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Book Review
Reviewed: 12 January 2024

Hammers and Homicide

by: Paula Charles

A Hometown Hardware Mystery - Book 1

  • Rating: full starfull starfull starhalf starstar outline (3.5/5)

Bossy cow, BBQ fries and a murder or two.

The writing is good, the characters are interesting and the mystery is a mystery. There is an unexpected and pervasive element that for me in small doses is fine and sometimes cute, but in this story just was a bit too much for me. You decide for yourself if it is for you. I am being a little vague here because I don’t want to give too much away.

Mother and Daughter, Dawna and April were a hoot!. It was endearing how they playfully teased each other. I laughed out laud at the “Bossy Cow” comment. I’m thinking April and I could be fast-friends, especially if we go out for BBQ French Fries! LOL

Sheriff JT Dallas - well - April has a crush, he sings, plays the guitar, and seems to be good at his job. Is there romance in the future for him and April?? 

The story ended with a thing or two unresolved. Perhaps intentional, perhaps an oversight, or perhaps will play heavily into the next book. We’ll have to wait to see.

Overall, a good read with potential for new stories.

Thank you to #NetGalley  for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story. 

Happy Reading!

Release Date: 16-January-2024
Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Female Sleuth, NetGalley

Plot Summary

Recent sexagenarian widow Dawna Carpenter thought running her own hardware store after the death of her husband was hard enough. With her adult daughter, April, moving back into town, and Darlene, the annoying boutique owner next door to her shop poking around, Dawna has her hands full. But when she finds a dead man in the bathroom of her store, with a framing hammer by his side, she’s in way over her head.

The victim, Warren Highcastle, was a land developer who was looking to purchase the old theater in town to build a new hotel. Dawna and April, worried about the implications of the crime scene at the hardware store, put themselves on the case. They soon learn that Warren had made quite a few enemies in his short amount of time in town. As the suspect list starts growing, so too do the threats against Dawna and April. Can Dawna and April nail the killer before they strike again?