I Only Read Murder

Miranda Abbott Mystery #1

by Ian Ferguson, Will Ferguson

A once-famous TV sleuth
An amateur theater production
An onstage murder
A town full of suspects…

Miranda Abbott, once known for the crime-solving, karate-chopping church pastor she played on network television, has hit hard times. Turned down for a role on a cable reality show, Miranda is facing ruin when a mysterious postcard arrives, summoning her to Happy Rock, a small town in the Pacific Northwest. But when she gets there, nothing is what she expected.

In dire straits, Miranda signs up for an amateur production at the Happy Rock Little Theater, competing against the local real estate agent for the lead role. In front of a packed house, one of the actors is murdered, live, onstage. But out of one hundred witnesses, no one actually saw what happened. Now everyone is under a cloud of suspicion, including the sardonic town doctor, the local high school drama teacher, an oil-stained car mechanic, an older gentleman who may or may not have been in the CIA—and Miranda herself. Clearly, the only way to solve this mystery is for Miranda to summon her skills as television’s Pastor Fran and draw on the help of her new sidekick, Susan, a shy bookstore clerk who seems to know everyone’s secrets. Because the show must go on!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Canada, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Cozy

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2023

About the author

IAN FERGUSON won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for Village of the Small Houses and is the co-author, with his brother, Will, of How to Be a Canadian. A writer and creative director in the film and television industry, he lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up because I've been drinking.

This isn't going to be for everyone.

This cozy mystery is specifically for people who miss watching 70s crime shows, Diagnosis Murder or Matlock. Shows where all possible suspects are introduced to you, and the twists are small, but the characters are so big you don't care. Not having a murder victim for the first half of the book will be annoying for some, and the fact that the main character puts herself in unsafe situations without consequences will require the reader to stretch their imagination and patience.

I'll admit I'm very confused about what era this book takes place in. The fact that YouTube and "adding minutes to a cell phone" coexist in this world is so weird. Maybe the main character is so out of touch that she doesn't realize phones don't work like that anymore? Not sure. But then there's also someone who uses a rotary phone for their landline and a VCR, while there's talk of avoiding TMZ. It's like it's the 80s but also today all at once.

Despite all that and the delusional main character who is not particularly charming, I did like the story. I liked the campy aspects and thought the love story was cute. This isn't groundbreaking or riveting but it's good for what it is.

[Kim]

No rating as I didn't finish, maybe it took a turn for the better. Got about halfway through and was still not enjoying it, mainly due to the main character Miranda. She was just so...annoying? self-centered?. Anyway as usual, I have a massive pile of books checked out from the library, so jettisoned this one to try for one I would enjoy.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Didn't like the main character and couldn't wait for her to see the light.

[Athena Porter · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book in love with its own cuteness and a thoroughly unlikable main character is how I would describe this waste of time read. I finally skipped ahead and skimmed because I had had enough of all the characters. I would not recommend this book to anyone. I will put it in the recycle box. I usually donate my books to charity, but it would be a kindness not to pass this one on.

[Anissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book got me over a book slump so for that, I am grateful. I didn't want to put it down and it took me longer than usual to read it as sickness was roaming my home and I was the resident medicine administrator, homemade chicken soup maker and all around caretaker for my family for a bit over a week. I say all this because, my wanting to continue with this story was remarkable given all the challenges I had including really disliking the main character, Miranda Abbott. Perhaps this was the book that kept me healthy through it all because whenever I had to put it down, I thought about it until I could pick it back up.

Miranda was the star of a cozy mystery show some 15 years ago. While her star has faded, her ego is a Godzilla-sized entity that obliterates the sun and all the insignificant beings at her feet. She never looks down to see they're actually people. Her assistant, Andrew hasn't been paid in forever and in fact is pretty much supporting her when we enter the story. She has no grace, no appreciation and she never expresses thanks. Everything is supposed to bend to her will because she's Miranda. Honestly, one of the most off-putting main characters I've come across in a while. Leading a cozy series usually hinges on people liking the main but that's impossible with Miranda. So, I was reading to see if she changed while also hoping bad things happened to her and she received some comeuppance.

