Book Review: Chime and Punishment by Julianne Holmes (Clock Shop Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters

Cons: Pacing a little uneven

The Bottom Line:

Fund raising murder

Means time to revisit Ruth

And her group of friends

Chiming in with My Thoughts on the Third Clock Shop Mystery

Usually, by the second book in a cozy mystery series, the characters are set, with the victim being introduced in the pages of each book book.  So I was shocked when I discovered who the victim was in Chime and Punishment.  After all, this is the third book in the clock shop series, so I didn’t expect the victim to be anyone we had met before.

The book itself opens six months after the previous book in the series.  During the time, Cog and Sprocket owner Ruth Clagen has been leading the charge to get the clock tower in Orchard, Massachusetts, running again.  Of course, a project like this costs money.  With a couple of weeks to go before the big unveiling, Ruth and her friends and employees are putting on a fund raiser to help with the expenses.

As part of the fund raiser, Kim Gray, the town’s manager, is supposed to give a short speech.  Only she never shows up for the pre-event press photos or to give her speech.  As the event is winding down, Ruth’s friend Pat finds Kim’s dead body under the bell that is supposed to go up in the tower.  Someone was making a statement about how much they hated Kim.  But who?

Kim has been a presence in the first two books in the series, and I must admit that I was kind of hoping she’d be bumped off earlier, so I was thrilled when I found out I was going to get my wish in this book.  She is the perfect murder victim, well hated by everyone who knows her.  However, Ruth doesn’t know just how nasty Kim truly is, and she learns about other things Kim has been doing as the book progresses.  I did feel the pacing was uneven and one aspect of the mystery wasn’t resolved, but it is a minor aspect.  I was satisfied with who the killer was and the motive, and I appreciated the creative climax.

The characters in this series are definitely a draw, and they entertained me again.  While some of the relationships we’ve explored in the past aren’t in the forefront in this book, we still got to see those characters.  Some of the other supporting players get time in the spotlight in this book, and it is nice to get to know them better.

Fans of this series will definitely enjoy Chime and Punishment.  And if you aren’t a fan of the series, isn’t it time you fixed that?

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Tuesday, August 8th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 8/8.  You will have until midnight on 8/13 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 8/14.