Cozy Mystery
Format
E-Book
Publisher
ECL Press
Release Date
May 7, 2016
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Following her lifelong dream, Hope Jones finally opens the charming Brontë Bookshop in the rural hamlet of Sweet Springs tucked away in the rolling, green hills of the Virginia piedmont. Her best friend and business partner Peggy Sue Roswell assists Hope along with her spirited fifteen-year-old daughter Stacey. Their tuxedo cat Nozy Cat, the bookshop mascot, likes to sleep by the cash register while he guards it. One summer morning, Hope opens up the bookshop and finds the town’s handyman Hugo Spangler lying dead in the poetry section. Sergeant Trogg rules it a homicide and casts a hard eye on Hope and Peggy Sue as his prime suspects. Fortunately, Hope can rely on her incredibly clever, resourceful pet Nozy Cat when she gets busy applying her sleuthing skills to track down and identify the real murderer among the three suspects. The Hope Jones Cozy Mystery Series offers mystery fans a clean read and traditional whodunit with loads of good-natured humor and a perfect dose of the paranormal.
My review
Hope Jones, along with her best friend, Peggy Sue Roswell open their own used book store in Sweet Springs, Virginia. It’s not easy to make a success of a used book store, but they will do whatever it takes to make it work. Of course, finding a dead body in the their poetry section is not going to help their business at all.
The dead man is Hugo Spangler. A man neither Hope or Peggy Sue knew very well, but the police focus on them as the main suspects. The police have no intentions of looking elsewhere for the killer, so the women start investigating on their own. Well, not totally alone. They do have a tuxedo cat named Nozy Cat who just so happens to be able to talk to them and only them. It’s a race to save their business and bring a killer to justice.
As a cat lover, the premise of this book grabbed my attention right away. However, it took me a little time to get into the book. The dialogue is a bit stilted and didn’t sound genuine. It kept getting better with each page until I fell in love with the storyline and characters.
Hope, Peggy Sue and Nozy Cat make a great threesome. Yes, he’s as much a main character as the humans. He’s so snarky and funny.
The storyline had the feel of a classic mystery. No blood or gore, but several possible culprits. There is a good mixture of mystery, humor and a dash of the paranormal to make for a charming cozy mystery.
This is the first book in the series and I’ll be reading the next one. I’m so glad I stuck with this one. It’s such a cute story.
For reading challenges:
The Backlist Reading Challenge 2023
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2023
Disclosure: This one is from my own e-book collection. All opinions expressed are my own.
This sounds like such an entertaining cozy mystery! I love that Nozy Cat is also a main character! Wonderful review Yvonne!
ReplyDeleteGlad it improved as you kept reading.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the story has to grow a bit, if you get what i mean.
ReplyDeleteI have issues with stilted dialogue and slow starts with new cozy series. This does look fun though and hopefully the edges will smooth out as the series develops.
ReplyDelete