Book 58, 2019

[chez_jae]

A Crafty Crime by Eryn Scott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Earlier this evening, I finished reading A Crafty Crime by Eryn Scott. It's the first book in the "Stoneybrook" mystery series, featuring small town gal and jam maker, Hadley James.

Recently divorced Hadley is finally living life on her own terms. She makes jam to sell at the local farmer's market and online, she has family and friends to count on, and a side job of taking care of the local harridan's cat. When Hadley goes out to check on Ansel, she finds Edith dead. What at first appeared to be natural causes is soon determined to be a case of murder. Hadley can't resist poking her nose into the investigation, much to the chagrin of her twin brother, Paul, who's a deputy. Paul reluctantly agrees to let Hadley and her BFF, Suze, do some subtle questioning of their friends and neighbors to see if anyone had a motive for killing Edith.

In the meantime, Hadley has taken Ansel in, and her ex-husband's best friend, Luke, has returned to Stoneybrook. Hadley misses the easy camaraderie she shared with Luke when they were all in school together, but she knew he never approved of her relationship with Tyler. Things are now awkward between them, as is the animosity she feels from her former in-laws. To compensate, Hadley throws herself into the investigation, determined to find out who killed Edith.

Fun story, light and refreshing. I enjoyed the interactions between Hadley and Paul, as well as between her and Suze. There was enough humor in the narrative to keep things cozy.

Favorite lines:
♦ "One cat does not a crazy lady make."
♦ "Prisons are better funded than schools these days."

Enjoyable story. I have more in this series and am eager to read them.