Death of a Wandering Wolf by Julia Buckley

Reviewed by Jeanne

Hana Keller is thrilled to find a valuable china figurine of a wolf at a garage sale.  It’s a Herend, the product of a famous Hungarian pottery, and priced at only $5.  Hana tells the seller it’s worth much, much more, but he says it came from someone he doesn’t trust and he wants rid of it. He also has some beautiful paintings he’s selling for far less than they’re worth. Hana loads up, and lets a friend who owns an antique shop know about the amazing sale so he can check it out.

Unfortunately, when she shows her prize to Eric Wolf, her detective boyfriend, he doesn’t seem nearly as enchanted.  In fact, he’s downright upset.  The wolf has a tiny metal tracking device attached, meaning whoever has the figurine is being tracked by someone else.  Eric and Hana head back to the seller’s house, only to find that he has been murdered.

This is the second in the Hungarian Tea House Mystery series, following Death in a Budapest Butterfly.  I was anxious to read it because I loved the first one.  Hana and her family run a traditional Hungarian Tea House, so the reader learns not only about Hungarian food but customs and folklore as well.  There’s a touch of the supernatural in that Hana’s grandmother reads tea leaves with uncanny accuracy, and Hana is beginning to realize she may have inherited this gift. 

The plot is more cozy than classic mystery, which is to say that some clues come from supernatural sources and there is as much interest in interpersonal relationships as in the mystery. The characters are interesting and entertaining, and I quite enjoyed meeting Eric’s twin sisters.  That said, I would have liked a bit more action with Hana’s grandmother because she is more steeped in Hungarian ways which is one of the book’s attractions for me.

Death of a Wandering Wolf did not disappoint.  There is a fascinating mystery tied up with an historical event involving Hana’s great grandmother as well as character development.  We’re introduced to some of Eric’s family, Hana explores her gift, and there are wonderful descriptions of art and food.  I’m not one of those who reads cozy mysteries for the recipes—I have to replace smoke detector batteries every time I cook—but I am sorely tempted to try the haluska which involves cabbage, noodles, and butter, three of the major food groups.

I don’t think you would have to read these in order to enjoy them, but I prefer to read series that way.  The first book had more Hungarian folklore and culture, and I was especially intrigued by the various “witches” who populated the folktales.

I already have the third book in the series, and I fully expect it to be a delight as well.