Book Review: Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn by Ellen Butler

Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn by Ellen Butler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fabulous start to an exciting new, historical cozy mystery series.

Ink and Intrigue at the Ivy Tree Inn is the first book in author Ellen Butler’s Ariadne Winter Mystery series. This new historical cozy series features a modern young female journalist set in the final years of the 1950s. With its sympathetic, kind, and engaging protagonist and nostalgic setting, the story has a unique and vibrant feeling that had me captivated from the very start.

Ariadne Winter is hoping to advance from the copy desk at the Ladies’ Lifestyle Magazine to reporter with her first feature piece: an exclusive interview with famed Hollywood actress Donna Morgan, who is shooting her final film before giving up her career to marry the prince of a small European country. All is going well until Ariadne discovers a dead body at the inn where she is staying, altering her plans. Ariadne is a lovely young woman, smart, ambitious, and sophisticated, but also kind to those around her. As she provides one of the main points of view, I enjoyed her inner thoughts on events as well as her ‘modern’ attitude and way of thinking. The author includes many wonderful little details that help place the story in the latter days of the 1950s, and I enjoyed coming across them, almost like finding hidden treasures. The death is foreshadowed in the prologue, but the actual event isn’t until the story is well underway. By this time, the author has revealed the details and connections between the characters necessary to reach the final resolution. Under the circumstances, the extensive buildup was quite enjoyable rather than tedious. I enjoyed every minute.

I recommend INK AND INTRIGUE AT THE IVY TREE INN to cozy mystery fans who enjoy a historical setting.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

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