Murder on 34th Street by Mariah Fredericks

MURDER ON 34TH STREET by Mariah Fredericks is a fun, holiday-themed mystery story set in New York City in 1932. The delightful main character is named Grace Verlander who is Assistant to the Head of Personnel at Macy’s. She seems to know each of the 8000 (!) employees and is constantly dealing with one crisis (e.g., smudgy counters) to another (e.g., request for a raise) to another (e.g., quality of toilet paper). I especially enjoyed the opening scene as she moves through the store to meet with Santa; it made me think if the West Wing opening when Leo walks through The White House. The staccato pace to her monologue and asides to the reader is quite amusing, particularly in regard to Raymond Di Nunzio, the window designer and a possible romantic interest. But for Grace, work comes first: “Lil [perfume saleswoman and her friend] would tell me to stop worrying about work and enjoy life. But what Lil does not understand is that I enjoy work because work can be divided into a thousand little tasks that can be put on a list, accomplished, and crossed off.” It gets quite involved when Santa’s life is threatened, just prior to the 9th annual Macy’s parade and when a body is found as the parade ends. Several other deaths occur, and Grace tries to investigate, even if it means suspecting Raymond or Lil.  Booklist gave a MURDER ON 34TH STREET starred review (“prose so witty and crackling that readers might start to hear the fast-talking Katherine Hepburn or Rosalind Russell in their heads”) and I sincerely hope that Mariah Fredericks writes more mysteries featuring Grace and this fun cast. Enjoy!

On a related note, Goodreads just posted “92 New and Beloved Cozy Reads for Fall.” Bookmark it now – the list includes so many titles personal favorites that we have enjoyed and reviewed (Everyone in this Bank is a Thief, The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies, The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances, The Reimagining of Thornwood House, This Book Made Me Think of You), plus “classic cozies” like Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand or The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and many more. It is a great resource.