Book Summary
Picture Perfect Frame by Lynn Cahoon has Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, enjoying a paint-and-sip
event at South Cove’s newest business Drunken Art Studio with Greg and some of
her friends. They are enjoying the wine,
food, and each other’s company until a woman from out of town who overindulged begins
making a scene. Jill learns that she is
no Picasso as evidenced by the blobs on her canvas. During the night, Greg receives a call that
has him heading into town. When Jill
arrives at work, she discovers that a woman was found dead inside the Drunken
Art Studio. It is the same woman who
caused a scene the night before. The
victim’s husband is quick to point the finger at Esmerelda whom the couple have
visited regularly. Esmerelda is a part-time
police dispatcher as well as a physic.
Greg and Lisa know that Esmerelda is innocent, but they must prove it
beyond a reasonable doubt because someone is going to a lot of trouble to make
her look guilty.
My Thoughts
Picture Perfect Frame by Lynn Cahoon is the 12th A Tourist Trap Mystery. While Picture Perfect Frame can be read as a
standalone, I do not recommend this as your first foray into A Tourist Trap
Mysteries (Guidebook to Murder is a good place to start). It can be confusing
in the beginning with the large cast of characters (trying to learn who each
one is and their various relationships).
Picture Perfect Frame contains Lynn Cahoon’s easy breezy writing style. Returning to South Cove, California is like visiting
old friends. There is a diverse cast of
characters from Jill to Esmerelda. The
characters are developed and continue to evolve. There is a new business in South Cove run by
Meredith Cole and her husband, Neal called Drunken Art Studio. They host paint-and-sip events. Jill, Greg, Amy, Justin, and others attend
including Jill’s new barista, Evie Marshall.
The evening is disturbed by an out-of-towner who enjoyed the sip part of
the event a little too much. Early the
next morning, the drunken painter is found dead inside the studio by
Meredith. The victim’s husband is quick
to point the finger at Esmerelda who has been acting odd recently. Jill and Greg know that Esmerelda is innocent,
but it will be tricky to prove it. I
thought the mystery was straightforward with a couple of suspects along with subtle
clues. Jill did some sleuthing, but she
did not do as much as in previous tales.
I wish Jill had a more active role from beginning to end. She is busy at Coffee, Books, and More which
is bustling with business plus helping Amy with her upcoming nuptials. Amy has turned into a bridezilla that does
not have a stop button. Jill must calm Amy
down and talk her off the ledge several times.
Personally, I found the wedding planning overshadowing the mystery and the
wedding details became tiresome after a while (Jill is a much more patient
woman than I am). We also get to know
the newest member of the Jill’s staff, Evie Marshall. She is new to town with her dog, Homer. Evie has ties to a former member of the
staff. There is also the normal eating,
drinking, chatting, and runs along the beach with Emma. The ending of Picture Perfect Frame leaves us
with an unfortunate, but highly anticipated cliffhanger. While I found it sweet, I also found it
frustrating. Picture Perfect Frame is a
quick and easy book to read. I like how
the series has progressed since the beginning.
I look forward to the next A Tourist Trap Mystery. Picture Perfect Frame is a charming cozy
mystery with wedding woes, a jammed-up medium, a freaked-out friend, a
honeymoon hurdle, a drained detective, a blobby beach scene, a bonanza of books,
and a cliffhanger at the conclusion.
Picture Perfect Frame is available from Amazon*. You can find the other A Tourist Trap Mysteries here. Check out Lynn Cahoon's other cozy mysteries here. Lynn has Two Wicked Desserts publishing July 27. It is the second A Kitchen Witch Mystery. This is a delightful paranormal cozy mystery series. Thank you for popping by today and reading my review. Next time I am sharing my thoughts on A Sister's War by Molly Green. It is the 3rd novel in The Victory Sisters series. I hope that each of you have a merry day. Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
*This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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