Murder Two Doors Down: An HOA Homicide Mystery by Chuck Storla
Brad Hanson’s life in his suburban Atlanta subdivision is unremarkable. He investigates insurance fraud, which is as dull as it sounds, though if he’s able to get a good bonus this year, his wife, Rhonda, will finally get to have her new kitchen. His highest achievement in life is being secretary and de facto parliamentarian on the homeowners association board, which is the center of all the neighborhood drama.
As frustrating—and heated—as the arguments over tennis court resurfacing and dog droppings may be, much like his subdivision compatriots, Brad would never kill a neighbor, but… he might enjoy thinking about it from time to time. (Who hasn’t?)
When someone murders cranky old Inga Oskarsdotter—a frequent source of complaints to the HOA board—a literal smoking gun turns Brad into the chief suspect. But Brad is not waiting around to be arrested—after all, he is an investigator by trade—and he takes it upon himself to find the real killer. Then the body count starts to rise.
One thing is sure: A murderer on the block is not good for property values.
Review:
I know I don’t review much out of the scifi/fantasy realm, but this novel was written by my uncle… and it was so good, I wanted to give him a shout out! And I’m a big murder mystery fan as well.
Brad is a bright, if often bumbling, man mistakenly accused of murder. Since he’s an (insurance) investigator, he believes he can uncover the real killer. With clever characters and an intriguing mystery, this well-paced story is a quick read. And it was really hard to put down. There was so much humor and witty commentary, that I often had to stop and reread passages. In fact, there is more comedy than suspense throughout. I laughed out loud several times!
I really enjoyed the characters. Those of us in HOAs will definitely appreciate a lot of the (seemingly) over-the-top neighbors and people who push the limits of what’s allowed. Because there were so few suspects, the reveal was a bit predictable. Yet there was still a fun twist I didn’t see coming. I was thoroughly impressed by this debut novel – from a relative or not. And I hope there are more of these fun, lighthearted mysteries in the future. Though, I’m not sure how well this poor neighborhood would fair with a multitude of murders.