Coco Won’t Want to Post This Throwback
One of the best examples of taking the cozy mystery into the modern era is Sarah E. Burr’s Trending Topic Mysteries. I was thrilled when I saw the fourth in the series, #Throwback for Murder was coming out. And it was another winner.
The series features Coco Cline, a lifestyle influences who has a large platform and a certain amount of fame for her work. She also works with clients to help them utilize the internet to help their businesses. She’s living in her hometown of Central Shores, Delaware. And it’s been a quiet nine months in town since the last murder, something Coco and her friends have all been enjoying.
All that is about to change on this particular June Saturday. The town is hosting a community festival for the grand opening of the new government services center. Coco is working part of the day since she works part time in public relations for the police. So she’s on hand when she gets an emergency text from one of her best friends, Charlotte. When Coco arrives at the booth where Charlotte is selling coffee, she finds that Charlotte is facing off against her ex. Her abusive ex that she moved to Central Shores to escape. Coco finally convinces him to leave, but a few minutes later, he’s back having some kind of medical emergency. When he dies, the police think it looks suspicious, but all the evidence points to Charlotte. Can Coco find evidence to clear her friend?
Charlotte is just one of the friends in Coco’s life. It was great to see them again, and the circle even expanded a little. It really is a pleasure to see how much they care for each other and how they work together to face the problems presented to them here. We don’t really see much of Coco’s family in this book, but that’s a minor complaint. I also liked seeing how the various friendships are growing as life happens for all of them.
The story is very strong. It starts quickly, and the pacing was perfect, with plenty of new developments to keep the reader entertained. That includes several subplots that work well to show of the characters and their relationships. One of those subplots didn’t really reach a conclusion, but I’m sure we will learn more about it in future books. The conclusion of the mystery was logical, but I did have a minor niggle with it.
Part of the book finds Coco using social media to try to gain more information. As always, you don’t need to be fluent in all the apps to follow what she is doing or learning. I did get a reminder of just how others view certain platforms. It is amazing to me how different various users’ experiences can be.
There’s some humor as well, mainly from how Coco and her friends interact with each other. Jasper in particular is just as over the top as always. I wouldn’t mind if he matured a bit, andh we are seeing signs of that. Either way, he is good for a laugh.
All told, #Throwback for Murder is another fun mystery for Coco and company. The series’ fans will be glad they picked it up. If you are looking for a contemporary cozy, this is the book for you.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
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Holy Hashtags!! I am so thrilled you enjoyed being back in Central Shores, Mark! This made my day :) Thank you, thank you!!
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