SKELETONS, SECRETS & SPEAKEASIES: A Willowcroft Cozy Mystery Book Two by Fran Heap will be released on June 20, 2025.
Tammy Rumbelow and her ragtag set of new friends have already solved one mystery in Willowcroft, and now they are working on a cold case involving a decades old bank robbery. Their investigation takes them underground when they stumble upon the nearly forgotten tunnels that the citizens of Willowcroft used back during Prohibition. In the tunnels, they find a former speakeasy, access to the old bank vault, and human remains. Despite the police banning them from the tunnels so that they can investigate the skeleton, Tammy and her friends continue to track down information about the people thought to be involved in the bank heist. Their amateur investigation puts several of them in danger, but that does not stop them from unveiling past secrets.
SKELETONS, SECRETS & SPEAKEASIES is the second book in the series, and continues a storyline that was developed in MURDER, MYSTERY & MOTHERS. I had not read the first book in the series, and I felt like I was a step or two behind. I would recommend reading the series from the beginning.
Overall, SKELETONS, SECRETS & SPEAKEASIES had an interesting plot. I enjoyed the historical and genealogical aspects. I was not a huge fan of any of the main characters. And I just could not wrap my head around how this random group of people came to be friends/amateur detectives—there are two senior citizens, two women in their twenties or thirties, and an introverted teenage boy. The point of view jumps between the characters and could be a bit jarring. The prose could have used some polishing. There were times when the story was heavily focused on scenes that did nothing to advance the plot. On the other hand, important scenes were entirely skipped over and only vaguely alluded to before moving on to something else.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.