Book source ~ ARC.
My review is voluntary and honest.
Junkin' Jewelry Mysteries, #1
16 April 2019
Cozy | Mystery
256 Pages
My Rating ~ 3 bites
Emma Madison used to be
a newspaper reporter, but she left that grind behind to start her own business
creating new jewelry from old costume jewelry and other things, like buttons.
Her designs are really taking off and while she’s not rich, by any means, she’s
at least making a profit. Most months anyway. One morning she hits a garage
sale jackpot and heads over to show her friend Carleen, owner of the antique
shop Silver Squirrel, only to get there and see the shop is a crime scene. Luckily,
Carleen is okay. Not so fortunate is her employee, Tina LeMann, who has been
murdered. Emma vows to Carleen that she’ll figure out who the murderer is
before anyone else gets hurt. Or dead.
There’s a lot to love
about this story: an eclectic collection of artists, small town living (and
gossip), lots of jewelry descriptions (if you’re into that thing), and a
mystery that didn’t have the murder suspect immediately pegged. And then there’s
the rest. There is a lot of mundane shit happening that could have been left
out. And it’s not just here and there. It infects the entire book. It all leads
nowhere and doesn’t advance the plot in any way. As a long time reader, I can
tell you I do not need all of a character’s daily details spelled out for me. Including
the minutiae only bogs a story down especially when those details have nothing
to contribute to the plot. I’m hoping the next book is more streamlined. In
addition, Emma is a bit irritating. Just because she was once a reporter, doesn’t
mean she can run around town investigating a murder and not suffer
consequences. I tolerated her fairly well though except for the scene at the
police station where she gets all high and mighty with the detective. I really
despised her dumbass attitude in that instance. I mean, seriously? Ugh. However,
while this first book isn’t ideal, I’m still interested enough to see what else
happens in a Roseland, Georgia sequel.
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