I finished rereading this today.  I have read most of the Hamish Macbeth series and just went back to revisit book one as it was a group read for the English Kindle Mystery group this month.  As this was a rereading, I already knew the villain and the victim.  What was interesting about this book is that it seems  so different from later books in the series, which are very Hamish centered.  In this book, Hamish is definitely present, however working quietly in the background.  As a reader, you get the hints of Hamish’s intelligence and abilities that become more evident in later books.  I love this series and the characters.  The Scottish setting is wonderful.  This is a great example of a cozy mystery.

Best cozy I have read in a while!  I think part of it is because it had a lot of differences from other cozies I have been reading .  It was like a breath of fresh air. The biggest difference was a male protagonist.  I haven’t read a cozy with a male protagonist since  The Cat Who…series.  Charlie is great and he is a fully developed character.  You hear his inner thoughts and his doubts and insecurities regarding his relationship with his son as well as his thoughts on the mystery.  The second difference is that there was no romance element, some cozies get so caught up in the love triangles that it takes  away from the mystery.  Love triangles are fine to a point, but I want the focus to be on the mystery.    Finally, it is a book based cozy which have always been my favorites and I have been reading other themes lately.

The mystery plot was well crafted.  I had the mystery solved early, but not really due to any clues in the book, it was just a gut feeling.  This did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.  I am going to read more in this series, in fact I have Out of Circulation checked out from the library already.

This is a new cozy mystery series, new to me i should say. First interesting thing is that the protagonist’s name is spelled differently on the cover of the edition I have than everywhere else in the series. On the cover it is Mallory and inside the book and for the rest of the series it is Malory. Just weird, maybe an American versus English difference, I don’t know. Anyhow, on to the rest of the book.

Traditional British cozy village mystery with a middle aged (50s) widowed protagonist. I really liked the book the mystery was engaging, the main character was interesting and likable, and the rest of the cast was nicely rounded out. I did solve the mystery prior to the resolution but that was okay.. it was not too terribly early on and it did not take away from my enjoyment of the book.

I am definitely going to read more in this series. It is everything that i like in a cozy mystery. Love the village setting and the animal components…..cats and dogs and horses, oh my! I would say that if you are a fan of MC Beaton, Simon Brett, Ann Purser, Veronica Heley, etc. you will enjoy this. I would say that if those writers are 4s, this book was a 3 – 3.5, however it was the first in the series and in my experience they get better after the first book.

I read this book because it was the monthly read for the Cozy Mystery Corner Group on Goodreads.  I am so glad that it was selected because I really enjoyed it.  The main character, Reagan, was realistic and likable.  The other characters were entertaining and added to the story.  I am sure they will be fleshed out more in follow up books in the series.

The plot was interesting and engaging.  I almost finished in one sitting but it got too late and I had to put it down and get some sleep.  I did have an idea of who the culprit was but that did not take away from my enjoyment of the story.  A good use of misdirection cast some doubt in my mind anyway.

The theme of a high end consignment shop is fun. I tend to like cozies set around small businesses and this one also involves fashion  with a charming Savannah, Georgia setting.

I will definitely pick up the next one in this series!

Cute cozy mystery.  Definitely a light, quick read.  It has everything you need for a series cozy mystery.  Colorful cast of characters, believable device to get protagonist involved, great setting (New Orleans post-Katrina), popular theme (baking) and red herrings and misdirection to keep the mystery going.  The gist of the story is that Rita has traveled to New Orleans to meet with her husband, who she is separated from, in order to get him to sign the divorce papers.  There is a murder and Rita becomes embroiled with it and the husband’s bakery business.

The only issue that I had was that the characters kept making a big deal that the victim had been acting in an erratic and unexpected manner and Rita even questions if perhaps he was not well.  That is not explored or explained with the resolution. I am not really sure what that was about or if a point was being made that we don’t really know other people.  Maybe it will be brought up later in the series?  Overall, an enjoyable cozy mystery and I will read more in the series.