Just Killing Time
The Clock Shop Mystery Series, Book #1
By Julianne Holmes
ISBN 9780425275528
Author’s website: www.jahennrikus.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
First in a new cozy series that ticks with excitement and mystery!
Ruth Clagan may be an expert clockmaker, but she’s always had a tendency to lose track of time. And when trying to solve a murder, every minute counts…
Ruth’s beloved grandfather instilled in her a love of timepieces. Unfortunately after her grandmother died and he remarried, Ruth and Grandpa Thom became estranged. She’s wanted to reconnect after her recent divorce, but sadly they’ve run out of time. Her grandfather has been found dead after a break-in at his shop—and the police believe he was murdered.
Now Ruth has been named the heir to Grandpa Thom’s clock shop, the Cog & Sprocket, in the small Berkshire town of Orchard, Massachusetts. As soon as she moves into the small apartment above the shop and begins tackling the heaps of unfinished work, Ruth finds herself trying to stay on the good side of Grandpa’s bossy gray cat, Bezel, while avoiding the step-grandmother she never wanted. But as old secrets and grudges start to surface, Ruth will have to kick into high gear to solve the killer case before someone else winds up dead…
Review:
Just Killing Time is a remarkable, suspenseful debut novel by Julianne Holmes, who has published short stories under the name J. A. Hennrikus. This reader found a mystery in the first chapter – how this author, who writes such a vivid description of a New England autumn day that I could almost see the thrill of changing leaves and smell the crisp air, had not had a novel published earlier! Maybe it is the clock shop that reminded me of a Black Forest clock shop back home, or the adorable shop cat, Bezus. Or the wonderful, down-to-earth men and women of Orchard, Massachusetts. This charming combination renders a well-written mystery that captivated me from the first moment of meeting Ruth Clagan, the caffeine-deprived young woman learning of her grandfather’s demise just when she was on her way to see him after a long estrangement.
Clockmaking was in the Clagan blood. The Cog and Sprocket was opened by the first Clagan who had immigrated to the US, Ruth’s great-great grandfather. He passed the shop to her grandfather, and now it would be Ruth’s. No matter that she hadn’t seen her beloved G.T. for a few years, or that he had remarried less than a year of her grandmother’s sudden death. She had learned the skill and art of clock making and repairing at a young age at G.T.’s side, where she spent most of her summers and several school years while her parents pursued their careers in academia. She continued to pursue this career through a specialty college abroad, and now mostly designed and built specialty artistic clocks.
It seemed that everyone in town loved G.T;; everyone had kind words for her and her step grandmother. Then the break-ins at the shop began, and it seemed that time was ticking down for the future of the shop…perhaps her very life…especially when Pat, her grandfather’s one employee was a person of interest in her grandfather’s death.
The relationships of most of the folks in this town were enmeshed together as the gears in a well-oiled clock. I enjoyed getting to know some of the unique characters, including Ruth’s step-grandmother Caroline, Moira, her best friend from childhood, and Ben, the interesting young man who ran the hair salon and seemed to know everyone in town. Ruth, Ben and Caroline are my favorites for their spunk, hard work, and kindness for others. Caroline and Ruth have become better friends than either of them imagined, and it is easy to see what a terrific help the chief of police, Jeff Paisley will be. The integrity and helping nature inherent in those in small towns is refreshing. Yet there are some people in this small town who wanted to keep her grandfather’s ideas out of the mix, those who could care less about the small town atmosphere.
Just Killing Time has a plot that is excellent both in depth and suspenseful action, and is flawlessly executed. It is driven by action, including plot twists to surprise even the most seasoned cozy mystery lover as Ruth diligently seeks clues that might be in the shop or the upstairs living quarters. Suspense only grows throughout the novel. This reader was as stumped as Ruth until the final clues were revealed. The author gives us a magnificent setting in a New England autumn and a historic shop that links past and present together with its collection of timepieces. I highly recommend Just Killing Time; it is a triumphant first-in-series for mystery lovers of all ages. Julianne Holmes is an author that we will see many more riveting reads from; there are endless possibilities for mystery and mayhem in a shop housing so many elegant and historic timepieces!
