Hems and Homicide

GIVEAWAY

PENNEY, ELIZABETH
HEMS AND HOMICIDE

Welcome to the quaint village of Blueberry Cove, Maine, where an expert seamstress turned amateur sleuth is getting measured for murder...

Iris Buckley is sew ready for a change. After the death of her beloved grandfather, Iris decides to stay in her Maine hometown to help out her widowed grandmother, Anne -- and bring her online homemade apron designs to real-time retail life. Iris and Anne's shop, Ruffles and Bows, is set to include all the latest and vintage linen fashions, a studio for sewing groups and classes, and a friendly orange cat. The only thing that they were not planning to have on the property? A skeleton in the basement.

Anne recognizes the remains of an old friend and, when a second body shows up in the shop -- this time their corrupt landlord, whom Anne had been feuding with for decades -- she becomes a prime suspect. Now, it's up to Iris to help clear her name. Enlisting the help of her old high-school crush Ian Stewart and her BFF Madison Morris. Iris must piece together an investigation to find out who the real killer is...and find a way to keep her brand-new business from being scrapped in the process.

My Review:

So excited to have discovered this new cozy mystery series by a new-to-me author! Absolutely love the vintage vibe Iris has going on. The way she dresses, the shop's theme, even the car she drives all contribute to making her one very unique heroine. She even has a kitty sidekick -- Quincy. Happy sigh. I have a certain weakness for marmalade cats. :-)

And Blueberry Cove is such a quaint town with an intriguing mix of characters. Lots of fodder for suspects. The perfect locale for an armchair sleuth with a not-so-secret fascination with all things Maine. :-)

A solid mystery-- well, two really, one decades old and one current -- kept me turning pages and trying to figure things out. Were there two killers or only one? Did the 1970s murder have anything to do with the current one? Could I trust the police? The neighbour's? Iris's friends? Her love interest...loved that it all kept me mentally calculating and then revising my conclusions until very close to the end.

I'm also rejoicing that this book doesn't have any evidence of the dreaded love triangle! I know that seems to be a cozy staple but I abhor them! In fact, I don't know many readers who enjoy them so I wonder why they keep cropping up in our mystery series? Anyway, this one has a sweet romance that's just getting (solidly) started so I'm a happy reader.

All in all, a fantastic start to a new series and I'm thrilled to have Elizabeth Penney on my radar now.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Hems and Homicide, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 11 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!