Murder at the Courthouse by A. H. Gabhart

The small sleepy town of Hidden Springs comes wide awake when a body is found near the entrance to the courthouse. The man had been shot, and recently. Deputy Sheriff Michael Keane is on the case. Before he can make much headway, there is another murder. As the deputy pursues slim leads, it looks like these murders may have their origin in a missing person case a decade old.

This is a pretty good cozy mystery. I like the characters Gabhart has crafted. Hidden Springs is a small town with quirky characters – some lovable and some not so lovable. I liked the secondary characters, Michael's wise aunt and Anthony, the troubled teen. Reading the novel made me feel like I was in a close knit small southern community.

The mystery aspect of the novel is good. There certainly are enough hints that a reader could figure out the murderer. It was so plain early on that I thought maybe it was a red herring. In addition to the mystery is just a hint of romance. The aspect of the novel I liked the best was Michael helping Anthony. Both had been orphaned while young and Michael really has a heart for the troubled teen.

This is not a very complex mystery. It is an enjoyable one and I recommend it to authors who like a murder mystery without the gore and offensive language. This looks like the first novel in a new series and I'll be watching for the next one.

You can read a free chapter here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

A. H. Gabhart is the pseudonym for Ann H. Gabhart, the bestselling author of more than twenty novels for adults and young readers. She and her husband live on a farm not far from where she was born in Kentucky. You can find out more at www.annhgabhart.blogspot.com and www.annhgabhart.com.

Revell, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.