Blue Moon by Wendy Corsi Staub

The second book in the Mundy’s Landing series by Wendy Corsi Staub is due out today, and Kerry Hammond is here to tell us about it.

Blue Moon is Wendy Corsi Staub’s second book in the Mundy’s Landing series, which takes place in New York State’s Hudson Valley. The book releases January 26, 2016, by publisher William Morrow. I read and reviewed book one in this series, Blood Red, which was well written and kept me guessing to the very end. I have been anxiously awaiting this second installment and was very excited to get my hands on a copy.

Mundy’s Landing is experiencing an influx of tourists in what the locals have dubbed “Mundypalooza.” The town is celebrating its 350^th year, which also marks another, more tragic anniversary. A century ago, three young girls were found lying in the guest rooms of three different homes. Each was placed under the covers, wearing a white nightgown, with their hair neatly braided. Each was dead. The identities of the three girls were never discovered, and the killer was never caught. For the last 100 years, the mystery has gone unsolved, but locals and tourists alike have not tired of trying to solve the cold case known as the Sleeping Beauty Murders.

Blue Moon centers around Anabelle Bingham and her family who have just moved into one of the “Murder Houses.”  The town’s Historical Society has offered a reward for solving the Sleeping Beauty Murders and gawkers have been standing outside her home, trying to question her family or weasel their way inside. What she doesn’t know is that a copycat killer is planning to reenact the crime, providing his own sleeping beauties for each of the homes.

I love that these books take place in the same town, and contain the same characters, but that the focus changes for each story. The characters who were the focus in book one are side characters in book two. This provides the reader a framework and a feeling of familiarity but allows for new and different storylines. Corsi Staub creates compelling characters and a suspenseful build-up to each book’s conclusion. I really enjoyed the unique plot in Blue Moon and the history she has created for the fictional town shows her immense talent and creativity.  

I will now spend my time anxiously awaiting book three in the series, Bone White, which will go back to tell about the founders of Mundy's Landing and the tragic event that made them famous.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Mystery Playground is on twitter @mysteryplaygrnd or find us on Facebook.

You can follow Kerry on Twitter @kerryhammond88.