Brina Williamson’s The Pale Rose is a cozy mystery set in the 1940s in the spirit of the Thin Man movie series. One can almost visualize Myrna Loy playing housewife Amelia Humble, wife of detective Charles E. Humble. Amelia and Charles have the witty repartee that was so delightfully represented in the days of Nick and Nora.

This classic setup has a dinner party ending with fireworks and the hostess, Josephine Thompson, kidnapped after she leaves the room feeling ill. The only item left of note amid a wrecked room is Thompson’s pale rose. The detective assigned to the case is not the sharpest of knives, so Charles Humble is enlisted to help find her.

The reader is treated to a classic Agatha Christie-style interview segment with a cast of characters. Ms. Williamson treats us to a cast of characters at the start of the novel. I love lists like this and wish more books would follow suit. After Charles meets with most of the party attendees, his wife Amelia arrives to start making sense of a number of conflicting testimonies. Following her lead, all manner of secrets are revealed as one would expect until the riveting conclusion. The housewife knows what’s going on before the reader—of course—right until the final revelation. The clues fit nicely into a tapestry of a story with only a few red herrings along the way. Near the end, one cardinal rule is broken but in a way that is unique and doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the novella. In fact, the clues and testimonies all lead to a logical conclusion.

A quick call out to the interior illustrations by the author. This is the type of detail that really adds to a book of this length. The multi-talented Ms. Williamson really gives the reader something to enjoy here.

The Pale Rose is a great cozy mystery, and a fun read on a dark and stormy night. Pick this up if you like a solid plot and an entertaining whodunnit mystery.