The main of the story has Miranda showing up in a picture postcard town, where her husband, whom she ditched there on their honeymoon still resides. He asks for the divorce they so obviously need and she had assumed that he summoned her to be at her beck and call again. She's out of money and needs someone to take care of her. She ignores what's obvious and decides instead to inflict herself on various people and insert herself into a play that the town holds every year. She has a plan to rope people into "Team Miranda" in her quest to get Edgar (the husband) to change his mind. Long story short, she's not the only inconsiderate woman in town and eventually the other is dead and it seems Miranda was the one being aimed for. It was really nice to have everyone in town enamoured of a local celebrity and repeatedly deny Miranda the attention she felt she was entitled to. Delicious.

I liked the townspeople, and the town very much. It was very cozy. There were also plenty of witty lines and neat things about cozies sprinkled throughout. I could practically see this place, it was described so well. Still, the actual murder does not happen until 55% in. I had to take off a star for that. First book in the series or no, you have to get on with it. It sapped the fun of solving the thing, having waited so long and endured Miranda. In the end, the killer wasn't a surprise and it was good to see Miranda figure it out and kind of see some of her own behavioural problems reflected back to her in the victim.

Amazingly, I'd read the next. Not for Miranda, but for all the other people in town. Hopefully, she'll be a bit more likable in the next go round. There probably was a time when this type of woman, the sort who don't see other people because they're insignificant and only deem others useful to further her ends, would be seen as charming and quirky, but I'm not sure there's a deep well of an audience for that these days. I can imagine others reading with the perverse hope that I did that misfortune would find her. YMMV.

[Reb · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars!

I’ve seen a lot of low rated reviews about the hating the main character, but I actually liked how exhaustingly annoying the main character is because it actually makes perfect sense! Miranda; an actress, who was once at the top of her game, then falling off, but who’s always trying to “stay in character” because that’s what she believes people want to see, when in reality, being her true self is what people like, and makes her more accepting in the new community she’s becomes affiliated with!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

I am officially obsessed with Ian and Will Ferguson as a writing duo, and no one is going to tell me otherwise. I Only Read Murder was such an incredibly fun read and Miranda Abbott might be the most over-the-top character I have ever read about, but I loved her dearly. This book takes amateur sleuthing to a whole new level, and we get to experience it through someone exceedingly vain but loveable at the same time. The mystery leads our FMC Miranda to various locations and suspects, and we find out along the way that not everyone is what they appear to be on the outside.

The audiobook is narrated by Molly Secours, and words cannot even express how much I loved her as the voice of Miranda. She was able to bring this character's persona to life in such a fitting and stunning way that if you told me she WAS Miranda I would believe you. Narration at its finest and I would highly recommend the audio if you want the character to really leap off the page at you. The ending of the book was very Murder She Wrote, and I for one was shocked by the whodunnit. I Only Read Murder is definitely not going to be for everyone, but if you enjoy crazy antics and a main character you might hate and love at the same time, this is the book for you!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Dona's Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't care for the writing or the story.

Review to come.

[Sarnfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like reading a bad episode of Murder, She Wrote. Clearly my sense of humour did not align with this book or with the reviewers who declared that it was “wickedly funny” and that it would have me “laughing out loud on every page.” Don’t think I even cracked a smile. I get that it was (hopefully) supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, a bit of a farce, but still. Cliched characters in a cliched small town doing all the cliche things.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
The utterly self-absorbed, financially strapped, and out of work actor Miranda Abbot wonders what she'll do next. She's been on tv for years playing a karate-chopping pastor-detective, but her offers have dried up and she's pissed off her agent one too many times.

A postcard arrives, and sends Miranda to Happy Rock, Washington, where her estranged husband and bookseller lives. Instead of the happy reunion she anticipates, he informs her he wants a divorce.

