Rushing home to sit by her ailing grandmother’s bedside, Violet Waverly is shocked to find Grandma Daisy the picture of perfect health. Violet doesn’t need to read between the lines: her grandma wants Violet back home and working in her magical store, Charming Books. It’s where the perfect book tends to fly off the shelf and pick you . . .
Violet has every intention to hightail it back to Chicago, but then a dead man is discovered clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems from Grandma Daisy’s shop. The victim is Benedict Raisin, who recently put Grandma Daisy in his will, making her a prime suspect. Now, with the help of a tuxedo cat named Emerson, Violet will have to find a killer to keep Grandma from getting booked for good . . .
Amanda Flower, a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Her debut mystery, Maid of Murder, was an Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Novel and her children’s mysteries, Andi Unexpected and Andi Under Pressure, were an Agatha Award Nominees for Best Children’s/YA Novel. Andi Unstoppable won the Agatha Award for Best Children’s/YA Novel 2015. Amanda is a librarian in northeast Ohio. Visit her at http://www.amandaflower.com.
My Impressions:
I am always up for a cozy mystery! I love quirky characters, charming locales, and a puzzling mystery. I chose Crime And Poetry by Amanda Flower to make the minutes and miles pass quickly on my morning walks — it was a great choice! I had previously read her juvenile mystery fiction and one book in her Amish cozy series and knew I would find a humorous and entertaining read. But I have to say that Crime And Poetry exceeded my expectations. While it had all the elements I look for in a cozy, it also featured a magical bookshop that not only finds the perfect book for patrons, but aids main character Violet in her quest to find whodunit! I loved, loved the characters, including the adorable Houdini-cat and the loquacious blackbird. Violet solves the case and finds closure for a tragedy in her past. She discovers her place in the village of Cascade Springs and has two hunky guys vying for her attention. Very satisfying! The narrator of the audiobook was perfect for the first person style, having a wonderful sense of timing and inflection.
I liked Crime And Poetry so much that I downloaded book 2, Prose And Cons as soon as The End was pronounced. If you are a fan of cozies, you’ll love this one too.
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
To purchase, click HERE.
(I purchased this book from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Great review, and this sounds like an intriguing author and book series!
It’s charming, like the bookstore! I just finished book 2. I liked it too.