of Massachusetts.

The amateur sleuth is Miss Marigold Manners. She just lost her parents but has no intention of wallowing in sadness or accepting charity from her friends. She wants to study archaeology and plans to find the means to accomplish her goal.

So, when she receives a vague letter from an unfamiliar relative inviting her to take up her "rights," Marigold heads to Great Misery.

Miss Marigold Manners is easy to admire. She is a strong and determined New Woman who plans "to do what she was meant to do and let the world learn to catch up."

An intriguing mystery surrounds Marigold's mother, and she has plenty of family secrets to unravel.

It takes a while for an actual body to drop, but in this particular book, that's okay. The slow burn of the mystery gives you time to savor the historical details and the devilishly good character development.

As much as I enjoyed the setting, mystery, and characters, my favorite thing may be Elizabeth Hobbs' writing style. I found it quite enchanting and the perfect fit for this story and genre. Readers who like rich, witty prose and gothic mysteries will find a good match in Misery Hates Company.

Review disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of Misery Hates Company from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own.

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