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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780425213070
ISBN number: 0425213072
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: December 05, 2006
Publishing house: Berkley
Sale Popularity Level: 82944
Studio: Berkley
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Product Description:
With the chalk outline gone from their front porch, Aggie Sloan-Wilcox and her minister husband think they can resume their lives. But when Ginger, Aggie's despised former foster sister, comes for Christmas, and turns up dead as a drumstick, Aggie's sister is suspected. Now it's up to Aggie to find the real murderer-who's decided there's a loophole in thou shalt not kill.
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Rated by buyers 
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Let There Be Suspects is my very first introduction to this author's mystery books, but the second book in this Ministry is Murder series.
Heroine Aggie Sloan-Wilcox is a minister's wife. Apparently, in the preceding book, she was involved in a murder investigation, so she's in a bit of hot water with at least some members of her husband's congregation. Her sisters are in town for Christmas, as is her mother Junie, whose free-spirit ways endear her to her family, but might cause a few raised eyebrows.
Still, Aggie's dealing with everything well, until her mother's "surprise" arrives: Ginger, their manipulative erstwhile foster sister. Ginger is immediately up to her old ways, but Junie seems oblivious... until Ginger is discovered, murdered, at the outdoor nativity scene, and Aggie's sister Sid is the prime suspect.
The characters are entertaining and vivid, and the resolution of the mystery was logical and satisfying. The setting was realistic, as were the family dynamics. Aggie's family is neither too good to be true nor so quirky that they're cartoonish. I particularly appreciated the portrayal of the small neighborhood church, as a nice change from the judgmental hypocrisy that shows up all too often.
I'm not sure how Aggie will fare over a longer series--it's a small town, and that's always tricky in a mystery series--you start thinking the town's a death trap. But for now, it's a fun, light read, and a nicely seasonal one.
Rated by buyers 
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A well-written book with a well-turned plot. My only reservation is the author's need to make characters either ever-so fine or ever-so nasty.
Female characters are especially hard done by. If the author is going to introduce psychology, I think she has an obligation to be fair to her characters... As it is, her treatment of her villians gives a faint impression of misogyny.
Rated by buyers -
It's Christmas time, and Agate Sloan-Wilcox is as busy as only the wife of a pastor can be at that time of year. So the news that her mother Junie has planned a family reunion at Aggie's house over the holidays is not exactly welcome. Especially since Aggie doesn't find out about this reunion until everyone has made their plane reservations. Ah well, it's Christmas, and she loves her sisters Vel and Sid. As do her daughters, Teddy and Deena. Nobody is sure what the surprise is that Junie is bringing, but it's bound to be a doozie - Junie is that kind of person.
Aggie particularly wants the very first annual Christmas open house for the community to go well; she's had kind of a rocky start with the church family. Something to do with a corpse on the porch and breaking a very old, treasured crystal punch bowl. By the end of chapter one, the reader has a pretty good idea of how serene Aggie's life isn't.
The surprise is Ginger and her husband Cliff. Ginger is a foster child of Junie's from way back, the foster child who knew which buttons to push to get what she wanted, the one Sid viewed (and still views) as major competition for Junie's affections. Junie brings Ginger to the reunion. Nobody is thrilled about this. Somebody is so unthrilled that Ginger winds up dead. Sid, for good reason, is the obvious suspect.
Aggie has some low-grade history with the local police detective, from the corpse on the porch incident. He warns her to stay out of this, but (of course) she ignores him. Can you see where this is going? I thought so.
While Aggie IS the wife of a minister, religion per se plays almost no part in LET THERE BE SUSPECTS. The family relationships are very true, the motives timeless, and the plotting is quite good. The fact that LET THERE BE SUSPECTS takes place at Christmas time does give those of us with extended, semi-dysfunctional families a little pause, but it's a fun read by a writer who knows her stuff.
Rated by buyers 
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I am soooo pleased that Emilie Richards has written this series of novels. I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas mystery. It was a good mystery plus full of chuckles.
Rated by buyers -
I confess...I love this series! I found the very first book to be less than great because the main character, Aggie, seemed just too-too... too perfect. However, all that is gone in the second book of the Ministry is Murder series, and I LOVED this one! Though the murder didn't happen until after page 90, I thoroughly enjoyed the build up and the family dysfunction! It was great fun, and very realistic. I found myself immediately wanting to read the subsequent one in the series, Beware False Profits, but I don't have it yet. I am eager to read it, and that is always a good sign for a series, in my book! Great fun, interesting characters, good mystery, and satisfying ending -- all the ingredients for a good cozy mystery are find right within the pages of Let There Be Suspects.
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