Frances Devine

Frances Devine – Miss Aggie’s Gone Missing – Book One

Miss Aggie Pennington vanishes at the same time that bank robbers strike a small southern Missouri community. The senior citizen’s history as the spoiled daughter of a once mighty local family is revealed bit by bit as her friends search for her.

The amateur sleuth telling the Miss Aggie stories is Victoria, young and as yet unmarried, although I suspect this will change before the end of the series. Victoria inherited Cedar Lodge, her grandmother’s boardinghouse, along with the resident senior citizens. She struggles with living out her faith, and has enough flaws to keep her interesting. The author Frances Devine does a good job of telling the stories of the seniors without reducing them to stereotypes.

I have read two Miss Aggie mysteries, and enjoyed them both. If you are looking for a fun read that will not embarrass you with foul language or steamy bedroom scenes, you have found the right author. The Miss Aggie series is Christian fiction that is not preachy. The prayers and Scripture quotes are a natural part of the characters’ lives.
… (meer)

A WWII era starlet, now a reclusive senior citizen, takes a room in Victoria’s Cedar Lodge boardinghouse in southern Missouri. Shortly after she arrives, a murder victim is discovered in a secret tunnel under the Pennington mansion Miss Aggie and her nephew are restoring.

In the second book in the Miss Aggie series, the Pennington legacy again provides a focal point for intrigue that span generations. The murder, the starlet’s murky past, and the questionable history of both the Pennington family and a charming elderly import/export dealer all come to play in this fun story.

Victoria, the young Christian amateur sleuth, struggles with her attraction to a mysterious stranger, while trying to keep her senior citizen tenants safe and out of trouble. She seeks guidance from her Heavenly Father in her relationship with local news reporter Benjamin, which is refreshing, and realistic for readers of faith.

The author Frances Devine presents the histories of the seniors with sensitivity. The consequences for their youthful mistakes reach all the way to the present. The characters are developed further in this second book in the series. The mystery is more solid, too.
… (meer)

Victoria Storm is the new owner of Cedar Lodge Boardinghouse, which she inherited from her grandmother. She also inherited the boarders who are a group of senior citizens. Being a small town everyone knows everyone...and also many secrets from the past.

When lodger Aggie Pennington-Brown goes missing the same day the bank is robbed the seniors concerned. Concerned to the point that they have no faith in the Sheriff Turner's ability to find Miss Aggie so they start their own investigation. Being pretty much lifetime residents, they also have knowledge of the other citizens in town and their secrets. Is the kidnapper one of them?

Corky, the young man Victoria hired to handle the cooking for the residents, is a mystery in himself. His excellence in the kitchen is Cordon Bleu yet he chooses to work for her. Why?

Add a dash of romance in Ben Grant, the newspaper guy. He and Victoria grew up together but didn't have the best of relationships. What secrets could be found there?

This is a Christian cozy so there are comments and scenes about faith, but it isn't hammered in. It is just part of the characters' personalities.

A fun, cozy read that is entertaining and fairly quick.… (meer)