The Fog Ladies: Family Matters

I have reviewed this book for New York Journal of Books where it is posted on their site. 


"The Fog Ladies: Family Matters" by Susan McCormick
Wild Rose Press
October 7, 2020
10-1509233075
338 pages
Cozy Mystery


Reviewed by Nancy Carty Lepri

Having completed the last round of her medical internship, 28-year-old Sarah James is relaxing at Paradise Cove in Big Sur, a resort recommended to her by one of her patients. As she sits quietly by the pool reading a novel—a luxury from her long hours of studying and working at the hospital—a young couple with a screaming infant infringes on her solitude. Later, they come into the dining hall where their loud arguing interrupts the other guest's dinner. Both are drunk and when their child accidentally knocks over a glass spilling water into his mother's lap, she rushes away from the table in a furious huff. The husband addresses his wife as Andrea and begs Sarah to watch his son, so he can catch his spouse. 

The youngest resident in the 1920s San Francisco apartment building, Sarah returns home from her too-short vacation, happy to see her five elderly female neighbors. The women have formed a group, calling themselves "The Fog Ladies" with their favorite pastime is to solve mysteries. Getting together more than a decade ago after many lost their husbands, they turned to each other for comfort and company. When Sarah moved in, they invited her to join them. 

These spunky seniors consist of:

75-year-old Mrs. Frances Noonan is recovering from a recent hip replacement and is Sarah's favorite neighbor. Mrs. Noonan loves to cook and share meals with Sarah. 

Six-foot Ms. Enid Carmichael is hefty with dyed red hair and is the only divorcee, who once was bitten, now thrives on gossip and excitement. She acts to be an expert on knowing everything about everyone except when it comes to kids. 
Small and skinny Mrs. Harriet Flynn is angular with bristly, steel gray hair who wears drab-colored clothing and seldom smiles. Very opinionated and acting holier than thou, she is always preaching about something or other.

Mrs. Alma Gordon, 75, is short and round, with fluffy white hair. After one of the ladies' charity activities, she befriended Chantrelle, a sixteen-year-old who gave birth to baby Owen. They stayed with Alma for a while then one day dumped the infant off on Alma's doorstep putting her in charge of the child. Though Alma loves the boy dearly, she knows Chantrelle will return for him, which makes her sad. Her most common mannerism is constantly saying, "Oh dear" and devotedly reading her horoscope. 

The last of the group is Mrs. Olivia Honeycutt, a low-key person, also a widow with a gravelly voice who needs a walker to get around yet doesn't say much. Though she does not live in the building, she is tightly involved with the others.

There are two male residents in the building. Mr. Glenn, a widower, is stooped, bald and wears thick glasses. Once withdrawn and grieving over the loss of his wife, Bessie, he has taken a shine to Alma, and delights in entertaining Owen, becoming more animated and happier. 

Sarah questions Mrs. Noonan as to why they all address each other by Mrs. and/or Mr. and not their first names, she states:

"We were from a different era than you are, dear. Our parents were of definitely of a different era, and they taught us well. This was long before 'Ms.' was popular. Everyone was 'Mrs.' or 'Miss.' It was a form of civility, of respect. The country was in crisis, and we held on to these courtesies, they held us together. We were comfortable speaking this way. In this building, we Fog Ladies, we just kept it up, even now." 

Lasty, there is Andy, a red-haired, and green-eyed, younger tenant who is a newspaper photographer. Recently he and Sarah became attracted to each other, and she wonders if anything will come of it. 

When Sarah gathers with the women after her vacation, Mrs. Noonan shows them a news article about a woman named Andrea Blackwell, who had been stabbed by her husband, Paul. Glancing at the paper, Sarah recognizes their picture as the arguing couple at the resort. The headline states Paul is in custody for the murder and their child, Ben is currently with his grandmother, Julia Bentley Blackwell. Sarah explains how Paul appeared to love his wife (even though they were fighting) and his son and cannot picture him harming her. 

