Blythe Baker

Barbara Hollis left the big city to go to a small town in Georgia to keep house for her widowed brother and his two twelve-year-old twin boys. She's sure that she's not going to like it much, but since she left behind her luxury apartment and lost her job, she hasn't got much of a choice. It's a good thing her brother Craig doesn't know the reason she left, as she doesn't want to discuss it.

But when she arrives, she's a bit downcast, since her room is smaller than she imagined, and she show more thinks she'll be bored here. So she decides to give herself a spa day and heads to the only hair salon in town, Sharon's. Since no one is out front, she spots a woman under a hair dryer, and wishes she didn't. The young woman is dead, and at that opportune moment, Sharon arrives and starts screaming. After Barbara calls Craig, she waits to be questioned by his deputy -- who wonders if she killed the young woman.

But Craig will have none of it, and the town over arrests Sharon for the murder. Neither Craig nor Barbara believe it (even though she's just met the stylist); and Barbara decides to surreptitiously help her brother by gathering clues. It might not be her greatest idea, but if she can avoid the killer in town that she knows is still loose, she might be able to find them. Unless they find her first...

This is the first in the series, and I thought it sounded interesting, so I wanted to read it. First off, I must say that the blurb is wrong. Craig is not inept; he's just never dealt with a murder before, and the town's police department consists of him and his deputy. He just believes the other town would be better equipped to handle it, and he comes to regret his decision quickly.

Secondly, I really had no idea that this took place in the 1950's while reading it. I did wonder about the lack of cell phones, but aside from descriptions of a few cars, there wasn't really anything that pointed to the year this takes place. So that was the reason I took off one star. In future books I would like to read about some of the things occurring during that time; something to draw us into the story timeline.

Other than that, I found this interesting, even if it was a short book. I would like to see more character development, but in stories this short, you aren't going to get much of that. However, I am not dinging the author for it, since I died enjoy reading this quite a bit. In fact, I read it in one sitting, and I hope that others will enjoy it as much as I did. In the climax, it all came together quickly, and everything was tied up nicely. I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended. show less

This was a fairly light, cute, and short novel; and the first of a series. For the tl-dr crowd: young newly divorced woman inherits a decaying Japanese Garden business from her grandmother, and no sooner has she begun to fix it up than there's a murder on the premises. Oh, her annoying ex-mother-in-law has barged in to stay, with a scrappy parrot; and the a**hole next door wants to bully her into selling the land so he can expand his quarry business. (It's never quite explained how a restful show more Japanese garden right next door to a quarry that employs a bunch of burly guys with big rock-crunching machinery manages to be quiet enough for people to relax and enjoy the wa of the place. I guess these businesses are both on really large tracts of land!)

One of the cute and amusing aspects of the writing was stylistic: the protagonist, Maddie, in this first-person narrative often gives agency to various objects and body parts. Her feet carry her here and there, her hands do this and that, various objects become active performers in the goings-on...

Oh, and it's not a cliff-hanger so even though it's a pretty short novel, you won't be left hanging about the clean-up of that murder. But there is also enough loose material lying around everywhere for the next story, and probably several more after that.

This is an indie publication, and the editing is quite clean. I didn't notice any real typos, which is nice. However there are at least two instances of automobile breaks that probably want some of their letters re-arranged into working brakes before someone really gets hurt zooming around the little town. show less

Yay for another cute cozy mystery series! I've enjoyed several cute witchy series over the past year, but this is my first with ghosts. It's also my first mystery involving a goat, and what a cutie Snowball is! This was a light, fun read, and I was interested in the mystery and also rooting for Emma as she adjusted to life back in her hometown and took on the role of detective! I enjoyed her connections with others in town, and especially the cuteness with her grandparents. She's a show more refreshing heroine: down to earth, smart, easygoing, and curious. Can't wait to spend more time with her in the next book in the series! show less

Barbara Hollis left the big city to move back home and live with her widowed brother, taking care of his twelve-year-old twins and keep house. Her past is behind her, and she's looking forward to a new future. Unfortunately, she's already been involved in one murder, and wants to forget it. But when she is running errands one day she comes upon a burning house, and with the owner being taken to the hospital, her inquisitive nature wonders if it's not arson. While the fire department deems it show more an accident, she's not so sure...

She also meets the handsome mayor, who seems to take a liking to her, and asks her out. But there are problems with their date, and she's not sure about the man, even though her brother, the police chief, warns her away. She's an adult, right? Also, what was her neighbor doing in the middle of the night? Barbara finds it suspicious, but doesn't know how to ask her without seeming to be prying (which she would be).

Who knew there would be so many questions in a sleepy town like Cobbsville? Not Barbara...

This is the second book in the series, and I really enjoyed the first one. This one, not so much. There were too many unanswered questions, and I also would really like to know why she left Liberty City. There's not even a hint of why anywhere in these first two books.

Saying that, I found that the issues with her neighbor added nothing to the story except to fill pages. They had nothing to do with the murder, so why was it in there? Same as with her dating. Because of this, we were given less to think about with the arson, and the ending seemed like it was thrown in to finish the story.

Still, I will read the next in the series to see if any of this goes anywhere -- and if we learn anything about why she moved back home. show less