Book Review: This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle
New year, new books!
I thought as part of my blog, I'd share with you all the books I read, as well as my review of them. Before publishing, I was never a huge believer in reviewing products, but now that I know the importance of it as an author, I try to return the favor with the books I read these days. If any of you are interested in my past reads, check out my Goodread's page, as I've been actively using that site since the summer (it's really cool to see how many books you can rack up in a year).
For my first review of 2018, I'd like to share my thoughts on This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle. Recently, I have been diving into "cozy mysteries" left and right, and Carlisle's series about a Victorian restoration specialist who solves crimes when they pop up in her small California town, was highly recommended. I'd already read her first book in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series High-End Finish and was delighted by her lovable characters. Sometimes with cozy mysteries, you can get heroines that ring false or are too unbelievable, but Shannon Hammer is a genuine sweetheart with a great sense of humor! I've provided the Amazon link to Ms. Carlisle's book, if anyone is interested!
Going forward, I'll rate books using the ___ out of 7 crowns because, why not?
Book Review: This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle
5.5 out of 7 Crowns
An excellent sequel to the first Fixer Upper mystery - Shannon Hammer and her friends are very enjoyable and it's really fun getting to know them!
I find myself enjoying Shannon's everyday life and relationships more than the actual mysteries themselves in this installment. This book boasted three people who are attacked/killed, which seemed a bit over the top for such a small town, but the ending of the mystery was surprising and kept me guessing until the killer was revealed. I've already purchased the whole series, so I'm eager to see what comes next for Shannon and her love life.
One thing that prevented me from giving it a 6.5 out 7, was the ghost subplot. It just seemed a bit too random and out-of-touch for these characters. If anything, it was a bit distracting and confusing as to why it was a part of the storyline to begin with.
Yet, overall, this was a wonderful cozy mystery with a great female protagonist. Will definitely be reading more!