Mrs. Noonan once volunteered with Julia during the summer when they were young dealing with juvenile offenders. She contacts Julia hoping she and the Fog Ladies can offer any assistance to her and her grandson. It appears the motive for Andrea's death was a million-dollar life insurance policy, though Julia is adamant Paul did not kill Andrea.  

Sarah's affinity for the residents grows and through their investigating they learn another murder occurred by a couple who had been at Paradise Cove. Though in that case, these guests lived in Pennsylvania, and it is alleged the wife murdered her spouse to gain his million-dollar insurance policy. 

With several contacts in the media and law enforcement, Mrs. Noonan asks Andy if he can gain information about the Pennsylvania case. He manages to learn of another murder where a Chicago woman named Serena Evans killed her husband for his life-insurance, and they also had visited Paradise Cove. Is it a coincidence that these defendants committed murder for the hefty policies and were also guests at Paradise Cove? Even more interesting is that they all were represented by attorney, Spencer Tremaine. 

Andy discovers Serena recently was granted a transfer to the Central California Women's Facility, so she could see her daughters who now lived with her brother nearby. Putting their heads together, the ladies ingratiate themselves with the prison warden suggesting that by holding a quilting group, they will help the inmates and accomplish a worthwhile dead. While there, Mrs. Noonan is able to talk privately to Serena and finds a lot of similarities between the cases. Now how to prove they all have been set up. 

Book #2 in the Fog Ladies series is a character-driven novel offering many different subplots and the suspense of putting the puzzle pieces together, making this is a thriller that is sure to whet the appetite of cozy aficionados.

Sarah and the Fog Ladies are back and this time, it’s cold-blooded murder. Sarah spent a little time at a resort in Big Sur and while she was there, she met all sorts of people including a bickering couple with a small son. The couple argued all the time. She didn’t think much of it at the time but when she returns home, the Fog Ladies tell her a man named Paul is arrested for murdering his wife. It’s the same man, the bickering husband she met at the resort. Now it’s up to Sarah and the Fog Ladies to unveil the murderer and free Paul so he can take care of his son. But have they unwittingly put themselves in the crosshairs of a deadly killer?

The Fog Ladies: Family Matters is the perfect cozy mystery to curl up to. The Fog Ladies are such a quirky bunch of characters and they get into mischief faster than you can say murder. Sarah, on the other hand, seems to be the only logical person among the bunch. They seem to balance each other out which makes for great reading. The plot itself is well-conceived, giving the reader just enough clues to compel them to keep reading. I didn’t know the culprit until it was revealed so I give Susan McCormick huge points for keeping me in suspense. It was refreshing and insightful to have the murderer’s POV sprinkled throughout the story. But what makes this a must-read are the Fog Ladies themselves. This group of elderly women is zany fun to read, even Enid with her bristling personality. So put on your sleuthing cap and pick up The Fog Ladies: Family Matters. Highly recommend! 

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it. 

My Rating: 5+ stars

Every time I think of this book, I smile.  The Fog Ladies, a group of not so young anymore women, all take an active interest in what is going on in their surroundings....yes, they are nosy.  But they are also looking for ways to make their community better and tackling tough issues, including murder, themselves.  The story line is solid, the cast of characters delightful, and Susan McCormick's writing skillful.  These characters would have been less if written as most mysteries depict "old" people lately, but she chose to make them realistic....they know their limits....but show they are definitely not ready to retire from life.  A very good, heart warming, entertaining....yes, I know I've already said that....but it's a GOOD book.  Treat yourself.

This series is becoming a favorite and the Fog Ladies are quirky characters I loved.
This is an engaging and entertaining read, loved what I read and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Excellent character and plot development.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dr. Sarah James takes a welcome vacation at Paradise Cove, a resort near Big Sur, California.  She enjoys her time there except for when she witnessed an argument between a couple with a young son.  It's a big shock to Sarah when she learns that the wife, Andrea, had been stabbed to death with kitchen shears and her husband Paul has been arrested for the murder.

