I was so excited to read the first installment of the new Bonnie & Clyde Cozy Mystery series by Julie Anne Lindsey whose brilliant writing ensured I was not disappointed!
One of my favorite authors, I jumped at the chance to read her new series which features Bonnie Balfour, a recent, soon-to-be divorcée who has moved back from Atlanta to her hometown of Bliss, GA, to open her new dress shop, and her trusty stray cat, Clyde.
I love the premise of her shop - she renovates and redesigns vintage / out-of-style dresses and makes them more fun and modern.
She discovers the murder victim and thanks to circumstances both beyond her control and some bad timing, she becomes the target of the murder investigation. Enter Ex-FBI agent and now detective on loan, Mason Wright. Mr. Wright? Love the pun. The witty banter between Bonnie and him is super fun to read. He’s just not - buying - her - story.
The story is great fun to read because you’re introduced to a whole cast of characters including her loving parents who own a flower farm outside of town. Her friend Cami who works to advertise all that is wonderful and good about their town of Bliss, other shop keepers including one with a haunted book shop, another with a coffee shop that isn’t, but may be up for sale, and one who talks to plants because they’re pretty much troublemakers anyway. (The plants, that is)
Things I liked
- While still younger, I like that the FMC of this book is at least closer to my age.
- She also works with kids who may not be able to afford their own dresses which I think is awesome.
- The snarkiness of Detective Wright, a.k.a. Detective Grumpy
- I also like that he’s sneakier than typical detectives in a cozy series
Things I didn’t like
- That I now have to wait for the second book in the series. So rude! (Just kidding - I just received the ARC for book two, Seven Deadly Sequins! It'll hit the shelves on October 15, 2021.)
One oddity which probably says more about me than the book.
Detective Wright, from Cleveland, calls something a potato puff. What the heck is that? I live in Ohio, but I’ve never heard of that. FMC called them tater tots, but what? Huh? Of course they’re tater tots. (I may have to revisit this particular topic!)
This was a fun book with a good whodunnit wrapped inside a fun group of characters. Until it was revealed, I didn’t know “whodunnit,” which is exactly how I like my mysteries.
I can't wait to delve further into this series. Julie Anne Lindsey is an author worth knowing. Her stories are fabulous, slightly more intense than your average cozy, but filled with fantastic characters and terrific mysteries. Whichever series you start reading, I guarantee you'll be hooked from book one!
Find all of Julie Anne Lindsey's books on her official website - Goodreads - Barnes & Noble - Amazon
Happy Reading!
- Heather
P.S. As for the dress that was destroyed… I’m a little bummed about that and hope a similar iteration can make an appearance. It sounded SO COOL!
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