A Blue Moon in VERMONT

I have read all, or almost all, of Terry Boone's prior mystery novels. I greatly enjoyed each of them. The stories were straightforward, suspenseful, and well-written. Alas, a Blue Moon in Vermont, though also well-written, lacks a compelling or suspenseful mystery. Essentially, the plot involves the returning lead characters attempting to uncover a "cold" crime from decades before. There is no chase, no present threats, no urgency. Indeed, the lead characters are themselves lukewarm about taking on this investigation. If they were ambivalent and unenthusiastic, It was difficult for me, as the reader, to be anything else. Boone also presents numerous minor characters, which complicate and confuse the story and which are, to a large extent, unnecessary to the plot. Boone does provide a great deal of color about Greek sights and customs, but, then again, this is a mystery, not a travelog, and the "local color" comes across more as filler than an integrated part of the story. I hope Boone returns to form in his next novel.