Hammers and Homicide, by Paula Charles

 

Publication Jan. 16, 2024

It took me awhile to get into this book, to be honest, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like most first books of a series, it has to introduce characters and setting, you know, all that stuff we know by the third or fourth book without thinking, but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. The characters, including main character Dawna, are quirky and fit into the small town atmosphere perfectly. Although I found it slow going initially when it was largely only focused on Dawna, once the other characters appeared, things really began to pick up. Dawna's relationship with her adult daughter April is realistic and I loved their back-and-forth banter. They came across like real people, in other words, with a long established relationship. I'm assuming there's some romance in April's future, too, based on comments about JT, the detective investigating the murder in Dawna's hardware store. Well, the shared bathroom of the hardware store and the neighboring boutique shop run by Darlene. 

Who killed land developer Warren Highcastle? Why? Although many weren't happy with his bid to buy the old theater, would that be enough to make someone kill him? What was the argument Dawna overheard about? Why was Steve so uncharacteristically late that morning? And, hey, big question. Why was Dawna so invested in finding the murderer that she brought her daughter into her investigation? I have to admit, I did cringe at some of her questions and actions, especially when she....oh, no. Wait. Enough teasers. 

A promising start to a new series that I will be following. I liked the characters. I liked the relationship between Dawna and April. Now, true, I wasn't expecting the paranormal aspects but they weren't a real distraction. Kinda fun, in fact. The chapters were relatively short and it was an easy read. And, no, I didn't guess whodunit until the big reveal, either, so it will keep you guessing, not to mention throw in some surprises along the way. Bottom line, a good start and I'm looking forward to watching the quirky, occasionally clumsy Dawna evolve as an amateur sleuth. This should be fun. Thanks #NetGalley and ##CrookedLaneBooks for letting me take this peek into a fun, new series. I think the hardware store will be an intriguing business connection.