Heartbroken, Miranda casts about for something to do (and make money). She's convinced by local fans to join the amateur dramatic group, who are holding auditions for their upcoming play, a murder-mystery farce.

During the play, to a packed house, one of the actors is murdered, with no one having seen who did it. The dead woman is not missed by anyone in town. She was a successful realtor, and an avaricious bully in life.

With all the actors under suspicion, including the local doctor, the high school drama teacher, a mechanic, a former CIA agent (possibly) and Miranda. Though never having been a real investigator, Miranda decides to dig into the actors' lives, to save her own skin, with the help of Susan, a shy employee at her husband's bookstore.

Miranda also comes to realize that she has made mistakes with her husband, and even goes forward with signing the divorce papers, despite still being in love with the man.

Miranda gets to know the various personalities and relationships, and eventually puzzles out the identity and motive of the murderer.

Miranda is so obtuse about so many things, and takes everyone around her for granted. It’s so over the top that eventually I actually found her cluelessness about even simple things amusing. She does change a little over the course of the book, or it would have been too frustrating knowing that she was completely unchanged by her initial experiences in Happy Rock.

The dialogue between her and the many oddball residents gave me some chuckles, and my one out loud laugh was provoked by this assessment:

Will I read the next book? I think so. Miranda is growing on me.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

At a recent book club meeting, we did a "Blind Date With a Book" for our next read and this was my selection. I found this book to be very entertaining with a cast of eccentric characters and a fictional bookstore that I wish I could visit.

This is the first book of a series that introduces the backstory of Miranda Abbott, the main protagonist. Miranda was once a popular television star, famous for her role as Pastor Fran. Unfortunately, she now struggles to find new acting opportunities. One day, Miranda receives a note from her estranged husband and decides to visit him in the small town of Happy Rock, hoping to save their marriage. However, she is devastated to learn that Edgar wants a divorce. Determined to win him back, Miranda decides to join the local theatre company, but things take a dark turn when a murder takes place.

Miranda made me roll my eyes but she also made me laugh. Although she might be tone-deaf in some aspects of her life, I grew to love her.

Would I seek out more titles of the series? Well, we all know that I cannot leave a series unfinished. So it is very likely that I will be reading more of Miranda Abbott in the future.


Goodreads review published 01/05/24

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

At last, I've found a Cozy Mystery series (I really dislike the Z in Cozy but the genre seems to be an American invention - albeit one that the Canadians excel at, so the American spelling prevails) that has the kind of dry humour and deadpan irony that make me smile.

The GoodReads reviews of 'I Only Read Murder' seemed to split between those who hated it (DNFs and one-star or two-star reviews) and those who loved it. The most common cause for hating it was that the main character was unpleasant and the people around her weren't much better. It seemed to fall short of what some readers expect of a Cozy in terms of the warm and fuzzies. I took this as good sign and dived in.

I could see immediately that the haters were right about Miranda Abbott not being likeable. She's a narcissist who is prone to magical thinking and who tramples over everyone she meets in pursuit of her starring role in her own life. The thing is, she's DESIGNED not to be likeable. She's chaotic and overwhelming and difficult to be with but it's her personality that makes the story work. . Yes, she's selfish, completely self-absorbed but her narcissim means that she often doesn't notice or understand how the people around her relate to one another. This makes her a perfect filter for the exposition of a mystery. She's confident and unreasonably demanding so she changes the behaviour of the people around her, forcing them out of their ruts. She's funny, although often not intentionally, and beneath all the drama and the posturing and the attention-seeking, she is quietly vulnerable.

