If you like vintage mysteries, then definitely check out The Women of Wynton’s. Set in a Florida department store in the 1950s, this novel by Donna Mumma features 4 very different women who band together to get to the bottom of all the mysterious goings-on. There’s definitely a hierarchy at the store and long-held perceptions color the attitudes of the women. I liked that they overcame misconceptions and preconceived notions to form not just a partnership, but strong friendships. This mystery is girl power circa 1950! Although I wasn’t born until later, the vibe this book brought was reminiscent of the department stores I grew up with in small town Florida. I loved feeling all grown up eating lunch at the Jordan Marsh Oak Dining Room. The Women of Wynton’s brought back fond memories while entertaining me with a puzzling whodunit. And good news — there are more in the series!
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Mid-Century Glam Meets Murder Mayhem
Get swept away to the glamor of a 1950’s department store where four women’s loyalties, vanity, friendship, and detective skills are put to the test.
Audrey Penault once led a glamorous life as a model but now works as devoted secretary to Mr. Wynton. To her fellow employees, she is too vain and uppity.
Mary Jo Johnson, a wife and mother, longs to find her worth in the cosmetics department, but it may take a while for the shy housewife to discover her voice.
Vivian Sheffield owns and runs the bridal salon within Wynton’s. She is proud of her accomplishments and won’t let anyone take them away.
Gigi Woodard dislikes her job as waitress in the store’s lunchroom, but she is determined not to let her secret shortcomings cause her to lose the position.
These four women have much to dislike about each other, but they unanimously agree that Mr. Wynton is the best of employers and must be protected at all costs from someone who seems determined to see him gone for good. When other employee deaths occur, can the women band together to solve the murders, or will they discover it is one of their own bent on destroying Wynton’s from within?
Donna Mumma is an award-winning author, a native Floridian, farm kid and dreamer. She was blessed with two wonderful parents who taught her how stories enable readers to learn, escape, connect, and be inspired.
Her writing inspiration comes from the folks she knew growing up in rural Florida. She hails from a small town that was filled with storytellers who spun yarns of hunting trips gone awry, flipped airboats, eccentric relatives, and beloved hunting dogs. These seasoned her childhood and she learned to love a good story filled with twists, turns, and a dash of suspense. Donna now weaves each of these elements into her works of southern fiction.
Growing up on a dairy farm in Florida taught her two important lessons. First, life comes with sunshine and hurricanes. Second, with God’s help, we can flourish in both. She has always been drawn to characters who are bruised and broken but keep pushing forward. These same folks inhabit her story worlds. Before she started writing, she earned her degree in teaching and honed her story-telling skills as a first-grade teacher working to keep antsy six-year-olds enthralled. She believes the best stories grab a reader’s heart and mind and nudge them into discovering something about themselves.
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