Genre:
Cozy Mystery
Format:
E-Book
Publisher:
Lyrical Underground
Release Date:
December 6, 2016
Synopsis from Goodreads:
When kindergarten teacher Charli Rae Warren hightailed it out of Hazel Rock, Texas, as a teen, she vowed to leave her hometown in the dust. A decade later, she’s braving the frontier of big hair and bigger gossip once again . . . but this time, she’s saddled with murder!
Charli agrees to sell off the family bookstore, housed in a barn, and settle her estranged dad’s debt—if only so she can ride into the sunset and cut ties with Hazel Rock forever. But the trip is extended when Charli finds her realtor dead in the store, strangled by a bedazzled belt. And with daddy suspiciously MIA, father and daughter are topping the most wanted list . . .
Forging an unlikely alliance with the town beauty queen, the old beau who tore her family apart, and one ugly armadillo, Charli’s intent on protecting what’s left of her past . . . and wrangling the lone killer who’s fixin’ to destroy her future .
My Review
Charli Rae Warren left her small hometown of Hazel Rock, Texas under a cloud of scandal. Now, a kindergarten teacher, she heads back home to help her estranged father sell their family book barn. When she arrives, she finds the realtor dead, her father missing and a strange armadillo taking up residence at the book barn.
First, she must prove her own innocence, then she must find her father. He has suddenly become the prime suspect. Charli and her father have had their differences, but there’s no way he’s a murderer and she intends to prove it. There will be plenty of time to decide what to do with the book barn after she finds the killer and brings her father back home. Along the way she meets up with some old friends and some old enemies.
I have had this on my e-reader TBR for awhile and I’ve been wanting to read it but never had a chance. I do enjoy cozy mysteries set in bookstores and libraries. It’s one of my favorite settings. Not to mention that I liked the cover of this one very much.
The cast of characters are a lively group. Each one is vividly portrayed and comes to life with each page. I even fell in love with the armadillo. It had a personality of it’s own. How cute!
This is the first book in the series and it’s fill with humor, mystery, intrigue and a touch of romance, too. The murder mystery is the center of the story and I was totally taken by surprise at “whodunit”. There were so many twists and turns along the way which kept my head spinning. I so enjoy a mystery that keeps me on my toes.
There are three more books in the series that I need to catch up with and I’m looking forward to the next one.
For reading challenges:
What An Animal Reading Challenge 2018
Disclosure: This one is from my own collection on my e-reader. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I.like the library setting too.
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