Member Review

The Codebook Murders by Leslie Nagel returns us to Oakwood, Ohio. Charley Carpenter is on her way home from the wine store, when the siren rings out notifying residents of a twister. Charley sees Katie O’Malley walking in the rain, picks her up and heads for shelter at the nearby school complex. Merritt Vance, the Oakwood High School janitor, hustles them into the underground tunnel just before the tornado touches down. When Charley drops her phone, she discovers a backpack with a journal inside. Charley later learns the book belonged to Regan Fletcher who was murdered in the late 1970s. Regan’s death still plagues the town’s detectives. Carter Magellan, Regan’s boyfriend, did time for the crime until another man confessed. But then he recanted before passing away. Charley is hoping Regan’s journal will provide clues that will finally solve this mystery, but first they must decode it. With the able assistance of the Park Avenue Irregulars, they learn that Regan collected secrets and then exacted payment from her victims. Charley along with the newly formed Oakwood Mystery Club set out to question their new list of suspects and solve this twisty whodunit. Things get hairy when the journal is stolen, the Carpenter home is ransacked and one of Charley’s sleuthing partners disappears. Charley intends to get answers once and for all so this crime can finally put to rest.

The Codebook Murders is the fourth novel in The Oakwood Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not read the previous books in this series. Charley loves a good mystery and is looking forward to the first book club meeting of the Oakwood Mystery Club that evening. Then a twister leaves devastation in its path and Charley finds herself with a real mystery on her hands. She found the journal of Reagan Fletcher who was murdered forty years ago after the high school homecoming game. The group is excited to solve the crime and are fortunate to get extensive records from reporter, Berkeley Dye. The mystery was multifaceted with plenty of suspects and good clues. New information keeps popping up during Charley’s investigation enhancing this complex conundrum. The police do not mind that Charley and the gang dig into the case as long as they pass along any pertinent information. I like the Nancy Drew references throughout the book including the mention of the old TV series (there was Hardy Boys show too). There is a large cast of characters that include Charley, her boyfriend, her father, the father’s caretaker and his girlfriend, the book club plus their significant others, teachers, a janitor, neighbors, shopkeepers, police, and a couple of eager teens (whew). I would have preferred a faster pace plus less duplication of case details and a smaller amount of speculation (these little tweaks would have elevated this cozy mystery). The Codebook Murders has a special ending that will please readers. My favorite phrase from the story is “. . . house isn’t a home unless there is love at its heart” (that is so sweet). Cozy mystery readers will rejoice at the perplexing puzzle in The Codebook Murders.