I continued to read a lot of cozy mysteries during my writing break. Most were disappointing. There seem to be a lot that are bad chick lit with a little bit of crime thrown in.
When I picked up Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle, I didn't expect much. At least the cover wasn't cutesy and pink. Then writing turned out be solid. First the protagonist's job is unusual but interesting. Brooklyn's a professional book restorer who grew up in a commune. The community is now well off due to their winery. She's young and attractive, of course. Her faults really aren't. But a quirky cast of supporting characters made reading fun. The mystery was well played, and the culprit didn't come from left field.
There's a meet cute and a couple potential romantic interests for future books, but Carlisle didn't stray far into chick lit territory. Think Spellman Files light.
All in all, well done. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Which just happens to come out this month.
