Color Me Murder

Color Me Murder by Krista Davis is the first book in the new A Pen & Ink Mystery series. Florrie Fox is the manager of Color Me Read in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. At night she uses her artistic skills to create adult coloring books. When Florrie arrives at work, Professor John Maxwell (her boss) asks if she is still looking for an apartment. Florrie wishes to move closer to work to cut down on her commute. Professor Maxwell offers Florrie his carriage house (rent free) on the condition that she move in that day. Liddy Woodley, Professor Maxwell’s sister, wants her son, Delbert to live in the carriage house. The last thing Professor Maxwell wants is his odious nephew living on the property. After meeting Delbert, Florrie show more can understand Professor Maxwell’s feelings. That night someone tries to break into the carriage house. The next morning Florrie stumbles on the third-floor landing. The carpet was not lying flat. Upon investigation, she finds a trap door which opens to reveal a hidden compartment. Inside is Delbert with a spear sticking out of his back. Professor Maxwell is arrested for Delbert’s murder, and he is relying on Florrie to solve the crime. There are many people who disliked Delbert due to his various schemes. Florrie, with the aid of her friends and her sketches, works to cover a killer and free Professor Maxwell.

Color Me Murder was an entertaining cozy mystery. The story drew me in right away. I thought Color Me Murder was well-written and had a steady pace (and good flow) which made it easy to read. Krista Davis has an appealing writing style. Florrie Fox is a delightful character. She works at the bookstore and designs adult coloring books which I found unique. While working on solving the murder, she uses sketches (instead of notes). Florrie interprets what she is told into visual images which aid her in solving the crime. Florrie is creative, intelligent, loyal, likeable and she rolls with the punches. There are a couple of quirky characters in the story. Mr. DuBois, the butler, is a hoot. Professors Rosca, Goldblum and Bankhouse are friends of Professor Maxwell’s and are helpful in gathering intel for Florrie. I do hope we get to see more of Professor Maxwell in the next installment (he is a lively gentleman). The author provided lovely descriptions of Georgetown where the bookshop is located and Florrie’s new residence. The mystery is well-constructed and clever. Many readers will be surprised by the culprit’s identity. All the loose ends tie together and are wrapped up neatly at the end of the book. I appreciated that the focus of the book was on the mystery. There is a touch of romance, two adorable animals (a cat and a dog), a beautiful old home with some hidden secrets, an unwanted admirer, humor, a gorgeous necklace and an unexpected ally for Florrie in Color Me Murder. The cover of Color Me Murder (for those that purchase a hard copy) can be colored which ties into the story. There are recipes at the end of the book. I finished Color Me Murder with a grin on my face (no silly characters or inane antics in this story). My rating for Color Me Murder is 5 out of 5 stars (I loved it). I am eager to read to the next A Pen & Ink Mystery. show less

This delightful cozy mystery features a few of my favorite things- a bookstore, adult coloring, and the lovely Georgetown neighborhood of DC. Florrie and her cast of family and coworkers are a delight (except for Norman- he's a putz) as they try to solve the murder of a man no one seems to grieve (apart of course from his mother.) There were a lot of connected subplots, and though I wish Florrie could simply tell Norman to go away, he rest of the story really works well. The various threads are all pulled together perfectly in the end without feeling contrived, and I was happy not to have guessed the murderer before the big reveal. I'll be on the lookout for more from this author.

I was already a big fan of cozy mysteries by Krista Davis. Her Paws & Claws series is one of my favorites. After reading this first book in her new series, I know the Pen & Ink Mysteries are also going to be on my favorites list!

Florrie Fox works at a bookshop, Color Me Read, in Georgetown. Professor John Maxwell owns the shop. He's a bit of an eccentric and known for dashing off to exotic places on all sorts of adventures (what can you expect from someone who has the Indiana Jones theme as the ringtone on their cellphone). Professor Maxwell's family is well known in Georgetown and quite wealthy. He offers Florrie his carriage house to live in, rent free. He has a craptastic nephew and wants to prevent him from thinking he can move into show more the carriage house. It's a win-win situation -- Florrie gets a place in Georgetown two blocks from work without a huge rent, and Professor Maxwell doesn't get his horrid nephew Delbert living in his backyard. It all goes to plan....but Florrie is barely moved in before the nephew is showing his true colors, stating he will inherit the shop and the house soon enough and Florrie will be out a place to live and lose her job. And then someone tries to break into the carriage house! Florrie is sure it was Delbert. What a jerk! She tells Professor Maxwell, and he promises that he will take care of the problem. Imagine Florrie's surprise when a hidden trapdoor is found in the bookshop the next day....and inside.....Delbert's dead body. She knows the Professor would never murder anyone -- even his horrible nephew. The detective on the case is a jerk....so she starts looking into the case herself to help the Professor. Many people probably wanted to kill Delbert.....or had at least thought about it.....but who was it that stuck a spear through his chest and dumped his body into the tiny space under that trapdoor?

I loved this book!! Florrie is an artist and publishes adult coloring books. When she's thinking through a problem or gathering clues she draws in her sketchbook. As a main character she is intelligent, strong and resilient. Add in some interesting and quirky side characters, a bit of romance and a bookshop......great start to a new cozy series!!

The front and back covers of the book can be colored as well. I would have a hard time coloring on a book.....so mine would stay white....but the concept is so creative and cute! I think I would scan the front and back covers and color the copies! I can't bring myself to write in a book. :) There are also recipes in the back of the book.

