In the cozy town of Redwood Grove, Annie Murray’s Valentine’s Day plans take a sinister turn when a beloved pillar of the local community is found dead at her Agatha Christie-inspired bookshop.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.
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| February 2025; Dreamscape Media; 9781666688665 audiobook (6h 25m), ebook, print; cozy mystery |
I like to try new-to-me cozy mysteries. So while this is book 5 in the Secret Bookcase mystery series, I haven't read the previous books in the series. Actually, I didn't realize it was book 5 and while listening to it, I thought it was book 1 in the series.
I felt like this was a young adult or even a middle-grade book though the characters are adults. The main character Annie overexplained everything. I mean what mystery reader doesn't know it is important to narrow down the time of death. Plus, when she was told she might be in danger she responded it's okay, "I studied criminology". I mean it would be like someone saying they needed a doctor and I respond "I can take care of it I studied biology." It would have been better if she had some self-defense. But it is the kind of response I would expect from a teenager.
I also couldn't figure out how Dr. Cadwell was related to the police department. At first, I thought she was the medical examiner or forensic scientist. Then Annie mentioned she was a professor at the local college so I thought perhaps she was a consultant because I had never heard of someone being a police detective AND a college professor as both are pretty demanding jobs. So it felt unrealistic to me. Perhaps it is explained in an earlier book.
The setting is cute - I liked the bookstore in an old manor with themed rooms and the Valentine's weekend match-making event looked fu. The mystery was interesting as I didn't know any of the characters so I couldn't really pinpoint the motive or who had done it. But I don't think I will keep reading this series. It just wasn't for me - I have so many cozy mystery series right now that it has to be spectacular for me to consider adding it to my must-read list. If you are new to the genre, this would be a good book to pick up.
The narrator, Ellen Quay, did a great job with the different character voices. I haven't listened to any other books she has read, but I would listen to another book with her as the narrator.
Buy A Victim at Valentine's at Amazon
Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.
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