How to Murder a Millionaire ~ Nancy Martin

Martin, Nancy. 2002. How to Murder a Millionaire. New York, NY: Signet Publishing Company, a division of Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0451207241.  $7.99 USD


I realized that I’ve been reviewing a lot of pre-pub titles that folks don’t have access to yet (I get them because….I’m a librarian with a blog!  Great perk)!  However, that doesn’t help those reading the blog, except to perhaps create interest and excitement over forthcoming titles.  I was walking the “stacks” at the library (another word for the book shelves) and saw a series I have been reading since it first came out.  It’s one of my favorites, so I thought I’d review it.  Most libraries should have this series.

Written by the prolific Nancy Martin, the Blackbird Sisters Mystery series is set in Philadelphia and has a great cast of unique characters.  The main character, Nora Blackbird, comes from an old, wealthy family and lives in the rather dilapidated family home.  Her parents, apparently not good money managers, have left the country, leaving her the property, land and a two million dollar tax bill.  Finding herself needing to work to make ends meet, Nora raids her grandmother’s vintage clothing cache in the attic and goes to work as a society page columnist for a local paper, using her connections to gain entrance to the upper crust establishment society gatherings.  Her sisters, wild child Emma, and flaky, earth mother, Libby, round out the quirky cast.

On Nora’s first assignment, she unwittingly stumbles across a murder: a millionaire art collector who is an old family friend.  As she investigates the crime, using resources she didn’t know she had, she crosses paths with a variety of intriguing characters, including the son of a rumored New Jersey crime boss, who shows more than a little interest in the down-on-her-luck blue blood.

Currently, there are ten titles in the series, and a two-book spin-off series about a relative of Mick Abruzzo, Nora’s love interest.  I’ve read all these mysteries and have enjoyed the experience and characters.  Give them a try!  The first title in the series is How to Murder a Millionaire, followed by Dead Girls Don’t Wear Diamonds.  Happy reading!