Halloween Bingo 2024
As cozy mysteries go, this one is middle of the road for me. Emma Starrs isn't an idiot, although she does eavesdrop an awful lot. She doesn't seem to believe the police are bumblers, although she does question their priorities. I think I might feel similarly if I was accused of murder. However I always feel like the police don't behave realistically in this genre either.
What I did like was the family business aspect and her relationships with her sister and aunt. Those felt real and grounded the story. I found the “mean girls" from high school, now thinking that they run the town, a little over the top. I mean, do people really carry teenage grudges that long? I would expect Emma to have grown enough to stand up to them better. She has a PhD, for Pete's sake! She has brains and skills, which her nemesis Tabitha does not.
Thankfully the other cozy tropes were pretty mild: the family bookstore has a cat but it doesn't play a major role. Emma's sister finds a love interest, but Emma hasn't yet. There are hints at the end that a certain author might be interested, but they only have a coffee date. The author isn't hurrying to throw absolutely everything into the bucket right away and I appreciate that restraint.
I'm unsure that I'll pursue the series, but stranger things have happened.
I read this for the Cozy Mystery square on my Bingo Card.
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