Title: Wine’s Up?
Author: Wendy Meadows
Book Series: Rosemary Harbor Mystery #1
Publisher: Majestic Owl Publishing
Release Date: January 24, 2019
Pages: 90 pages
Book Source: eBook
“It was an innocent gesture to bring a little spice back to their marriage when Jessica Danver presented a handcrafted gift basket of goodies for herself and her husband, Reginald, to enjoy for date night. They have been struggling with money and regular blow-ups – except this time, one snick of a match to light a candle causes Reginald to go up in flames.
Rumors circulate in the small community of Rosemary Harbor. Was it an accident, or was there more to it? Chief Preston is sent out to investigate: the first step, tracing where the gift basket was purchased.
Sometimes the best cure for a broken heart is a fresh start.
Hillary Sheridan is a widow who has just opened her shop with her daughter, Annabelle, to lead a normal life out of the spotlight after so many years caring for her late husband. Being questioned about a possible murder case is not a welcome she expected. It doesn’t stop her curiosity, especially when the whole town is talking about it – inside and outside – of her shop.
For Chief Preston, everything must be conducted by the book, but Reginald’s past comes back to haunt him. He was a man who had many debts, making investments that his body couldn’t insure.
Debt wreaks havoc with people’s hearts and minds – even to commit the unthinkable. In this cozy mystery, expect more than one blow up!” Amazon
My Review:
I only remember giving one book, out of the hundreds that I have reviewed, a one star review. This book was almost the second. The only reason I gave it two instead, was because I realize how hard it is to write a book, and to actually finish one, deserves some kudos. But I do not recommend this book, unless the author does some serious editing.
The biggest problem with it is how Meadows wrote the point of view. In one paragraph there can be three different people’s points of view. I found myself having to reread many parts to figure out who was talking.
The books that I’ve read that have different points of view, often will have the new chapter with the person’s name, and then go from there. But this book would not lend itself to that style since it’s a very short book, and usually that style is done in Thrillers, not Cozies.
Perhaps an easy fix would be to separate the story into more paragraphs, add some more better dialogue, and another round of edits.
The other problem I had with this book was with the shop owner, Hillary, and how often she mentioned her husband’s death. If this book was a 350 page cozy that would be one thing, but when a quarter of the 90 pages is her talking, thinking, or remembering the past in regards to her late husband, it’s just too much.
The mystery itself was pretty easy to figure out, it practically tells you in the description on Amazon. But at this point, an easy mystery is the least of this books problems.
To end on a positive note, I think the older lady that helps out in the basket shop, and Hillary’s parrot, have a lot of potential has fun characters in this series. This storyline could be the basis of a very entertaining cozy.