When Zeffie Got a Clue

Title: WHEN ZEFFIE GOT A CLUE
Author: Peggy Darty
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
March 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7333-7
Genre: Inspirational/cozy mystery

Christy Castleman doesn’t quite know what to think when a young girl named Zeffie, steps into the second hand shop Christy runs. Zeffie tells Christy that she needs to sell a jewelry box to pay for her grandmother’s medical bills, which prompts Christy to offer the girl more than the jewelry box is worth.

But when Christy is looking through the jewelry box, she finds a clue hidden in there to a murder that happened years before to an old family friend. How dangerous could it possibly be to take the jewelry box back to the family farm and ask around about it?

But soon, Christy discovers that the jewelry box harbors a lot of secrets. A jewel theft. A mansion murder. And other dangerous secrets. Will Christy let go of the past before it’s too late?

WHEN ZEFFIE GOT A CLUE is the third book in this cozy mystery series, but it easily stands alone, as I never read the first two books, yet I had no trouble understanding what was going on. Christy was a true heroine, calm, collected, and curious, opening the door for all kinds of discussions with other interesting characters. I did figure out who-dun-it as soon as this character was introduced, so it was no big surprise, but I did enjoy reading along to see how Christy would figure out the truth, and what mishaps she would get herself in.

Set on the coast of Florida, the story has lots of interesting ocean events that helped bring the story to life. The writing didn’t really draw me in, so I felt disconnected the entire book, but the story was good enough to keep me reading. If you like cozy mysteries, this is definitely a book to consider. $13.99. 341 pages.