Guest review by: Becki Bayley
When a priest confesses to the murder of a parishioner, everyone in the wealthy waterfront town of Pequot Bays is convinced of his guilt-everyone, that is, except Marya Cook, a Bible-quoting, lavender-clad octogenarian known to locals as the Purple Pest.
Who Am I to Judge, by Emily Hanlon
Martha sat behind her desk in the St. Vincent De Paul office, waiting for Fr. Seamus. Marya has asked Martha to arrange this meeting, commenting that she would have asked Fr. Seamus herself, but people often did not listen to what she was saying. Martha smiled. Marya has repeated her request twice because Martha had not been paying attention the first time. Martha surprised herself by agreeing to the request with no hesitation. She supposed she was just curious about what Marya had in mind about the murder. Was it possible the dotty old lady was on to something? Could Fr. Jim be innocent?
Martha is one to mind her own business, as her life in Pequot Bays is much different than her childhood there. She and her dog Quincy are content to oversee the church fundraiser, drive Uber to make ends meet, and usually avoid "the purple pest," Marya.
Official synopsis:
Unable to prove his innocence on her own, she draws in Martha Collins, a much younger, efficient, ever-busy church lady, to assist in her investigations. Although Martha is unwilling to associate herself with the odd old woman as she accuses wealthy and influential suspects of murder, Marya's peculiar logic persuades her that this ditzy old woman may not be so ditzy after all.
A victim with plenty of enemies, a corrupt ambitious cop, a conflicting confession by a fellow priest, and the death of a prime suspect make the path to truth a crooked one. The rich and powerful suspects scoff at poor, dithering Marya. Can she, in the end, unveil their many secrets and prove there is more to a person than meets the eye?
While Martha and Marya don’t start out on the same page regarding the murder at Martha’s family-vacation-home-turned-Airbnb, Marya has very subtle ways of leading Martha to consider different possibilities. The woman dressed in glaring purple is always talking, and eventually the important ideas come through.
Most of the book was set on solving the murder in spite of a false confession, but a great concurrent event was reading of Martha denying a "friendship" has evolved with Marya, out of habit. Their relationship was definitely not something Martha initially wanted - will she eventually have the integrity to admit to herself, and defend to others, that Marya is not just "the purple pest?"
This book was initially a category choice for a "blind date with a book," and it was a delightful surprise. The story and endearing old church-lady characters earned 3 out of 5 stars, and will doubtlessly lead into other charming mysteries in the series. Any reader who appreciates cozy mysteries and doesn’t mind a few wildly appropriate scriptural quotes thrown in will enjoy the books in "A Martha and Marya Mystery" series.
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Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys reading and hanging out with her adult-sized kids. See what they’re up to on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.
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Who Am I to Judge, by Emily Hanlon
