Larkin Day is 35 and after failed careers in theater and academia she has moved in to her mother’s guest room. While she tries to finish her dissertation (suffering from the common cause topic’s too big) and figure out what to do next with her life, her mother has ‘suggested’ that Larkin join a local choir that is set to perform “Ode to Joy”.

One evening at rehearsal she finds the dead body of the accompanist and Larkin starts to wonder who could have killed him. Anything to get away from writing the dissertation, really. She soon gets help from her choir-neighbour Anni.

The story spends more time on Larkin’s musings about her life than on the actual murder investigation, and her musings are a bit dull, but Anni’s a very likeable character. There are not many people who are both honest and nice.

I didn’t like the writing style much. It didn’t have a good flow to it. There were a few instances with a nice play of words, but I don’t read cozies for their play with words. I read for the murder mystery and there wasn’t much of that.

Anyway, there’s going to be a sequel because in the aftermath of the arrest of the murderer Larkin has finally found her purpose and wants to be come an investigator.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.