Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643854519
Crooked Lane Books
264 Pages
$26.99; $12.99 Amazon
August 11, 2020
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Trouble follows Jenna Quinn wherever she goes. Fleeing some unsavory doings in her hometown of Charlotte, Jenna accepts her uncle's gracious invitation to stay with him in small-town Hokes Folly, NC. In exchange, she'll help him out in his antiquarian bookstore. But soon after she arrives, Jenna finds her uncle's body crumpled at the base of the staircase between his apartment and the bookstore.
Before the tragedy even sinks in, Jenna learns that she's inherited almost everything her uncle owned: the store and apartment, as well as his not-so-meager savings and the payout from a life insurance policy...which adds up to more than a million dollars. This is all news to Jenna -- bad news, once the police get wind of her windfall. An ill wind, indeed, as a second murder cements Jenna's status as the prime suspect in both deaths.
Jenna can hit the road again, taking her chances that she can elude trouble along the way. Or she can stick it out in Hokes Folly, take over the bookstore, and try to sleuth out her uncle's killer. On the one hand, she's made some wonderful new friends, and she feels she can thrive in the genial small-town environment. On the other hand, trouble knows her address -- and so does the killer, who is determined to write the final page of Jenna's story.
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Jenna Quinn left Charlotte, North Carolina due to something that occurred recently and left her without a job, home, or boyfriend. Her Uncle Paul owns a bookstore in Hokes Folly, and has invited her to stay with him and help him out while she decides what she wants to do. Since she arrives early in the dark of the morning, she goes to bed without waking him. But the next day she can't find him, and when she goes to the bookshop, she discovers his dead body on the staircase. While half of the homicide detectives think she's committed the crime - Frank Sutter - the other half doesn't - Keith Logan. With a little help from Paul's next door neighbor Rita, Jenna knows to keep her own self out of jail she needs to find who killed her uncle and why...
This is the first book in a new series, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I like the fact that this time out the protagonist isn't someone who's going to have to struggle nor drives a beater of a car (not that there is anything wrong with that, but really, it gets tiresome). I also like the fact that Jenna isn't stupid enough to take raw chances without telling other people where she's going to be. She knows when to ask for help (as in asking Mr. Grimes the attorney) and doesn't run off on tangents.
The mystery is extremely well done, and there aren't so many suspects that you can't keep track of them. My only complaint is Sutter. He's a nasty piece of work, even for a police officer. I do hope in the future he 'calms down' a bit. Even homicide detectives need to keep a level head when they're working. I don't care that he doesn't like her, but he's the kind of guy you never want to invite to a social gathering. I hope you get my drift.
I also like the secondary characters, even if they weren't fleshed out in this book. Rita is the kind of woman everyone should have as a friend, and Mason is certainly an energetic twenty-year-old; I like the fact he's not sullen nor sits on social media all day.
Everything about this book is a breath of fresh air in the cozy world; not only do we have an excellent mystery, we have a protagonist that is intelligent, attractive, and willing to trust others even though she's had a rough go of it; and the author doesn't 'hold us hostage' as to the events in Jenna's past. I absolutely love that we don't have to wait for the next book to discover what occurred.
When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it's a bit of a surprise and makes us realize the lengths people will go to just to get what they want. It was believable and unfortunately, it left a bit of sadness in its wake, not only for the needless loss of life of Paul. When all is said and done, I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.
https://smile.amazon.com/Whom-Book-Tolls-Antique-Bookshop/dp/1643854518/ref=
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3207842529
More on Laura Gail Black's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/laura-gail-black/
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