I was amused by Miranda Abbott's inability to make sense of the behaviours and expectations of the inhabitants of Happy Rock, a small coastal town in the Pacific Northwest that her husband has spent the past fifteen years running the 'I Only Read Murder' bookshop while she has been trying to revive her I-used-to-be-a-TV-star career in the Hollywood Hills. Some of my amusement and Miranda's bemusement comes from the nature Happy Rock itself. It is as unrealistic as Jessica Fletcher's town of Cabot Cove, but where Cabot Cove is seen as quaint and charmingly old-fashioned in a way that speaks of American big-city-dwellers nostalgia for a world they've never known but would like to think exists, Happy Rock crosses the line from quaint to crazy fairly early on in a way that I think shows you've-got-to-be-kidding-me response of the Canadian authors to American small-town mythology. The residents of Happy Pebble make the residents of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegone seem streetwise and savvy.

One of the things that will either sell this book to a reader or leave them cold is the humour around 1980s American crime shows. Miranda spent six years starring as Pastor Fran, an itinerant minister who travelled America fighting crime with high kicks and karate chops, often working undercover and wearing as little as possible. Some of the humour is about the reverence the fans have for this now-only-available-on-VHS show and some of it comes from Miranda's tales about what really happened on set. To a degree, these two views of the show mirror the slightly delusional way the inhabitants of Happy Rock see their town and how Miranda sees her career.

Some people may find the first half of the book a little slow. This isn't a book where the first murder happens ten pages in and you spend the next fifty pages waiting for the second body to drop. 'I Only Read Murder' follows the rules set down by the Pastor Fran writers: spend the first half getting the audience to guess who is going to die and the second half trying to figure out how Pastor Fran will uncover the murderer. The murder comes exactly halfway through, although by then I was getting itchy for a killing even though I hadn't figured out who was going to die.

I was surprised to find that the plot was quite clever. All the clues had been laid out. I had all the information. I had a suspect pool rich with strange people with combative histories, dark secrets and bizarre attitudes. Despite all that, I was completely blindsided by the identity of the murderer. It was such a bold idea that I wanted to applaud when I was told who the killer was.

I know this may not be a book for everyone but its dry, low-key humour, the cleverness of the plot, and the refusal to keep the grimy nature of the real world completely at bay, worked for me. I also liked that this was a cozy mystery where everyone but Miranda, who has to have the subgenre explained to her, is fully aware of how cozy mysteries work but where their grasp on the real world is often less firm.

I'll be back for the second book, 'Mystery In The Title' later this year.

[Dianne Landry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got 35 pages in and hated the main character so much I couldn't read anymore. I don't think even Kim Kardashian could be as insufferable.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of the audiobook performed by Molly Secours.

This is the first book in the Miranda Abbott cozy mystery series.

I really enjoyed Molly Secours’ performance as Miranda. It’s my first time listening to her and I thought that she was very good.

Miranda once played a pastor on tv. Now she is relegated to amateur theatre. When a murder occurs she decides to solve the car.

I do like amateur sleuths. And the supporting characters in this one were fun. But I didn’t feel satisfied with the mystery. And the middle was a bit slow for me.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid cozy mystery revolving around a small town theatre company and the famous television actress who returns looking for some redemption. Witty and full of the Ferguson brothers' charm, this was an entertaining who dunnit with lots of Canadian content and humor. Good on audio too read by new to me narrator, Molly Secours. Perfect for fans of authors like Richard Osman or Terry Fallis.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up! A cozy murder mystery involving the local theatre production? I AM ALWAYS ON BOARD

[Amanda Borys · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if there was some inside joke or something with this book that I was not privy too, but how the reviewers found this book a 'laugh a page' and all the rest of it it beyond me. It had it's amusing points, and sometimes I even cracked a side smile, but overall it was predictable with stereotypes, rather than characters.

The main character, Miranda Abbott, is so self absorbed it is amazing she was even aware someone had died. The authors pulled out every overused trope and characterization for her, making her unappealing and only slightly less repellent than the 'evil' character who did die. She has no redeeming qualities and the fact the authors try so hard to make her 'lovable' with her undefined whatever it is that makes the other characters put up with her just adds to the ridiculousness of it all.

The small town where the murder happens has all the old characters, the town gossip, the overweight and bumbling sheriff who is actually pretty astute, the town beauty whose hiding a sad secret and a heart of gold, etc. Nothing new here either.

