The Accused Architect – A Ken Knoll Mystery

The Accused Architect by Christian Belz

When I chose to accept an internship offer with The Cozy Cat Press based in Illinois, I knew I needed to read one of their published works. Cozy Cat’s specialty is cozy mysteries. What makes a cozy mystery?

  1. Usually a woman who is an amateur sleuth
  2. The protagonist is not usually a detective, medical examiner, or police officer
  3. Very little violence, violent description, or sexual relationships mentioned in the story
  4. Often has a light and humorous mood

It has taken me some time to be able to finally sit down and finish this novel. Ken “Cannoli” Knoll captured my attention in the first few pages with his sharp attention to detail and the way which I was introduced to him. Without spoiling anything, he works in the shadows of the architecture company he works in. When one of his coworkers move a dead body from a construction site, it becomes Ken’s problem to solve the mystery. But then a second murder occurs, throwing everything into chaos.

As I was reading through the story, I was quickly sucked in. One day at the museum, I read nearly one hundred pages! It was difficult to put down the book as the relationship between Mary and Ken crumbled; meanwhile the relationship between Gwen and Ken seemed to thrive. Mary’s plot twist at the end had me jarred in such a way, I had to set the book down and ponder everything I knew.

I did feel that Mary was, perhaps, a little too absent from the novel with her ending. However, I was shook and elated at the same time.

SPOILER: Ken and Gwen don’t get together, and it works! I was so happy they didn’t get together. Poor Ken needs a break from estrogen in his life.

Belz really weaves his knowledge of architecture into Ken’s character. And while sometimes description may feel heavy, it is intentional and feels well-done. He doesn’t spend endless pages describing architecture. Ken sees it and describes it – that’s what he does! It flowed and I reveled in the descriptions because it fits!

Overall, I would give my reading experience a solid 8.5/10. I do wish some of the characters had more time, such as Mary or some of the other women. Edison was spectacular, and I grew to love him so much as a character. I need an Edison in my life, honestly (but only if he doesn’t go hiding dead bodies anymore like he promised at the end).

I look forward to reading more novels from the Cozy Cat Press, and the future novels I get to read as an intern!

@CozyCatPress

@cozycatpress

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