Real Murders

By Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden is a young librarian in a suburban town and a member of club called "Real Murders." This club, consisting of about 12 members, looks into famous murder cases. Once a month they get together and one member makes a presentation about an old murder case. One of the members is a policeman. One is obsessed with the Lizzie Borden case. One is fascinated by massacres. On this particular night, Aurora is doing a presentation on the Wallace case, which concerns a man who was accused of bashing in his wife's head with a hammer.
As the meeting is just getting started, Aurora is concerned that one of the members who arrived early is now missing. She goes looking for her and finds her dead in another room with her head bashed in. The crime scene has been staged to resemble the Wallace crime scene, the case Aurora was going to present to the club. When the police arrive, Aurora points out the similarities to the old case, but the police are not that interested in her speculations.
Soon is becomes apparent that their town is in the middle of a murder spree. A politician is murdered in a manner similar to the murder of Marat, a French revolutionary who was stabbed to death while taking a bath. Two old people are chopped up in imitation of the Lizzie Borden case. And the logical suspects are the members of the Real Murder club, including Aurora Teagarden, especially when the murder weapons are discovered in the possession of the various members.

This was an OK story. The motive for the murders was weak, I thought. I just didn't buy it. Also, the author brings Aurora's little six-year-old brother in at the end of the story just to make him a target and for Aurora to risk her neck to save him. Other than that the boy did not factor into the story at all. I don't like reading about little children being tortured and abused even if they are just fictional children. It was an OK read, but I doubt I will read another in the Aurora Teagarden series.