Review: The Primrose Murder Academy
Sometimes you run into books that should be right in your wheelhouse, but somehow aren’t. The Primrose Murder Academy by Stacy Hackney is one of those books for me.
The main character of the mystery is Lila Shaw, a recently divorced mother with a recently created investigation agency. In this second book of the series, Lila lives in a high-end retirement community (think The Thursday Murder Club). This is despite the fact that she is much younger than the required minimum age of 55 and she has an 11-year-old daughter named Bea. Her two business partners, Jasper and Evelyn, also live at the Primrose.
After a meeting with Bea’s teacher over an issue at her school, Lila decided that the needed course of action is for Bea to transfer to Stratford Academy, “the best private school in Virginia.” Bea isn’t so sure about the school despite Lila thinking that this will solve all of their problems.
When they go on a tour, they stumble upon the lacrosse coach floating in a cold plunge pool in the gym. Though the connections of one of Lila’s partners, the Primrose Agency is asked to investigate the crime on behalf of the school.
I mentioned in my review the “Grafton test“ (does each book in a series stand alone). This book and The Dead Come To Stay have me thinking that the second book in a series may be the most difficult ones to stand alone. In the case of The Dead Come… I chose to read the first book before continuing with the second. With The Primrose Murder Academy, I realized that I didn’t want to read about Lila’s betrayal and divorce from her entitled ex-husband. But I would have liked to know more about how she first met the residents of the Primrose and ended up living there.
A big part of my problem with this book was that there is so much focus on wealth and status. Every time Lila meets someone new, the designers they are wearing are noted. Gucci! Erdam! Chloe! Ulla Johnson! We get it. These people are not just rich, they are VERY rich. For me, this made it difficult to connect with the characters, even Lila.
I chose to read this book because of the cover and description. But like choosing a wine by the label, this method of choosing a book can sometimes lead you astray. I’m not saying this isn’t a good book. I’m just saying that it’s not for me.
3 lattes out of 5
Disclaimer: This eARC was provided by William Morrow via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
