4 out of 5 stars
This is a solid cozy debut for a new series. The characters are quite likeable especially the shop assistant, Keiko. Suspects abound when our protagonist, Max, discovers one of her bridal gown clients, Jennifer, unconscious and later dead , poisoned by an unknown murderer. The setting is an usual small town and I will probably buy the next book.
What puzzled me was that the book felt like it was a second entry in this series. Several characters including Max's dad and her best friend, allude to Max's ability to find lost things including a runaway child. I seemed to be missing minor pieces to the plot and reread a few chapters several times. There was also a backstory about Max and the main suspect (her former best friend whom she fell in love with). I had to double check to make sure this was the first book and not the second one. Also the length seemed short. On several book sites, it will cost almost $3 but there are less than 200 pages. It seems pricey for the amount of book.
This is a solid cozy debut for a new series. The characters are quite likeable especially the shop assistant, Keiko. Suspects abound when our protagonist, Max, discovers one of her bridal gown clients, Jennifer, unconscious and later dead , poisoned by an unknown murderer. The setting is an usual small town and I will probably buy the next book.
What puzzled me was that the book felt like it was a second entry in this series. Several characters including Max's dad and her best friend, allude to Max's ability to find lost things including a runaway child. I seemed to be missing minor pieces to the plot and reread a few chapters several times. There was also a backstory about Max and the main suspect (her former best friend whom she fell in love with). I had to double check to make sure this was the first book and not the second one. Also the length seemed short. On several book sites, it will cost almost $3 but there are less than 200 pages. It seems pricey for the amount of book.