PAINT THE TOWN DEAD (SILVER SIX CRAFTING MYSTERY #2) BY NANCY HADDOCK: BOOK REVIEW

cozy

5-star

Paint the Town Dead (Silver Six Crafting Mystery #2)

Author: Nancy Haddock

ISBN13: 9780425275733

Author website: http://www.nancyhaddock.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt

Synopsis:  paint-the-town-dead

From the national bestselling author of Basket Case comes the second mystery starring the crafty and cantankerous Silver Six.

Leslee Stanton Nix—aka “Nixy”—thought moving to small-town Lilyvale, Arkansas, would be about as thrilling as watching paint dry. But keeping up with her retired Aunt Sherry and her troublemaking housemates—collectively known as the Silver Six—has proven to be as exciting as it is exasperating.

To kick off the grand opening of their craft shop, the Handcraft Emporium, Nixy and the Silver Six invite Doralee Gordon to teach a gourd painting class. Doralee’s spirit gets squashed when her ex crashes the class with his new fiancée, but things really get messy when the bride-to-be later turns up dead. Now it’s up to Nixy and the Silver Six to use their melons to find the killer—before someone else gets painted out of the picture…

Review:

Nancy Haddock’s second installment in her wonderful series “Silver Six Crafting Mystery” is even better than the first and that is saying a lot. Not only does Paint the Town Dead tick all the boxes in what you expect a great cozy mystery to have, but it has more of the best aspects you could want. The protagonist is real, smart and fun. The main characters are smart and entertaining and senior. The love interest is intelligent and handsome. We meet our protagonist’s new rescues, a dog and cat. And sorry but for me that makes this even better than the one before. I love rescues and adore these two as they are the perfect pets and family members. The story-line is fun and entertaining and the writing is as always stellar.

In Paint the Town Dead, Leslee Stanton Nix – known as Nixy, is getting the new store together with her aunt Sherry and Sherry’s amazing house mates that make up the Silver Six. The craft shop, Handcraft Emporium, is a dream come true, but hard work. Nixy is living in the apartment above the shop. Their grand opening is coming soon and the gang are getting things set up and are having classes to draw in customers. One of the first classes is a gourd painting class being held by Doralee Gordon. Things get a bit crazy when Doralee’s ex Ernie Boudreaux shows up with his fiancée, Kimberly and sister, Georgine and boy do they stand out in a crowd at the store populated by citizens of sleepy little Lilyvale, Arkansas. Not only is it a mess with the trio blasting in, but when the demonstration is over, one of Doralee’s tools is missing.

The craziness just gets worse when Kimberly ends up dead in Doralee’s room. Nixy and Doralee find her and Nixy knows it doesn’t look good. Signs point to Doralee and the Silver Six and Nixy agree to help prove her innocence. All the while holding daily (and evening) classes for their new craft store. Also the new rescues kitty T.C. and pup Amber are keeping them busy and happy. Nixy also faces complications because her relationship is so new with hunky Detective Eric Shoar. He, of course is not happy for her to be nosing around and worries about her safety. The Silver Six are adept at getting answers and finding things on the computer, so their participation is needed and also does not make Eric a happy camper.

Nancy Haddock’s writing style is so fun and inviting, it draws you in and holds your attention. The characters are intelligent and hilarious. Who does not love aunt Sherry’s elderly neighbor Bernice and her off the wall habits. This is a town I would love to live in and adore being able to visit it and the wonderful people who inhabit it. Paint the Town Dead is a superior sophomore read and it really pulled me in even more than the first one. I cannot say enough about the fabulous characters that fill this series. As I said before, for me, the addition of a dog and cat makes it climb even higher up in my esteem.

You do not have to read this series in order as author Nancy Haddock is a wonder at bringing the new reader in, while keeping the past reader entertained. I would suggest that you do go back and read her first in this series, Basket Case, as it is a fabulous read. This really is everything I look for in a cozy read and a cozy series. A great small town, filled with eclectic citizens, an intelligent main character, family fun, wonderful writing, you name it, Paint the Town Dead has it. If you are a cozy mystery fan, this book and this series needs to be added to your TBR list. Nancy Haddock has crafted with artistic precision a truly fabulous cozy read. Join this fun and fantastic southern crew for a colorful adventure to solve this well-constructed mystery.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*