Goodreads Synopsis:

More mystery, intrigue, and loveable characters in Brookstone, Pa.

Gladwynn Grant hasn’t been living in Brookstone, Pa. very long but already she’s been mixed up in two attempted murders and the aftermath of a jewel theft.

Just when she thinks life has settled down and her new job as a small-town reporter will begin to be routine again, the recreational director at the local retirement community is found dead.

Was Samantha Mors death an accident, or was it murder?

Since she was the second person to discover her body, Gladwynn wants to find out what really happened.

Local State Police Detective Tanner Kinney lets her know that her job is reporting the news, not investigating a possibly suspicious death. The father she barely speaks to stops for a visit and also urges her to not get involved.

When warnings to stay away from the case come from handsome pastor Luke Callahan Gladwynn wonders if he knew the victim better than he is letting on.

Quieting her inner sleuth will prove difficult for Gladwynn, though, especially when her eccentric grandmother Lucinda tags along to help her solve the case.

My Thoughts:

Small town reporter Gladwynn Grant is back on the case in this page turner of a cozy mystery by Lisa Howeler. Filled with quirky characters, witty banter, vintage style, this book kept me reading way past my bedtime.

Gladwynn again finds herself mixed up in nefarious shenanigans, when Samantha Mors is found dead, and Gladwynn is second at the scene. She can’t suppress her reporter’s instincts and launches her own investigation into what really happened to Samantha, and no one is really safe from her suspicions. Was Samantha’s death just a tragic accident, or was it something much more sinister than that? And if so, why? And most importantly, who?

However, those around her in Brookstone are well aware of Gladwynn’s irrepressible curiosity and desire to find out the truth, and she is warned off the case by the handsome Detective Tanner. (ahem, Team Tanner here) And he is not the only one who would like her to stick to her actual job and leave the detecting to the professionals. However, Gladwynn can’t help it when she finds certain information out and has to follow up on it, right?

Howeler has a true talent for humor and dialogue, and for creating characters that the reader cares about. Every one of her characters is interesting in their own way, has their own voice, and are not just flat, one-dimensional characters that all sound the same. I can’t help but love Abbie, the homeschool mom and barista. And Liam, her editor – I love him too and sometimes I think that is who Gladwynn should end up with one day. So maybe I am Team Tanner and also a little bit Team Liam, even though he is not actually in the running. I can’t help but focus on the potential love interests for Gladwynn although that is not the focus of these books, the mystery, her character’s development of speaking up for herself and finding herself, and being true to herself, that is where the true story is behind all the cozy trappings, the cups of coffee that keep her fueled, her signature red lipstick. It’s about Gladwynn. However, a reader can dream.

One thing I really loved in this book was that the vintage fashion was pushed up a notch. I love a vintage style and wish that I could pull it off. My lifestyle is just not that well suited to dressing up in high heels and cute vintage dresses, so I have to live vicariously through characters that do. So I appreciated the extra attention to the descriptions of Gladwynn’s various outfits.

This book was perfect to curl up with and read the day away, and I can’t wait until book three!