An Old-Fashioned Murder: A Moonshine Mystery

In Miller’s lighthearted third Moonshine mystery set in southwestern Virginia (after 2014’s A Nip of Murder), a freak blizzard strands an ill-assorted group of people at the Tosh Inn, whose elderly proprietor, Emily Tosh, is viewed with affection by baker Daisy McGovern, who works for the “tough old biddy.” Things take a turn for the worse when an antique secretary, a recent gift from Emily’s spry, 94-year-old friend, Henry Brent, falls over and fatally crushes one of the guests. A second death suggests that the first was no accident. It’s an intriguing setup, but the underdeveloped characters do little more than bicker among themselves, slowing the pace. Even Daisy seems to go through the motions of caring for her ailing mother and helping Emily with the chores. Since all the action takes place within the inn’s confines, the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains setting, which featured prominently in earlier installments, gets short shrift in this outing. Agent: Kari Stuart, ICM. (May)