Book Review: Three Shots to the Wind by Sherry Harris (Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery makes characters stronger

Cons: All cons shot

The Bottom Line:

When ex comes to town

Chloe must solve his murder

Over all too soon

Cozy Trope Twisted by Murder

In my day job, I’m an accountant, so as soon as I heard the premise of Three Shots to the Wind, I started giving Sherry Harris a hard time.  The truth is that since she is one of my favorite authors, I was looking forward to this book.  And I wasn’t disappointed at all.

Chloe Jackson has now been in Emerald Cove, Florida, for seven months, and she is adjusting to her new life as part-owner of the Sea Glass Saloon.  However, things quickly get complicated when she gets a series of anonymous gifts, all including a card that says “I love you, Chloe Jackson.”  She knows it isn’t her boyfriend, Rip.  They are taking things slow, and neither of them have said the “L” word yet.

She figures out who it is in the worst way when she stumbles on a crime scene.  The victim?  Her ex-fiance, Perry Franklin.  She hasn’t seen him in the year and a half since she broke off their engagement, but it is clear he was turning an accounting convention in the area into a chance to win her back.  Since she broke up with him when she realized how boring she found him, she can’t imagine why anyone would kill him.  Will she learn the truth?

One thing I loved about this book is how it twisted a familiar cozy trope.  Usually, about two or three books into the series, the main character’s ex will show up to try to win her back.  And, usually, that’s a sub-plot going on in addition to a murder investigation.  Here, that becomes the main story since Perry is the murder victim.  Sherry Harris does a good job of bringing in connections to Perry to become suspects, too.

Naturally, Perry doesn’t turn out to be the boring accountant that Chloe thought he was when they were together.  These reveals give us motives that keep us guessing until the end.  I enjoyed trying to piece it together, and the climax made perfect sense.

I also really appreciated how this story gave Chloe a chance for some real growth.  A fun sub-plot allows some other relationships to grow as well.  These characters are becoming more real with every book, and I love them more with every book.  Naturally, the suspects fit into this world perfectly.  They weren’t quite as well developed as the main characters, but they did their job of keeping us guessing.

I’m ready for another adventure with Chloe, already.  If you’ve missed this series, be sure to check it out.  And, if you are a fan, you’ll love Three Shots to the Wind.

Have another round with the rest of the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Giveaway:

I'm giving away a copy of this book.  The winner will have a choice of a physical copy (US addresses only) or a digital copy (open to everyone).

Just leave me a comment with your email address.

I'll pull the winner on Friday, April 1st (no fooling!), so please enter before midnight Friday morning California time.