Grand Opening Murder
The thing that makes reading fiction so fun is the variety that can come from a similar premise. As an example, both of the books I’m reviewing this week involve art centers that are connected to a robbery and murder around their grand opening. I’m being simplistic since there are differences even in that description, but my point is, the stories that spin from that premise are different in both cases. Paint Me a Crime, the first in Holly Yew’s Rose Shore Mysteries, uses this set up to create a good mystery.
The setting in this case is British Columbia as Jessamine Rhodes is about to open the community art center she’s bought in the small town of Rose Shore. In celebration of the opening, she’s thrilled to get artist Gabriella Everhart to come and teach a water color class. Gabriella has even agreed to exhibit her masterpiece Tranquil.
Things are winding down when the lights suddenly go out. They aren’t out too long, but when they return, the painting has disappeared and an art collector who was there is dead. Jessamine knows her new business and reputation are on shaky ground thanks to the event, so she starts poking around a little herself. Can she figure out what happened?
While I couldn’t help but notice the similarities I talked about in my opener, that didn’t mean I was any less hooked as I read. Things start out quickly, and I wanted to know exactly what was going on here and what Jessamine would uncover along the way. The story moves quickly, and I guessed wrong a few times before we reached the logical climax.
Jessamine is still fairly new to town, but she has a great group of friends, and I quickly fell in love with them, too. These characters are fun and charming, and I loved spending time with them. There’s also a great budding romance, which I enjoyed. The suspects get enough page time for us to care, although not enough to be fully developed. Still, they work for the way the story is presented here.
As much as I did enjoy the book, it took me a little bit to get fully into the world being created for us. Something about the writing style kept me just outside. Mind you, I was still enjoying the story and characters, so this was minor.
While this isn’t a culinary cozy, one of Jessamine’s friends runs a tea shop, and the food she serves had my mouth watering as I read. There are lots of scenes with food, so don’t pick up this book hungry.
Paint Me a Crime is a promising first novel. I will definitely be looking for more books by Holly Yew.
I enjoyed your review sounds interesting. Might read it after I get through some of the books I already have on TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteThe art center setting is new to me. You have piqued my interest.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting and I like the mix of art with the tea shop.
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