A fun small town cozy mystery…
A Fatal Groove is practically the definition of a cozy mystery, and folks who like cozies should enjoy this second installment in Olivia Blacke’s Record Shop Mysteries series. And I enjoyed it too, although it did have a couple of minor issues, in my opinion.
As A Fatal Groove opens, we learn that our protagonist’s small town of Cedar River, Texas, is hosting its annual Bluebonnet Festival, and Juni Jessup, together with her sisters, Tansy and Maggie, are helping out with the event: manning a coffee cart, spinning some records in between musical acts, and even (Maggie) serving on the festival committee. And it seems as if things are going well until Cedar River’s rather do-nothing mayor is found dead – and even worse, it seems as if the Jessups’ coffee may have been involved. So obviously the sisters are going to investigate. And eventually, of course, they figure out what happened, and why. And there’s also a nice sub-plot, relating to a robbery during a long-ago Bluebonnet Festival, to liven things up a bit.
Unfortunately, there were a couple of things about A Fatal Groove that just felt a little off. Juni is having trouble making up her mind between two suitors, and somehow the “triangle” thing just didn’t work for me. Perhaps if I had read the first book, I might have had a bit more background, but I just couldn’t get invested in the choice. And then, I also found the motive/method for the murder to be a little bit predictable. Still, these aren’t fatal flaws, and if you’re looking for a light-hearted, fun, small-town mystery with a bit of musical flair, A Fatal Groove should fill your bill!
And finally, my thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advance review copy!
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