A Murderous Glaze

This was a fast and fun read. Carolyn runs a small pottery store where she both sells finished pottery and teaches others how to throw pots, glaze them and paint them.

When a woman that she wasn't particularly fond of is found dead in her store she soon finds her business falling into the basement. With a police chief who thinks she is the only viable killer, Carolyn rallies her friends around her and sets out to find the real killer.

Lots of interesting pottery tips and hints and a mystery with enough potential murderers to keep me guessing. I'll be reading the next in the series.

Carolyn Emerson owns a pottery shop in a small Vermont town. When the body of Betty Winkler is found in her shop, she becomes the chief suspect. She decides she must investigate since the sheriff doesn't seem to be looking at other options so she uncovers a list of persons with motives and opportunity, including the sheriff. Not the best cozy mystery, but not the worst either. I never really connected with the main character and felt several other characters were not as developed as they could have been. I doubt I will continue reading this series.

Carolyn Emerson is a potter whose studio, Fire at Will, was the scene of the discovery of dead body, someone she didn't particularly like, so, of course, she's a suspect in the murder. A dead body also doesn't help business, so Carolyn needs to get the murder solved ASAP but the sheriff in the little town of Maple Ridge VT is not one of her greatest fans and seems to be dragging his feet. Enlisting the help of the Firing Squad - amateur potters who use her kiln- Carolyn sets out to find the killer herself.

There were some fun characters in this starter for the Clay and Crime Mystery series and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.

Carolyn Emerson runs a paint-your-own pottery studio named Fire at Will in Maple Ridge, VT. One morning in April when she goes to open she discovers the body of Betty Wickline. Betty was not her favorite person, but not someone she would kill, although the local sheriff is willing to believe that she did. Since she believes he is not seriously trying to look for the murderer she and her crew of volunteer assistants, called the Firing Squad, attempt to do it themselves. This was an OK first volume of a series but not one that grabbed me. I will probably not pursue this series.

I enjoyed the book. It is the first of the series and I will be looking for the other books. The description of the pottery shop and how to make and glaze pots added to the fun of reading the book.

However SPOILER ALERT---SPOILER ALERT---it drove me nuts about a couple of things (1) why didn't anyone look for finger prints on the brick that was thrown? At least Caroline should have been upset that the sheriff did not check, (2) With an awl being the murder weapon, why wasn't there a discussion about the level of medical knowledge a person needs in order for such a weapon to be effective, and (3) Why didn't Caroline-or the Sheriff for that matter---go around and compare the suspects' handwriting to the note fragments Caroline and David found?

Maple Ridge, Vermont is a small town where everybody knows everybody's business. Carolyn Emerson is the owner of Fire At Will, a paint-your-own pottery studio. Business is good until the body of Betty Wickline is discovered one night in Carolyn's shop. Hodges, the town sheriff, is not convinced that Carolyn is innocent. Carolyn suspects the other town people might feel the same about her because all of a sudden she couldn't pay anyone to be her customer. She decides to start her own investigation to help clear her name and enlists the help of The Firing Squad, a group of amateur painters and potters that meet routinely at her studio.

I found this story to be quite entertaining. Whether big or small, there was something going on at all show more times. It never lagged. I did feel the author could have developed the characters a bit more. The book starts right off the morning after the murder. We never get to know the victim, Betty. The author makes it clear that Carolyn did not care for her, but we never really get an explanation of why not, just that one day Betty walked into her shop and generated "instant animosity" in her. I felt the author could have come up with something a bit more substantial than that. There is also the relationship between Carolyn and the sheriff. Every time they had a "conversation" it reminded me of a couple of two-year olds fighting over a favorite toy. It was hard to imagine two grownups acting that way. There is obviously a history between the two, but we are kept in the dark about it. Maybe in future issues we will find out a bit more. There are some delightful characters. Bill, Carolyn's husband, is a gem and I hope her best friend Hannah will play a bigger role in the next book. I also enjoyed Butch, the reformed crook, or is he?

There are plenty of suspects that kept me guessing until the very end, but I did feel the ending was a bit rushed. It lasted a whole page and a half. All in all, it was a decent start to a new series with some room for improvement. I will definitely check out the next in the series.

This book is written in first person. show less

Passed the time on a rainy day.