Review: Death Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen

Today, I'm delighted to welcome Amanda Allen to Ruins & Reading, sharing my review of her intriguing new whodunit, Death Comes to Santa Fe. Amanda is a regular on this blog, as she writes fabulous historical romance under the name of Amanda McCabe. 

Death Comes to Santa Fe is currently on blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. Make sure to check out all the other fabulous reviews on tour!

Death Comes to Santa Fe

A Santa Fe Revival Mystery

Amanda Allen

This series is Amanda's foray into the world of murder mysteries, and she sets the scene very well. As a resident of Santa Fe, she clearly loves the area, and this shines through in this story. I've not read the first two books in the series, but you get little snippets of hints of what went on before, so it reads well as a standalone.

Maddie, a former New York socialite of good stock, lives a comparatively quiet life away from the prying eyes of society, in Santa Fe. An artist, she has money of her own, through her late husband's estate and her own inheritance, but earns extra income through painting. 

But the story begins with the burning of the Zozobra – meant to cleanse away the old to prepare for the new – during the famous annual Fiesta, and the resulting discovery of various items that eventually help identify the body. But more of that later. In the meantime, we go back a little, to the time of preparation for the Fiesta. 

When Maddie works on her portrait of Catalina, the wife of a local man of business, Riccardo Montoya, she realises there is a shadow about the woman. Quickly hidden, but Maddie can't suppress the feeling that not all is well in the Montoya household.

Eventually, it turns out that the body was that of Riccardo, and Maddie and her circle of friends find themselves looking for the murderer. As Riccardo wasn't well-liked in the community or in his family, they have lots of suspects. And just how did the body get into the inside of the Zozobra, when she was one of those preparing it for the event? 

Maddie uses her background as a socialite as a spy in the local society, and enlists the help of her date, resident English doctor, David Cole, and a plethora of friends. But will they discover just who is responsible for Riccardo's death before any of them are hurt? Find out in the story!

Death Comes to Santa Fe is a clever whodunit, set in the upcoming town in 1924, a time of great change. Maddie is a woman of her time, more likely seen in society circles of New York. But she prefers life away from the glare and the pressures that come with it. In Santa Fe, she rejoices in her independence. 

Maddie is a very likeable character. A bit ditzy at times, but clever with it, and very kind. I quickly warmed to her.

David, her doctor boyfriend, is dependable and reliable, and his character is perfectly cast. 

Maddie has a fine circle of arty friends, which took me a while to suss out who is who. There were too many new names at some point, but I guess readers of the other two titles would be familiar with them. 

But the star of the novel (for me) is the location: Santa Fe. The author describes the style, the fiesta, and the local society so well, I felt as if I was there. She painted a vivid picture of the town, and made it extremely easy to visualise it. She also portrayed the era, with all its challenges, very well. 

My only issue with it is the pace. At times, I thought there was too much focus on everyday things that didn't matter as part of the plot, and I skipped a few pages here and there. It felt a little over-described, as did the physical descriptions of each main character, which isn't always needed unless it matters (as in Riccardo's case, for example). It slowed down the pace in a few places.

Overall, Death Comes to Santa Fe is a colourful whodunit, with an intriguing crime scene, likeable characters, and a really interesting setting that draws you in. Readers of murder mysteries with clever twist in unusual locations will really enjoy it!

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Blurb: 

Former New York darling turned amateur sleuth Madeline Vaughn-Alwin is once again thrown into a colourful yet deadly web of secrets, lies and soirees to die for!

It's the week of Fiesta in Santa Fe and Maddie is looking forward to enjoying the celebrations. But as 'Old Man Gloom' Zozobra goes up in flames, so too do Maddie's hopes for a carefree life . . . Human remains are found in the dying embers of Zozobra, and then Maddie and her dashing beau Dr David Cole find a body washed up in the arroyo at the edge of town.

Soon identified as Ricardo Montoya, a wealthy businessman and head of one of the most affluent families in Santa Fe . . . the plot starts to thicken. While his beautiful wife Catalina and her complicated children seem less than heartbroken at his untimely demise, and with many disgruntled locals crawling out of the woodwork, Maddie is surrounded by suspects.

With the celebrations of Fiesta continuing around them, Maddie and her 'Detection Posse' get busy infiltrating the best parties and hobnobbing with old and new faces - but can they bring the murderer to justice before they strike again?

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Comes-Santa-Revival-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BXPZ9C8P

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Comes-Santa-Revival-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BXPZ9C8P

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About the Author:

Amanda Allen

Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen--a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject...)

She's never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Santa Fe with two rescue dogs, a wonderful husband, and a very and far too many books and royal memorabilia collections. 

When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though she doesn't cook.


Connect with Amanda: 

Website https://ammandamccabe.kmcb.site/index.htm

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amandamccabeauthor/ )

FB https://www.facebook.com/amandamccabebooks

TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@amandamccabeauthor )