Series Review: The Charlotte Brody Mysteries by Cathy Pegau

The Charlotte Brody mysteries are a historical cozy mystery series set in 1919. I'd had the first book in this series, Murder on the Last Frontier, in my TBR pile for three years and just read it last month. I liked it and promptly checked out the others from my library. I follow the author on Twitter and felt a little guilty about not having read any of her books yet. One good thing about being laid off due to the pandemic is that I have lots of free time for reading.

Charlotte Brody is a journalist and suffragette who goes to Alaska to visit her brother and recover from some emotional and physical turmoil. She is writing a series of articles on Alaskan life for a newspaper back home but also works part-time at the town newspaper and helps her brother for a little while as his secretary (he's a doctor). Over the course of about six months, she gets involved in several mysteries. She's naturally inquisitive and sticks her nose into pretty much anything. That irritates the local marshall, Eddington. But she makes herself useful and he turns out to be willing to bend the rules now and then.

The series is a blend of historical cozy mystery and romance. The romance is slow burn though not excessively so since there are only three books in the series. The romance is Happy For Now, not Happily Ever After, which was a little disappointing but works within the context of the series. Full of details, even pacing, a blend of history and fiction, a climate and location that are practically characters in the story, the Charlotte Brody books were a little intense, engaging and full of facts and details I didn't know.

Pegau touches on many subjects in the books, most of which are still relevant today - women's rights, voting, racism, classism, bigotry, abortion rights, the treatment of North American natives, etc. At times, it felt like I was reading a contemporary. But that says more about the lasting endurance of these issues and how they have not been resolved than any issues with the writing. Charlotte Brody, independent woman, journalist, suffragette, and amateur investigator, makes a perfect lens for examining important topics wrapped in entertaining stories and engaging mysteries.

I enjoyed the first two books the most; book three dragged a bit for me and was easier to put down, but I liked the integration of Native Alaskan characters. After all, a book set in Alaska certainly should feature native residents and not just settlers. The mysteries in all three books kept me guessing and there were some good twists. Pick up this series if you want smart, engaging mysteries with strong characters, especially strong female characters.

Check out the author's website - http://cathypegau.com/