I always enjoy finding cozy mystery series that are a bit unusual, and this one, with Gethsemane Brown, talented musician, conductor and teacher who also has a knack for seeing ghosts in her newfound Ireland home, is quirky and different! This time, her brother-in-law art dealer, Jackson, who works at a museum has come for a visit, her cottage is about to be sold to developers, and when Jackson is framed for stealing an antique embroidered sampler at an art auction, things get complicated.

Gethsemane goes to the house of a wealthy widow in town undercover as a musician at a charity ball, trying to get more information, and gets accused of murder. And of course, there are ghosts! This was another fun addition to the series with lots of musical and historical references. No scenes at the school or teaching, which I missed, but I liked the story that was told. Will definitely read on to the next book.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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still loving this series. there was A Lot of dialogue in this one tho and that knocked it down to a 3.5 star rating but i knocked it back up to 4 for all the direct ghost and mrs muir references in this one. ( )

Death in D Minor is listed above as a paranormal mystery — but to me, it ALSO has all the markings of a great “cozy” mystery: the amateur sleuth (Gethsemane) is intuitive and well-educated (a concert musician), set in a small town (here – a quaint Irish village), has some quirky sidekicks (here a ghost stands in well, along with a helpful Irish priest) and while the mystery surrounds a murder, the story rates low on the violence factor.

I confess, I am rather partial to cozies. Don’t get me wrong – I love a good grizzly murder mystery or a fun romance – but this kind of mystery is pure enjoyment and escapism without being dark – something I can really use right now.

In Death in D Minor, author Alexia Gordon brings us the smart and determined Gethsemane Brown, a delightful classical musician who stumbles into a mystery. But whereas in many cozy mysteries the local police are generally unhappy with the amateur sleuth poking into the situation, in a fun twist Gethsemane is drawn into it by the police themselves. And she might be accused of a crime herself, as is her brother-in-law, just to twist things up a bit.

Speaking of twists, this book has a few that left me completely confused as to who the guilty party was. Aside from the actual mystery, what I LOVE about cozy mysteries is that I can count on interesting characters, and author Gordon does not disappoint. Gethsemane is spunky and determined, and INTERESTING – I love an intelligent protagonist. Her sea-captain ghost was a fun addition to the story, and I wish we had seen more of him.

I would love to see a guide to pronouncing the Irish names in future entries to the series because (embarrassing confession) I’m awful at confidently pronouncing them (betraying my Irish heritage) and I feel like a doofus it when I discover I’ve been pronouncing a name incorrectly (are you with me, Harry Potter fans, when you discovered it was NOT “Her-mee-ohn”).

Fans of Susan Boyer will love this book. I’m definitely looking forward to the next in the series (and will be picking up the first)! With that thought I can safely say that while this book is the second in the series, it works fine as a standalone. If you are looking for a fun mystery, Alexia Gordon’s Death in D Minor needs to be added to your to-be-read list!

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )

Once again this story strains credibility in its conclusion, but once again I find I don't care in this case. Light and enjoyable cozy mystery with a dash of music and ghosts. ( )

This is the second book in the Gethsemane Brown mystery series and is just as good as the first, although the plot is very different. There a a few things going on in this story, but Gethsemane is such a smart, intriguing and savvy character who stands up for herself and takes no guff from anyone, she is able to pull this story off without a hitch. Gethsemane is a conductor and violinist who is presently living in the Irish Countryside. She loves the cottage in where she lives, especially as it was the home of one of her musical heroes, and is determined to save it from the hotel developer working hard to buy it. She is also trying to conjure up the ghost who lived there, after he disappeared into the netherland at the end of the last book. Were that not enough, her museum curator brother-in-law is coming for a visit hoping to buy a unique and antique American cross-stitch sampler. On the sly, he is also assisting in the investigation of a ring dealing in fake and stolen antiques. Instead, he ends up accused of theft, and Gethsemane is accused of murder. Hoping for help from her favorite ghost, she accidentally calls up the spirit of an 18th-century sea captain who once knew the girl who stitched the famous sampler.

Even though I have only read two books by Alexia Gordon, I am impressed with her writing style and voice. I love that she introduces you to the story right from the start. There is no unnecessary information or dialogue to bog down the story. As I said above, the MC is a strong, prickly character who is not warm and fuzzy but independent and can make others uncomfortable. My big disappointment in this book was that the ghost of Eamon was not present for most of the story. I enjoyed the banter these characters had in the first book and I hope it returns in the next. Overall, this book had many things I love. A wonderful setting ie. Irish countryside, a ghostly sidekick even though it was not the same one as the debut in the series, Forgeries; this time it is textiles which I loved that it is explained that they are art, murders, yes there is more than one and a wonderful amateur sleuth. The story was exciting, humorous, and clever using the idea that Gethsemane can ‘summon’ up ghosts, even the wrong ghost, giving a paranormal twist. The plot is fast-paced and kept me interested and guessing throughout the book, I did not guess the culprit until the clues were unraveled and the answer is shared with the reader. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, Killing in C Sharp. I listened to the audiobook and was quite pleased with the narration. Helen Duff did a great job with the various character voices and I loved the Irish Accent. I definitely recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers who are looking for something a bit different.
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