I really don't see how any of these characters could be spun into a series, but I won't be picking up any more books about these characters unless they happen to show up in one of the neighbourhood little free libraries and I am bored.

[Read by Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

AKA The Case of the Mystery That Took Way Too Long to Get Started. Written by two authors and it shows: the tone is inconsistent, with a haphazard POV and an over-the-top lead that makes Moira Rose look like Silkwood. I don't blame the authors; this house had some good bones but lacked a courageous editor. 2.5 stars rounded up because...it's at least Canadian content.

[Lyne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read 50%, could no longer tolerate the characters there’s no substance to them. Not my kind of book. DNF

[Samantha Parker-Zillich · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
A cute and cozy murder mystery with an eccentric main character that reminds me so much of Moira Rose from Schitt's Creek. Kept me guessing till the big reveal at the end.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 actually. Will check out the next book in the series to see if the main character becomes more likeable.

[Charlie Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This humorous cozy murder mystery gave me all the Schitts Creek vibes if they were to have a murder on the show. This cute little mystery is about a has been who had a hit show as detective “pastor” who karate chopped her way to solving murders. In real life her fame has taken a dump and she finds herself in Happy Rock, a small town where nothing is what it seems. The town itself has all the quirky characters that on the outside seem kind of odd but then as you get to know them you fall in love with their personalities. Miranda is a tough pill to swallow like any burnt out celebrity who doesn’t realize their time is over, but she really grows on you as you realize she really is just not aware of how she comes across. She gets talked into auditioning for the town’s famous annual play and suddenly she finds herself in a real life murder mystery and she channels her pastor Fran skills to try to solve the crime.

[Amy Hueston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoilers...

I shouldn't have finished this book. The character was insufferable and got everything she wanted in the end anyway despite the fact that life rarely works out that way. She was rude and entitled the entire time, which are two things I can't stand in real life either. On top of that, I listened to this one and the person reading it took breaks in the middle of sentences and was deadpan the entire time. If I had been reading a physical copy of the book, it would have been a DNF for sure.

[Lina Cesar · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 25%

I really tried to like this story, but the main character made it so hard for me that I couldn't finish it. She was so selfish in her behavior and it might be funny, but it went over my head. I find it hard to like books where the characters aren't likable or relatable. But the premise of the story still sounds interesting, so if you don't have a problem like me with disliking the character, this might be the book for you. :)

[Megan L (Iwanttoreadallthebooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope, didn't like this one at all. The main character is insufferable. I would have preferred if the assistant had been the main character, even the dog would have been a better choice. If the authors were trying to capture the magic of shows such as Murder, She Wrote, they failed and also insulted the late Angela Lansbury at the same time.

The only good thing about this book is that it reminded me that I want to do a rewatch of Murder, She Wrote.


2 stars.

[Katra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love a good humorous mystery, and I had high hopes for this one. However, it just didn't do it for me. The humor here is too strident, too broad, too forced. Rather than chortles, it elicited eye rolls, and eventually not even that. Will there be an audience for this book? Undoubtedly. There are people who will appreciate the self centered narcissist among the village idiots. I am not among them.

[Karen Hobbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made myself finish it, because someone picked it for book club.
It actually does get much better in the last third of the boom. Winds up nicely, all’s well that ends well.
But so painful to get to that last third of the book.
When the main character is such. An. Annoying. Woman. It is really hard to embrace the rest of the novel.

[Jacquelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you only read murder, just know that you will have to read 55% of this book before the murder even takes place.

I’m not a huge fan of where it’s rich people who don’t know what they’re doing bc they’re so privileged and then thrown into the real world and that’s who the main character is. So between the incredibly long set up for this book and that trope this was not the book for me.

[Heather Caldwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was our city’s Big Read for the summer. I read the whole book but found the book lacking any intrigue or mystery. Very amateurish it is written by two brothers and they have won humour awards but this book holds no humour.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute. I liked the characters and the storyline, just a bit slow for me.