Helpful Score: 3
This was the first Clair Malloy I read and it got me hooked on the series. The clues are VERY subtle, but if you read it closely, you can figure it out. The only thing I don't like is that Clair comes across as snotty. I don't like that. Fortunately Ms. Hess toned her down a bit in the later books.
Helpful Score: 2
The main character was unlikable. Since she was also the narrator of the story, that pretty much killed the story.
Helpful Score: 2
Life is hard enough when running a book store and solving murders but add living with a dramaic teenage daughter and you have a very entertaining cozy mystery.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was just okay for me. I couldn't really relate to the main character because the author's style seemed so distant. In addition, I had to re-read the first chapter because I felt the introduction to all the characters were very confusing and vague. Hess also didn't reveal the relationships between the characters until midway through the novel, which caused my interest to "pause" until I figured out who was who and what was going on. The story and mystery itself was pretty good, despite the character-dilemma for me.
Theresa S. (homesteadneedlearts) -
Helpful Score: 1
Welcome to Claire Malloy's life. We meet Claire, her daughter and the Lt. in her first book as she hosts (unhappily) a book signing for a local romance writer. The writer is strangled to death after quickly exiting the book signing and three likely suspects are at hand including Claire herself! An easy enjoyable read, you'll run through this in a few hours.
