Book Review: Death at the Hargrove House

Title: Death at the Hargrove House

Author: Blossom Cole

Date: May 22, 2026

This is a full-length, tersely written murder mystery with lots of clues and plot twists. Even more than a mystery, though, it's a novel about the way we think of people.

Mystery stories can be told in different ways that suit different readers. When a clue is found, I'm more likely to pay attention and get into solving the mystery if I'm told what it is. "The dog smelled something" is a clue in itself; if I were there in real life I probably wouldn't know what the dog smelled either. "She picked something off the floor" might be a clue if we're watching "her" from outside the window, but if the story's being told from "her" point of view, I tend to lose patience with the detective who doesn't tell me what she picked up and why. If I were there in real life and didn't see the object first, I'd have a good look at that bag! If you enjoy the micro-mystery of trying to guess what amateur detective Mari (short for Marigold) has spotted, you will enjoy this book and want to buy the author's other published book about her, too. 

If you enjoy a study of how emotions creep in and distort our most logical thinking...I would have preferred a counter-stereotype study of how this works for a man, but that dynamic is easy to observe in the real world after all. This is an excellent study of how it works for a woman. 

Some readers will also appreciate that only one character is murdered in the time frame of the story. There's a second murder, but it occurred a long time ago. I like detectives who can do something with the evidence from one murder and not wait for another one.

Some will like the mix of Mari's hardheaded logical approach with the cozy atmosphere of her small-town bakery and cute dog. Ginger is a "goldendoodle," a "designer breed" produced by crossing golden retrievers with poodles. Some people might enjoy and draw out the lovable goofball side such a dog probably inherited from its retriever ancestors. Mari appreciates and draws out her pet's sensitive, quietly observant side. 

Some will enjoy the slow progress of Mari's friendship with a police detective she still calls by his family name, Cross. He might have been a bit "cross" with her, even seeming to work at "cross purposes," in the first volume of what feels like a building series. He respects her and Ginger now. "You work well together," someone tells Mari, who bristles: "He does his job and I do mine." "That's what I mean," she's told. Will they become a couple? Will they become a role model of sex-free friendship? Keep reading...