Monday, February 20, 2023

Book Review: A Little Poison in Paisley


I have been reviewing the cozy mystery series by Christina Hamlett on this blog, one by one. I've just finished reading Book #4, titled A Little Poison on Paisley. The other books were titled A Little Larceny in Lynmouth,  A Little Scandal in St. Andrews, and A Little Drama in Dunster. The titles and book covers in the four books are nicely related. All the books take place in the UK, either in England or Scotland. 

For those who are not aware of the meanng of a 'cozy mystery,' the term denotes a book that is a mystery without violence and a romance without explicit sexual scenes. There is a death, but we don't see it happening. They are not deep and dark but appealing to those who enjoy figuring out mysteries with a bit of romance on the side. 

In Book 4, we see Rochelle Reid and Jon Tapping once again finding themselves embroiled in a mysterious death. This time, they are in Scotland attending a wedding weekend at Granndach Manor, the palatial residence of the groom and his spinster older sister. The bride is a young woman who was Jon's first crush in his early teen years, but he hasn't seen her since. Even so, Rochelle is not feeling comfortable about the weekend. Still, a wedding on a snowy weekend in Scotland pleases her. She is hopeful that wedding thoughts might enter Jon's mind, too. 

The night before the wedding, a member of the bridal party leaves the table quite suddenly and soon after is found dead in a restroom. Jon is the one who has found the body, so the DI Inspector from the police department asks that Jon and Rochelle stay on while the investigation is taking place. 

Dilys, the groom's sister, invites the couple to stay at the Manor instead of the hotel in town. The hunt for a killer is on, the method and reason for the death unveiled one clue at a time. All this going on while Rochelle's jealousy over Jon's first crush continues, her love for Jon deepens, and her hope of wedding talk between them never wanes. 

This book, like the others in the series, offers mystery, romance, humor, and food descriptions that will leave you wanting to eat very soon. A side benefit is that the books will please the armchair traveler, as there is a great sense of place in each book. The book can be purchased though Barnes & Noble or Amazon as an ebook or a paperback. 




 

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