Thursday, June 4, 2020

Review: Murder in Cottonwood Springs by Dianne Harman




Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
E-Book

Release Date:
October 13, 2018










Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sheriff Rich got the call every lawman dreads - a relative's murder. And it's even worse when it's your sister.

Brigid moved back to Cottonwood Springs to be with friends and family when her marriage and her publishing company both ended. When her best friend's murdered, she's determined to find the killer.

A new romance and an adopted big Newfoundland are pretty comforting at times like these.
Recipes included!

My Review

Book editor, Brigid Barnes, is moving back to her hometown of Cottonwood Springs, Colorado. Her life in Los Angeles is pretty much over when her marriage ends and so does her job at a publishing company. She figures Cottonwood Springs would be a perfect place to start over since her sister and friends still live there.

She purchases a new chalet home, which comes with a big Newfoundland dog named Jett. Things really become interesting when her only neighbor welcomes her to the area. Linc Olson is handsome, to say the least. Plus, he brings wine. Things are definitely looking up for Brigid.

Then, tragedy strikes when one of her best friends is murdered. She’s determined to find out who would have done such a horrible thing. With the help of Linc and Jett, she is shocked to find out that her friend had so many enemies.

I’ve been wanting to read this author for a long time. She has several different cozy mystery series available and they all look so good. I decided to start off with the Cottonwood Springs series. I’m so glad I did.

I liked Brigid and Linc (and Jett, her dog!) right from the start. Their potential romance is sweet, but it’s also their friendship - they just met and yet they feel like they can be best friends quickly. I would have liked to see more of Brigid’s sister Fiona. It would be nice to delve into their relationship. For now, it feels like they are casual acquaintances instead of sisters.

The murder takes place in the prologue. That wouldn’t be a problem for me except there is no indication that Chapter One takes place a few days before the prologue. So, seeing the victim very much alive in the first chapter was a bit jarring. Once I got past that, I was hooked.

There were several different possibilities of who the culprit could be. I realized it about halfway through the book, but I really wasn’t sure until closer to the end. I had fun piecing this murder together along with Brigid.

It’s a quick read with interesting characters and the perfect cozy setting. I’m looking forward to a return visit to Cottonwood Springs to catch up with Brigid and her friends.



For reading challenges:
Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2020
What An Animal Reading Challenge 2020
Literary Escapes Reading Challenge 2020 (Colorado)


Disclosure: This one is from my own Kindle library collection. All opinions expressed are my own.

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