I can't wait for the next book! :)

Krista Davis is also the author of the Domestic Diva and Paws & Claws cozy mystery series.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less

Florrie Fox has been trying to find a new place to live which would be closer to her work so when the owner of the book store that she manages offers her his carriage house right down the street, she's thrilled but she has to move in right away. It seems that her employer has an obnoxious nephew that also wants the space and to thwart him, Florrie has to make it look like she's lived there a while.

After her hasty move, the following day Florrie finds the nephew's body in a hidden cavity in the old staircase at the bookstore. Of course, her employer is the prime suspect for the murder, setting Florrie off to prove his innocence by finding the real murderer.

The story is set in Georgetown of Washington, D.C. (close to where I live) and so show more the story had me wishing that there really was this bookstore and that these characters were just around the corner. I guess I'll just have to visit in the books when they are written, Loved it all! show less

When Professor Maxwell, owner of the bookstore Color Me Read, offers Florrie Fox a timely place to live, within walking distance of the bookstore, she jumps on it. There is one caveat, she has to move in immediately so he can prove to his unsavory nephew and sister that someone is really living in the carriage house behind his mansion. This is the first in a new series and is off to a good start. I liked getting to know Florrie, Sergeant Jonquille, the various customers and workers at the bookstore. Florrie's family is also close by, providing a golden for companionship when needed. I thought there was a good bit of information about the history of older homes in Georgetown and the twists that kept coming (along with multiple sightings show more of varied people) kept me guessing until the very end. I will look for the next one in the series. show less

This is the first book in a news cozy mystery series by Krista Davis. I enjoy her other series, so I thought I would give this one a try. The additional piece of fun with this book, is that you can colour the cover.

Florrie Fox works at a bookshop, Color Me Read, in Georgetown. Professor John Maxwell owns the shop. When his daughter was kidnapped years ago, his marriage fell apart and he became an adventurer, traveling to exotic places. His family is also very wealthy and well known in Georgetown. When his sister wants his nephew Delbert to move into his carriage house, he panics and begs Florrie to move in, free of charge, so he can say that it is already occupied. Needless to say, he does not care much for his spoiled nephew. For show more Florrie, this is a windfall, she will be only two blocks from work and have no rent. It is also a beautiful place with lovely gardens. Shortly after Florrie is moved in, Delbert shows up making fantastic statements insinuating that he is going to inherit everything and Florrie will be out on her ear. When Florrie is worried that Delbert is trying to break in to the carriage house, she tells Professor Maxwell. He tells her he will take care of Delbert and when he is found dead in the book store the next day, the Professor is arrested for the murder. Florrie is sure that the Professor is innocent, so she begins to investigate in order to get him out of jail. There are a lot of twists, revealing situations, people who did not like Delbert and a pretty big suspect pool.

I really enjoyed this book!! Florrie is an artist and publishes adult coloring books which are sold at the shop. When she's thinking and gathering clues she draws in her sketchbook, which becomes useful to the police. As the main protagonist, she is intelligent, strong and loyal. Add in some interesting and quirky side characters, a bit of romance with the police detective, a relatively close knit family and a bookshop and yo have a good start to a new series. The plot moved quickly and I enjoyed the story and getting to know this group of characters. I am looking forward to the next one in the Pen and Ink Mystery Series. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. show less

Color Me Murder is the first book in the A Pen And Ink Mystery series.

This is a great start to a new series by Krista Davis. A well-plotted and told story with a developed and interesting cast of characters.

At 9:30 on a Saturday morning, Florrie Fox gets a frantic phone call from her boss Professor John Maxwell owner of Colored Me Read bookstore, asking her if she has found a different place to live yet. Florrie answers in the negative and Maxwell offer her the carriage house with the understanding that she can be done moving in by 6:00 PM. Maxwell’s sister, Liddy, wants the carriage house for her son, Delbert to have. Delbert is the ultimate “spoiled child” and has a history of being a con man and Maxwell wants nothing to do with show more him.

After getting moved in Florrie heads to Color Me Read to work until the store closes. Showing a gentleman upstairs for a book on Churchill she starts to head for downstairs but hears noise from the third floor. When she goes to investigate, she finds someone sitting at Maxwell’s desk. She informs him that this a private office. The person replies that when he owns the business, she will be toast. Florrie had just met the worthless Delbert. When she tells Maxwell of the encounter, he says he will have it handled by Monday.

On Sunday, as Florrie was heading to the rare book room to check on a couple books that a customer called about, she trips on the carpet of the landing going to the third floor. She didn’t remember the carpeting being like that yesterday and upon close examination, she finds that there is a trapdoor in the landing. Wondering if Professor Maxwell knows about this she proceeds to open the trapdoor and is shocked to find the lifeless body of Delbert, stabbed by a spear. Once the police learn of Maxwell’s comment about taking care of the problem, he is arrested for the murder of his nephew.

So, with the help of Bob Turpin, an employee at Color Me Read, Florrie sets out to find who really murdered Delbert and clear Maxwell. Also helping Florrie are several of Maxwell’s professor friends and Jim, a homeless man, who is always sitting on a bench in front of Color Me Read.

I particularly enjoyed a most interesting cast of characters, the professors are all interesting and prove to be a great help to Florrie. I also liked the character of Jim. A man of few words, for the most part, but for being a shabby homeless fellow he is pretty much ignored which allows him to see a lot without being caught looking. I’m looking forward to seeing where the author will take this character.

Delicious sounding recipes are also included.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series. show less