I could not put down Murder at Blackwater Bend by Clara McKenna. Ms. McKenna combined my favorite genre mystery with just the right amount of romance. Stella, the strong willed American heiress, engaged recently to Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst sets out to solve who murdered Lyndy’s neighbor, Lord Fairbank, when a local vagabond she calls a friend and whom the locals call the snake charmer is accused. As she and Lyndy work together to solve the mystery, they grow closer; resolving issues which could have thwarted their relationship to include Lyndy’s mother who has it out for Stella and the engagement. The reader couldn’t have asked for a better cast of characters from the prim lady of the manor to the limping local pub owner to the bumbling American archeologist. And the gorgeous English countryside and small town setting just adds to the charm of the book. An all around great cozy murder mystery!