Review: Disappointed
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2013
**Be Aware - Possible Spoilers**I enjoyed reading the two previous Miss Aggie mysteries and looked forward to this one.  Sadly, this tale was a let down.The story felt rushed and an explanation regarding a key element in the mystery never appeared (how did the suitcase end up in the dumpster?).  It felt like the author was simply trying to tie up loose ends quickly.  Also, Miss Aggie's 'let me fly off the handle and overreact' tendency wore thin in this story.  Her high-handed attitude late in the book was aggravating.  Victoria is not Miss Aggie's servant, but she is consistently treated that way.  I found myself wishing that instead of shaking her head good naturedly; she would stand up to Miss Aggie and set her straight.This book still held some of what made the other books charming, including descriptions of the interactions between the seniors, Victoria, and other characters, as well as cozy little snippets of their every day life.  (Hence, the two stars instead of just one)What was most off-putting to me was the large increase in the Christian references.  Yes, I realize this is a faith based book.  This, however, was never allowed to detract from the main focus of the story in the previous mysteries.This story tipped over the edge, however, and allowed itself to become preachy...a huge turn off for me personally.One example was the assertion that one of the characters (and suspects) had told a lie because they were not a Christian.  This kind of sweeping judgement irritates me.  To endow a person with character flaws simply because their belief system differs from the author's is offensive.It's also the reason why people tend to silently cheer when a church official gets caught with their pants down, either literally or figuratively.A holier-than-thou attitude is not only extremely unattractive, it is un-Godly.A person's religious convictions, whatever they may be, do not automatically ensure that they will conduct themselves in a moral or ethical manner, nor does the lack of a belief system guarantee the opposite.During the rush to wrap up this mystery, and I am guessing the series, the author seemed to go into a frenzied, "let's get everybody saved!" mode.Perhaps the thought process behind this decision was that if everybody converted to Christianity then there would be no chance that any other crimes would occur...since Christians are incapable of wrong doing.  /sarcasm off/I am sad to leave the endearing inhabitants of Cedar Chapel Lodge with a bitter taste in my mouth.  This was a charming little series and had the proselytizing been not so blatant and judgmental, this book could have been as well.