Received ARC (Advanced Reviewer Copy) in exchange for an honest review.
A novel that fully displays the stresses, eccentricities, and fear of COVID. The story is set at the beginning of the pandemic when people wore masks, stayed away from each other, and found themselves suspicious of things that they never even considered before.
Scott's life and marriage are already a struggle when his wife and his neighbor suddenly disappear. Secrets on Marigold Way begin to seep out and then the empty house next door burns up. Found inside are Scott's wife and neighbor, along with stockpiles of stolen protection equipment, leaving even more questions in its wake.
There is a twist (though not a shocker), reveals, romance, and intrigue. Overall, I found this an enjoyable read and recommend as a pandemic centered murder mystery that displays our dark underbellies.
Three and a half stars. ( )

A great and very timely read! I enjoyed this book very much. The plot surrounds a double murder which takes place during the COVID quarantine. The characters tend to be a little quirky but endearing. I would have liked to see a different ending, but the way the author wrapped things up was fine. ( )

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.* I enjoyed Raymond Benson's novel The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way. Benson does a great job of creating characters and building tension. The story is filled with twists, but I was totally shocked by the big twist AFTER the end (i.e., when you think you've figured it all out, but then you learn you were misdirected the whole time). I was not a fan of the narrative device of having each chapter introduced by an unseen and unnamed but all knowing narrator. I thought that was unnecessary and broke the flow of the storytelling. I think I may have a little COVID PTSD, as I feel uncomfortable with books that focus on the uncertainty and fear of the earliest days of the pandemic and lockdown. ( )

The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way by Raymond Benson is the first fiction book that I’ve read where the author had fully incorporated Covid 19, and I thought that was done very well. As for the mystery itself, it was pretty light and I think most people will figure out what is going on pretty easily, but finally finding out who the narrator was, did surprise me.

This had a Desperate Housewives (TV show from the mid-2000’s) vibe, where everything may look nice in the suburbs, but slowly all the dark secrets are revealed. Combine that with Our Town, where the narrator starts each chapter and gives us little tidbits that slowly become darker and more disturbing, and we get a good mix for a novel.

While there are a lot of different storylines going on, it didn’t have the urgency of a thriller or suspense novel. I will have to say that it leaned a bit more towards the genre of Woman’s Fiction, even if the main character and author are male. That did put a different spin on it, but for an author that is best known for his continuation of James Bond, I would have expected a bit more action and a deeper mystery. ( )

This was a fun read. It is a murder mystery that takes place in the middle of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown in a suburb of Chicago. There is a narrator that sets up each chapter with tidbits of information that keeps drawing the reader in. When Scott Hatcher's wife goes missing and his neighbor Rachel Bergmans husband disappears at the same time questions arise. When they are both found together is a burned out abandoned house in the neighborhood it is clear things were not as they appeared on the surface. Enter the police and the story becomes more and more murky. Was it a murder suicide or a third party murder. The narrator walks us through it at a good pace. I especially enjoyed the Covid references of how we all ran around looking for hand sanitizer, clorox wipes, toilet paper etc. at the beginning of the pandemic. All too real, and now looking back seemingly silly. Covid is not yet gone from our lives yet but the writer took the time to tell this tale of crazy things in crazy times to entertain the reader. Recommended. ( )

“Friends, this is a little tale about some murders.” The opening sentence from Raymond Benson’s new dramedy mystery sets the tone. The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way is an up-to-the minute, covid-era mystery set in a Chicago suburb where things aren’t as cozy as they seem. Arson, murder, and perhaps some black-market PPE shenanigans set the stage for the perfect read during the Halloween spooky season. ( )

The Mad Murders of Marigold Way is a witty, riveting mystery set at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scott Hatcher wakes one morning to discover his wife missing. He soon finds out his neighbors husband is also missing and the mysterious happenings on Marigold Way begin to unfold. All of the characters in this book are so well written and the characters are likable and believable. The more I read, the more hooked I became to the story and the more I was guessing at the final outcome. The narrative style used in at the beginning of each chapter took a little getting used to, but made the story feel fresh and different. I haven't read a book this enjoyable in a long time.

