Murder with Clotted Cream by Karen Rose Smith ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

"'But what if Margaret doesn't like the apple gingerbread with clotted cream?' Aunt Iris asked Daisy as they stood at the sales counter of Daisy's Tea Garden." (p. 1)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2020; Kensington; 978-1496723949
ebook, print (320 pages); cozy mystery

I was looking for a book by an author whose name is similar when Murder with Clotted Cream by Karen Rose Smith came up in the search results. I can't easily say no to a cozy mystery, so even though I haven't read the first 4 books in the series I went ahead and gave it a try.

It might have been better if I had read the first books. Not because it felt like there were any important plot points that carried through, but because I didn't feel a connection with the characters. I also might not have connected to the characters because there weren't any quirky characters which is usually a hallmark of the cozy mystery genre.

Murder with Clotted Cream reminded me a bit of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series, which I happen to be listening to as an audiobook. Even the main character's name Daisy Swenson is similar. So it might be that I'm getting genre fatigue, but the story didn't really do much for me either.

It was a good story with good characters - I liked the character interactions, particularly a scene towards the end between Daisy and her mother. However, there wasn't anything spectacular about the book. I probably won't remember it in a week or so.

Perhaps it was the lack of quirky characters or maybe it was the underlining theme of postpartum depression, but Murder with Clotted Cream felt like a more serious cozy mystery than I usually read. The book would have a great deal of appeal to those wanting a light mystery without the silliness that usually accompanies cozy mysteries.

Buy Murder with Clotted Cream 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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