REVIEW: "The Women of Wyntons" by Donna Mumma

 

About the book…

*Title: The Women of Wynton's

*Author: Donna Mumma

*Genre: Christian, Historical fiction, Mystery

*Series: Book #1 of the "Women of Wynton" series. {Book #2, "First Comes Marriage...Then Comes Murder" releases in September of 2025}

*Recommend for: Ages 15+

My Personal Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

📖Synopsis

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?

💭My Thoughts 

I really, really enjoyed this classy 1950s mystery!

First off, I appreciated seeing the civil rights representation as a background plot thread in the book. I really loved seeing how much Audrey cared about showing fair treatment to everyone, her little acts of kindness to the store's workers throughout the book, and eventually, the other women coming to that stance as well. Those elements were heartwarming, though the bigger reality of that time was sad and tough to read about at times. I liked the comments several characters made about "things needing to change" and "maybe things would get better soon". Something about that latter statement just tugged at my heartstrings.

The 1950s department store setting was so fun- I believe this was actually the very first book I've read that was set in that time period! That setting definitely made for an interesting, unique, and entertaining read. I enjoyed the moments of wit and banter between characters, and found myself smiling more than I expected throughout the story!

Going into this book, I expected the four POVs would be too many to keep straight. However, I was wrong- the author wrote all of them very well and I actually kept up quite well. It was enjoyable, interesting, and added a lot to the story reading the four women’s unique perspectives and how different they were from each other.

There wasn’t too much actual Christian faith content, but still a good message throughout. I loved how Audrey built others up so much, and I just liked her character altogether. She was very relatable and realistic with her flaws and weaknesses, and how she was misunderstood due to her personality. The whole framing plot line, as usual, really stressed me out, but it all turned out fine in the end. (Was that a spoiler or just to be expected with every fiction book?)

I was so happy that there wasn’t a real romance in this book, because I don’t think it needed one at all. Instead, a primary theme is female friendship and working together, which I loved!

Overall, a sweet, enjoyable, very multifaceted read. I especially loved seeing each character’s journey of growth and healing. I wasn’t shocked at who the villain was, and the ending could possibly be considered just a little rushed, but the mystery thread was still interesting and engaging, and altogether I truly enjoyed this story so much, for many different reasons. I would definitely recommend!

⚠️Content notes

The words "Blacks", "Coloreds", and "Negro" used throughout the book; a mention of the Klu Klux Klan & them possibly bombing people in their beds- they died because near hospitals refused to treat them due to their skin shade; a mention of folks getting killed for shady reasons, also due to their skin shade; many mentions & instances of Black people being treated unfairly; mentions of divorces and couples fighting; drinking & drunkenness; foul language & oaths said by a character but not written out; No language stronger than "good golly", "oh my stars above", "the rotten thing", "my heavens", "good gracious" & dumb; a mention of a man's wife complaining that he's around too many women (he works at the store with them); kisses (one semi-descriptive); Dancing, noticing each other, fluttering, nuzzling, some flirting; a couple mentions of vomiting; death & grief; 4 murders (minimally descriptive).

❤️ Read for...

~1950s department store glam

~Workplace drama and ambition

~Unexpected female friendships

~Murder mayhem, secrets and suspense

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Bookishly yours, 

Lottie M.