Story is told by a narrator . It is in the middle of the COVID pandemic and Scott wakes up and finds his wife missing. He reports this to the police. Across the street, Rachel also reports her husband, John missing. They are both found days later burned in an empty house that was for sale.
The police also found in this house a cache of stolen PPE that had been stolen from the company John worked for.
The neighborhood has a couple of teenage boys participating in delinquent acts. A neighbor that is waking Scott up very early each day building an addition.
Scott and Rachel become drawn to each other Rachel’s has a strange son Thomas who did not like his stepdad but does like Scott. Thomas is also friends with one of the delinquent boys.
A rather bizarre and unbelievable story but was a good read.
Manipulation , suspense, loss, and danger.
I received this ARC from Library thing in exchange for a review.
#beaufortbooks ( )

During the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Scott Hatcher awakes one morning to find his wife Marie gone. He wonders if she went out for a run. Since the death of their son years earlier, their relationship was strained, living more like brother and sister. But when she doesn’t come home, he contacts the police. Only to find out their neighbor across the street, John was also missing. Coincidence? Then the empty house next door is burned to the ground and the bodies of Marie and John are found badly burned.

This is the premise of the story as told by a narrator, which had me wondering who was telling the story of the residents of Marigold Way. There is much that is happening on Marigold Way like mischievous boys, a neighbor who likes to do construction on his house early in the morning, a Russian thug, and nosy neighbors.

All this makes for a fun mystery although not too difficult to decipher. Except for the narrator that was unexpected. All in all, it kept me entertained. ( )

COVID has forced the residents of Marigold Way into a very quiet , self isolating life style. Long walks, gardening are good outside activities and any inside contact is done with masks in place. A time we all identify with.

On comes our narrator, to tell us the story of those Mad, mad murders.
Scott Hatcher’s wife has gone missing and so has Rachel Bergman’s husband.
When they are reported as missing, the police initiate a search. But they are not found until a suspicious fire destroys the empty house next door to Rachel.

A fun read, with well done characters and a setting familiar to all. A few unexpected twists and turns. I really enjoyed the writing style.
Read as an ARC from LibraryThing. ( )

I'm a sucker for a good cover. Not only was the cover of this book intriguing, but the title kicked it up a notch. Set against the backdrop of 2020 pandemic life, we're introduced to an idyllic neighborhood touched by the same fear and worry as the rest of the world. While dealing with pandemic worries, this typical neighborhood also becomes the focus of an age old mystery. Murder. Was it murder? Who did it? Why? And all those other need to know questions we ask. This was one of those mysteries that has you taking each character (even the anonymous narrator!) and attempting to piece the puzzle together as you read. When you emerge, you'll find yourself questioning just how well you know your own neighbors! Huge thank you's to LibraryThing, the author Raymond Benson, and the publisher Beaufort Books for an advanced read of this book! ( )

I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you
I found this book a fun, light read. I love a book that is narrated by an omniscient, (he claims not to be) narrator.
It is the height of the pandemic.
Scott is a writer who has had better days, and struggles to get back in that groove. He and his wife, really are just roommates, after drifting apart due to the death of their son.
He wakes one morning, and his wife, Marie is gone. He figures she's out for a walk. He begins to worry when it's afternoon and no word. Finally, he calls the police department to report her missing.
He soon hears that his neighbor Rachel's husband is missing. Her husband has been linked to a theft at his work.
At the same time, there seems to be a rash of prank fires from Molotov cocktails. Teens are bored.

Action picks up when there is a fire next door in a vacant house, not only does it seem that Scott's wife, and Rachel's husband's remains are found, but the house was full of quality PPE.
Why were they together in a vacant house, Why was there PPE, How did they die? Who set the fire.

The narrator leads us through the story. Lots of surprises. ( )

Interesting mystery about suspicious neighbors in a typical American suburb. The boredom and craziness during the period of isolation is a third character in the story, much as we would like to forget that time. There is a definite twist at the end, where none of the shady suspects turn out to be the murderer, if it was murder. But why else would two unrelated spouses be found naked on an air mattress… ( )

In a pretty, quiet, upscale and usually calm neighborhood in Illinois, Scott Hatcher awakens to find his wife, Marie, missing. Scott and Marie's marriage has been on the rocks for years. Then, the husband of one of Scott's neighbors is also reported missing, a man who curiously works for the company that had a ton of its PPE merchandise stock recently stolen.

This is the setup to a neighborhood drama, one that involves teenage ne'er-do-wells, a house with a gruesome past and haunted present, a mysterious rash of fire-bombed park garbage cans, a Russian mobster and his hulking moving van, hidden flash drives, nosy neighbors, and to top it all off, a very new and scary coronavirus that keeps the denizens of this cul-de-sac inside, peeking out through peepholes and window slats, suspicious of everyone else.

Benson creates a deliciously suspenseful tale of the mystery, murder and mayhem that hide behind a seemingly normal facade of an average American street with average American citizens who harbor very unusual secrets. ( )