"Reading the Clues" by Charlotte Carter

About this book:

  “Mary’s sister Betty receives notice that she is being sued and that the Emerson Grist Mill, which has been in her late husband Edward’s family for hundreds of year, actually belongs to the Hopkinses, who the Emersons have feuded with for generations. The mill used to be the center of commerce in Ivy Bay, and it has been a point of pride – as well as financial gain – for the Emersons for as long as anyone can remember. Betty is sure that the news can’t be true, but Mary isn’t so certain and sets out to unravel the mill’s forgotten history.
  As Mary digs for clues about the mill’s ownership in the town archives, she hears rumors of a murder that started the family feud. Could it possibly be true? Could of Edward’s ancestors have killed one of the Hopkinses over the old grist mill? As Mary learns more, she finds clues – a mysterious ledger, an antique doll, a Revolutionary War uniform and an old family Bible – that seems to indicate answers no one wants to believe. What really happened at the mill all of those year ago? And will Mary’s and Betty’s lives ever be the same when they find out?”


Series: Book #3 in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and #2 Here!

Spiritual Content- Quite a lot of Scriptures are quoted, read, mentioned, remembered, & talked about; Prayers & Thanking God; Prayer Groups, Church going, & Worshiping; Talks about God & faiths; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, prayer lists, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of a prayer group, churches, church going, pastors, sermons/lessons, & hymns; Mentions of Christians & faiths; A few mentions of blessings & being blessed; A mention of a stained glass of Jesus; A mention of a youth group;

*Note: A couple mentions of ghosts haunting a place (it was a prank).

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘dumb’; Many mentions of a (rumored) murder, murderer, how, & the body (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of arguments, domestic abuse, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a bloody knife (band); Mentions of wars, fighting, battles, & deaths; Mentions of drownings, almost drownings, & deaths; Mentions of injuries & pain; Mentions of prisons & arrests; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, break-ins, & vandals; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, & taverns/bars; Mentions of smoking, cigars, & tobacco; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of thieves; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of a bully; A couple mentions of robbing a bank; A mention of a (rumored) suicide; A mention of a threat of torture;

*Note: A few mentions of car brands; A mention of alien toys.

Sexual Content- A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of childhood crushes; A mention of a story (rumor) of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

-Mary Fisher, age 62
                                        P.O.V. of Mary
                                                        268 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

This mystery was different from the previous two books since Mary does a lot of searching to see if a rumored murder really happened. So, in that regard, it wasn’t as clean as the last one, but it still kept my attention. I did enjoy all the history parts, though, that was a fun bonus. Mary’s faith continues to be a large part of the series, which I love!

See y’all on Monday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.