A delightful second book in Olivia Blacke's The Record Shop Mysteries!
Spring bluebonnets are in full bloom in Cedar Ridge, Texas, where Juni Jessup and her sisters run the Sip & Spin record store and coffee house. But when the mayor drops dead after drinking their coffee, and Juni is the one who finds his body, the sisters are under suspicion, so Juni investigates.
I really enjoyed the first book in the series and was looking forward to returning to Cedar Ridge, and this did not disappoint! I love the setup of these books- a vinyl record store/coffee shop, where the drinks have adorably punny names like "Sweet Chai' O'Mine" set in central Texas with three sisters who love each other to bits but also have their fair share of history. A cast of quirky characters surrounds the sisters as they continue to discover that not everything is as quaint as it seems in their little town. Juni is a spirited and likable sleuth. Her character is evolving, and she's coming into her own after being seen primarily as the baby of the family for so long. And there was a scene in this book where I cheered for her (as did her mama!)
The pacing of these books is fast, and they have a fun, lighthearted energy with some humor laced in. There are enough suspects and twists to keep you guessing, plus an old mystery to solve in addition to the murder, as there's a town-wide treasure hunt for the missing money from a 1950s bank heist. And as a Texan, I loved that our state flower, the bluebonnet, played a prominent role in the story. An enjoyable summer read and one that cozy mystery lovers should definitely check out!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC. I enjoyed it!
My steep had to be fun as the sisters serve some deliciously creative drinks in this series, so I chose Aquamarine Dream by Club Magic Hour. An adaptogenic herbal that brews up a lovely aquamarine blue has a blueberry and pineapple flavor, and I love it iced with extra blueberries for garnish!
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
It's springtime in Cedar River, Texas. The annual Bluebonnet Festival is brewing and the whole town is in harmony. Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie thought opening Sip & Spin Records was going to be their biggest hurdle, but the Frappuccino hits the fan when the mayor drops dead—poisoned by their delicious coffee.
Since Tansy was the one to brew the coffee, and Juni was the unfortunate citizen who stumbled upon the mayor's body, the sisters find themselves in hot water. Family is everything to the Jessups, so with Tansy under suspicion, the sisters spring into action.
Between the town festivities, a good old-fashioned treasure hunt, and an accidental cow in the mix, Juni will have to pull out all the stops to find the mayor's killer.
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