Her Fog Ladies neighbors are intrigued since Alma Gordon has been caring for Baby Owen since his overwhelmed teenage mother Chantrelle left him to head to LA.  As they investigate, Sarah and the Fog Ladies see similar cases where a parent is killed for a $1 million life insurance policy, the spouse is fingered for the murder and guardians for the children are in charge of their care and the money.

Sarah's best friend Helen is frazzled with dealing with her hospital internship, newborn twins and a strained relationship with husband Scott.  They soon become the avenging angel's next target and it is up to Sarah and the feisty Fog Ladies to save them.

This was another entertaining read in the San Francisco cozy murder mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and the Wild Rose Press with no requirements for a review.  I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

The Fog Ladies are amazing! They dive into helping when their neighbor witnessed the victim and her husband fighting. These are well written older characters with a lot of spunk. The mystery was great and had my guessing. 
 #TheFogLadiesFamilyMatters #NetGalley

This is San Francisco cozy mystery #2 in the series. I have read the first in series and enjoyed reading this debut series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity, My review opinions are my own.  I love the setting in Big Sur and the group of charcters the author has created. This is a wonderful series that I hope will be continued. 

The Fog Ladies are back .  Sarah was at a resort in Big Sur . Where she met up with a couple that was arguing constantly . It was not her business so she went on her way to enjoy her time at the resort. When she returns home The Fog Ladies tell her the man was arrested for murdering his wife.  Sarah wants to believe he is innocent as they have a young child. She goes to great lengths to investigate the murder but soon finds herself in danger. With the help of the Fog Ladies Sarah and her friends soon are on top of every clue and may be in danger. 

I loved this next in series. Its atmospheric and moody while Sarah was  in Big Sur and a  wonderfully crafted mystery. I was kept guessing to conclusion,  A mystery I highly recommend.

I’m thrilled to see the Fog Ladies back in book #2! The Fog Ladies are made up of elderly neighbors who enjoy a bit of crime solving and getting themselves mixed up in things they shouldn’t, bu5 it’s funny and entertaining! They along with Sarah James, a medical resident, are out to solve a whodunnit of a wife. This can be read as a stand-alone. Thank you to The Wild Rose Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

I think this book is best read in one sitting.  I could only read it in spits and spurts, and with the large number of characters, some of whom were referred to by their first name and/or their title on the same page, I felt like I had to reacquaint myself with everyone with each reading.  Also the POV kept changing but I got used to this writing style as I continued to read.  Great build up but the who-dun-it moment seemed abrupt.  An only ok read for me.

This second book in the Fog Ladies series was just as good as the first.  The main characters, a young female medical intern and her senior citizen neighbors, are complex and interesting.  The plot has two main features, a seemingly connected set of murders and the struggle of a married couple to manage the changes that result from a new baby.  But, there's also romance and the struggles of a teenage mother to add to the mix.  This was a very interesting book, and I read it quickly!  Looking forward to the third book in the series!

I enjoyed McCormick's second book in her series, although, in my opinion, it could have used a slightly firmer hand during the editorial process. I may be old school, I prefer mysteries that are more tightly written. The plot occasionally seemed to have a net full of red herrings. Primary characters are in abundance, with secondary characters clamoring for their moment in the spotlight. The author choosing to create a large cast of elderly women was both intriguing and risky. A careless reader might have problems identifying who is speaking from time to time. One hopes for further character development will solve this issue. While Sarah James should be the protagonist, she is frequently over shadowed by the ladies.
The mystery is interesting, the perpetrator is not telegraphed. I have read other works by McCormick, and hope to see her light touch with humor be included more in this series. Book 2 really did not stand alone, making it okay but not a must read.

Recommended for mystery readers of all ages.

Full disclosure: I received this ARC from Netgalley and Wild Rose Press for this opportunity.