Front Page Murder

Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony is the debut of A Homefront News Mystery series. Irene Ingram has been appointed as the editor-in-chief of the Progress Herald by her father while he is away doing his bit for the war. This change does not sit well with some of the men at the paper, but Irene has been preparing for this since she was a child. When reporter, Moe Bauer goes MIA, Irene stops by his house to check on him. She finds the door open and Moe dead at the bottom of his cellar steps. Police Chief Walt Turner tells her the coroner has ruled Moe’s death an accident, but Irene has her doubts. She found a note to her in Moe’s desk hidden in a book. In Moe’s note, he stated that he was working on a story at the time of his death that was hot and, if he ended up dead, then he got too close and it got him killed. Irene wants to know what Moe was working on and sets out to get answers. Front Page Murder is well-written with a developed main character. I like the plucky Irene Ingram. She is smart, headstrong, determined, and she can handle herself. There is a cast of secondary characters that include her best friend and secretary, Peggy Reardon, Irene’s sister and mother, and the local police chief who will be her father-in-law someday. I thought the author captured the time period very well. I can tell she did her research. I like how she incorporated victory gardens and scrap metal drives into the story as well as the latest war news. I thought the language and attitudes suited the era as well. Men not liking women working or in charge is evident. Discrimination against Jews is in the story. The mystery was interesting. Irene dived into the case. She searched for clues and asked questions around town. She does get assistance from Katherine, a woman boarding with the Ingram’s. There are several suspects in the case, but I felt one stood out. Irene is on the beam and the killer must eliminate her before he takes a powder. The mystery is wrapped up and almost all our questions are answered. I like that the book ends on a happy note. I did feel the pacing was a little slow at times. We follow Irene as she goes about her day-to-day activities (working at the paper, writing articles, dinner with family, etc.). I loved that the author had Irene getting lunch at Woolworth’s (I loved eating there too). There is humor sprinkled throughout the story. Front Page Murder is a swell historical cozy mystery that is a great start to A Homefront News Mysteries. Front Page Murder is a killer diller with a moxie maven, a dishy dame, a cheesy chap, a cockeyed clue, a dead dude who had the dope, an eager beaver sibling, and a crumb killer.

This book is a delight to read! Irene, the main character, is a newspaper editor because her father left the family business to become a war correspondent leaving her in charge. She has to deal not only with the preconceived idea that women were not fit to run a business much less to be working outside of a home and at the same time try to gain respect for her actions proving she is much more than just a beautiful face. She ends up unraveling a conspiracy in her town that led to the death of quite a few people. In an effort to balance the expenses account at her home she and her mother rent a room to a woman who swears she knows and sings with Frank Sinatra! Very good review of times past with consistent use of real facts. The writing style of Joyce St. Anthony reminded me of a good friend telling me a story!