Can Remi Follow the Clues to Find a Killer?
In my search for a fun board game themed cozy, I stumbled on This Way to Murder, the first Board Game Cafe Mystery from Shelley Shearer. While I enjoyed it, this debut had some kinks to work out.
Remi McKenna is hosting a letterboxing event with some friends in the town where she is planning to move. Along for the ride is her best friend, Trace Cooper. However, Trace has brought a problem with her. She’s been getting some weird texts and phone calls recently, and it appears her potential stalker has followed her. Can Remi juggle the event she is running with trying to figure out if her best friend is truly in danger?
You’ll notice what I didn’t talk much about in my teaser. Yes, there is a subplot that revolves around Remi starting a Board Game Cafe, but I expected it to be more of a presence in the first book in the series. Having said that, letterboxing, which is similar sounding to geocaching, which I’ve done a couple of time, does sound like fun and really helped with the plot for this book.
The plot appeared to take a bit of time to get going. Yes, there is stuff happening, but it’s a little hard to see how it ties into the plot until later on. Even when the plot is fully in the forefront in the second half, we get some repetition. Still, the climax made sense and was suspenseful.
The characters were good. Remi, Trace, and a couple of others really stood out to me, and I enjoyed getting to know them. I could see myself enjoying future visits with them. The rest of the cast were equally entertaining, but I struggled to keep them all straight.
This Way to Murder shows some promise, and I’d consider giving a second in the series a chance. Hopefully, a second visit will be stronger.
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