Still Knife Painting by Cheryl Hollon has classical portrait artist, Miranda making changes to her life. Miranda Trent has inherited her uncle's farmhouse in Kentucky where she starts Paint & Shine. Paint & Shine involves a hike in the Daniel Boone National Forest to Lover's Leap where they have a plein air painting class. Miranda then transports the group to her farmhouse for a Southern meal where each course is paired with moonshine. Her first group is a success until the cook, Mrs. Naomi Childers turns up dead in the kitchen. When Miranda finds herself on the suspect list, she begins nosing around and asking questions. Miranda must evade the police and someone intent on burning down her farmhouse. Still Knife Painting is the debut of A Paint and Shine Mystery series. I like the premise of this new fetching cozy mystery series. The author took the time to introduce the characters and set the stage for the series. I enjoyed the rich descriptions of Kentucky and Miranda's farmhouse (a Sears & Roebuck kit home). I had mixed feelings regarding Miranda. She was a hard worker and a determined woman who was passionate about her art and moonshine. She is an observant person which is helpful to the investigation. Miranda, though, could be snappish at times and a little rude. I must give her the benefit of the doubt since Miranda is starting a new business, found a dead woman in her kitchen, experiencing financial difficulties, and found herself a suspect in Naomi's murder. I found myself liking her more at the end. Miranda is a flawed individual which makes her realistic along with the other characters in this cozy mystery. I just loved her adorable puppy, Sandy. There is humor sprinkled throughout the story and I just loved the Barney Fife references. The mystery was interesting with multiple suspects and subtle clues. I was able to identify the guilty party early in the story, but I had no clue as to why. I liked following Miranda as she asked questions and dug for clues. Wolfe County Sheriff Richard Larson and his wife, Felicia who is the county coroner are likeable characters. I appreciated that Miranda kept Sheriff Larson up to date. There is a rivalry between Sheriff Larson and Detective Otis E. Peterson from the Lexington Homicide Division. We learn why these two men are at odds with each other. There were some quirky characters like Doris Ann and Officer Gary Spenser. I liked learning about the area as well as the traditions of the people who live there. Southerners have their own way of doing things and gossip flows faster than syrup on hot pancakes. I thought Still Knife Painting was well-written and it moved along at a good pace. I was not a fan of the point-of-view switching from Miranda to other characters because it took me out of the story. I hope we get to learn more about the uncle's will in the next book. The details were skimpy. Overall, I enjoyed Still Knife Painting and look forward to reading the next book. Still Knife Painting is an engaging new Southern cozy mystery with rampant rumors, plein air painting, cultural cuisine, a killer knife, a precious puppy, and merry moonshine.

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