Lizzie Hale may be the lucky owner of a successful romance bookshop, Love Under the Covers, but she's decidedly un-lucky in love. Though she's read almost every famous romance novelist, from Jane Austen to Nora Roberts, none have helped her figure out how to get--and keep--a man.
But Lizzie has bigger problems to worry about. Like murder.
When Brody Pierce, swoon-worthy ranch owner and resident bachelor, is found stabbed through the chest, hearts were heard breaking all over idyllic Tinker's Creek. But when Lizzie's aunt is implicated in the murder, she's determined to clear her name. Lizzie quickly realizes that Brody was a hunk with many hidden secrets, and she's soon leafing through a stack of suspects longer than Brody's list of lovers.
With the killer still on the loose, Lizzie will have to find the truth before this act of passion ignites a fire she can't put out.
Lizzie Hale owns Love Under the
Covers, a romance bookstore, in Tinker’s Creek, Ohio. Lizzie finds local hot shot bison rancher,
Brody Pierce stabbed to death in his barn.
She worries that her free-spirited aunt will be accused of the crime, so
Lizzie sets out to find Brody’s killer. Death of a Red-Hot Rancher by Mimi Granger is the beginning of A Love is Murder Mystery series. Lizzie Hale loves to
read romance novels, but they do not help her with her own love life. Lizzie’s mouth has a way of saying the wrong
thing when she is with a handsome man.
Men seldom want a second date after enduring her babbling commentary or
when Lizzie begins talking about romance novels. Lizzie’s aunt, Charmaine is a quirky,
free-spirited woman. I am a fan of the
aunt. She is fun, outgoing, and
friendly. We are introduced to a host of
secondary characters. It can be difficult to keep them all straight. I enjoyed
the descriptions of Tinker’s Creek, Ohio.
It sounds like a cozy small town that reminds me of Upper Sandusky (from
when I was a kid). The whodunit is
straightforward. I thought it was
obvious who would die right from the beginning.
The killer can be discerned before Lizzie finds the victim dead (my
mother says I have read too many mysteries).
I did enjoy the slight twist before the reveal. Lizzie uncovers a variety of secrets while
(some humorous) investigating Brody’s death.
One secret reminded me of my favorite CSI episode. The clues are there for readers to find in
order to solve the crime. Death of a Red-Hot Rancher is easy to read, and the story moves along at a steady
pace. At times, though, it felt more
like a romance novel than a cozy mystery.
I loved Violet, Brody’s shedding dog.
She is a smart, sweet pooch. Death of a Red-Hot Rancher is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a departed rancher,
funny money problem, big bison, a desolate dog, a quirky relative, a loving letter,
and a sleuthing bookstore owner.
Kris
The
Avid Reader
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