Murder in Miniature

When her husband Bill died in WW2, Maple Bishop was left a penniless widow, in danger of losing her home. Maple and Bill met at Boston City College when he was a medical student and she was studying law. After they married, Bill found a position as the town doctor and coroner in Elderberry, but Maple was unable to find a position as a lawyer.

Always resourceful, Maple set about turning her hobby of making dollhouses, complete with tiny furniture and dolls, into a thriving business. After she helped a rookie police officer, Kenny Quirk, solve a puzzling murder by constructing a miniature version of the scene of death, the Sheriff appointed her as a crime scene consultant.

In this second book in the series, one of Kevin’s best friends, trainee fireman Danny Perkins died in a fire in his cabin. The fire chief can’t be sure the fire was accidental so Maple makes several tiny exact models of the cabin they can use to test out several theories of how the fire started and killed Daniel without him waking.

The investigation also leads Maple back to Boston with Kenny, where she takes the opportunity to find out more about the death of her brother in a pub fight. The Boston Police Department is extremely busy investigating the biggest heist in American history – the robbery of several million dollars from an armored car. However, Maple is able to find a sympathetic detective who helps her track down the original investigators.

In her author’s note, Kate Tietjen explains that her inspiration for Maple Bishop is based on the true story of Frances Glessner Lee, an early pioneer of forensic investigation. Like the fictional Maple, she built detailed miniature recreations of death scenes she called ‘Nutshell Studies of Death’, which she used to train investigators. The robbery of millions of dollars from an armored car was also based on a real heist in Boston (the Brinks robbery of 1950).

The inclusion of real historical people and events adds to the intrigue of this well plotted cozy mystery. Maple is developing well as the main character as an interesting amateur sleuth. She is fearless, intelligent and sensible, and is gradually winning over the Sherriff and the town. The setting is very atmospheric with the small town surrounded by the beauty of the forests and mountains. The post WW2 period also provides a good background for the plot, highlighting the difficulties experienced by those returning from WW2, as well as women and families experiencing financial problems while still grieving. Recommended for fans of historical cozy mysteries.

With thanks to Crooked Lane Books for a copy to read.