Killer Classics

Charli takes great pride in running one of the few independent, family-owned bookstores in small-town Texas. She vets everything carefully, with an eye to the eclectic tastes of the locals. That includes the Book Barn’s weekly book club selection. This time out, it’s a mystery whose characters bear a striking resemblance to local citizens, including Charli’s friend Sugar. Who happens to be the prime suspect when her real-life nemesis is found dead in a hotel’s water tank.

With help from her pet armadillo Princess, Charli campaigns to clear Sugar’s sweet name, literally, when the up-for-election mayor becomes a killer’s next target. Murder and politics make scandalous bedfellows as Charli discovers that fiction may be fatal, but the reality could be just as deadly.

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Series: A Book Barn Mystery – Book #5
Author: Kym Roberts
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Bookstore
Publisher: Lyrical Underground

Rating:

Charli and Princess are at it again. Another murder, another adventure. This time Charli must save the reputation of her friend, Sugar, and keep her from going to prison for murder. Killer Classics, as with the other four books in this series, is absorbing and notable. Kym Roberts has created a highly entertaining story filled with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Her writing is smooth, fast-paced, character-driven, and humorous. The love interest in this book is well defined, and readers will finally be able to see where Charli’s heart leads her.

Sugar is a great suspect and a delightful character. Everything that happens endears her to the reader. Ms. Roberts could do a series with just Sugar, and readers would love it. Other characters are engaging as well, and everyone loves Cade as they cheer him on with his new political career. There is no way anyone can forget Princess. Book lovers will believe that she is a person instead of an armadillo, and it’s easy to see why. Princess has a distinctive personality and is the comic relief that fills you with hope when everything seems hopeless. Her escapades put a smile on the reader’s face and fill them with wonder.

In the end, the murderer is revealed, and the motive made clear, a bit on the odd side but not irrational. Readers may have the feeling that there should have been more to the murder than what it turns out to be. Regrettably, it isn’t hard to imagine or accept the motive in a world where killing someone over trivial matters is a real possibility.

Unfortunately, this book cannot stand on its own. It is suggested that readers take the time to read the other books in this series before tackling Killer Classics. There is little to no background info provided for the reader. So if you are new to the series, you may become confused and exasperated without the character background knowledge that comes from reading a series from the beginning.

Over-all I recommend this book and series to lovers of odd stories, definitive characters, and settings that are intriguing, as well as to those who want a quick read with a happy ending and an unforgettable plot.