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Reviewed by Alyssa Elmore for Readers' Favorite
Two young women fight for their lives in the romantic suspense short story, The Mysterious Invitation (A Short Murder Mystery) by Barbara Henslee. When a cryptic envelope appears in her mailbox, Abbey is intrigued. Completely black, save for a creepy-looking coat of arms, there is something ominous about the envelope. Upon opening it, she finds an expensive, formal invitation requesting her presence in a neighboring apartment. The party is scheduled for the evening, a few days away. Given the sinister vibe, Abbey is undecided. She doesn't know the residents of the apartment, and she can't help be feel unsettled about the odd way the envelope appeared in her mailbox. After considering the invite, Abbey decides to see if one of her neighbors and secret crush, Candie, would like to go to the party with her. Candie has received a summons too and feels strange about it also. They agree to go together, for safety's sake. Will the party turn out to be something more? Will they regret their attendance?
The Mysterious Invitation (A Short Murder Mystery) by Barbara Henslee is a hair-raising short story that I enjoyed reading. The characters were engaging and the plot well-developed. I appreciated the way the narrative was set up, and the characters introduced. The plot flowed smoothly from one scene to the next, and I found myself wondering if Candie and Abbey would get together in the end. While the murder itself was horrific, it wasn't too detailed, and certainly not drawn out, supporting the building excitement and suspense. As the intensity of the narrative unfolded, several plot twists caught me off-guard and left me breathless. The story comes to a surprising conclusion that made me wonder if there'll be a sequel. I recommend this book to readers of mysteries.
