G G CollinsCritiques

This cozy mystery focuses on a publishing house and the employees there. When the company’s owner is found dead in his office, there are plenty of people who might have wanted him gone. But who? And how?

Elements I liked:
I liked how the story jumped right in with the mystery, rather than giving a chapters-long lead-in like some cozy mysteries do. It was an engaging read with plenty of possible culprits and a classic locked-room mystery. With so many people having what seemed strong reasons to see the victim gone, the story kept me reading to see who the real culprit was. And while I ultimately did figure out who it was, and even a little bit of the why, it wasn’t until close to the reveal, so it made for a satisfying read. The descriptions of the Santa Fe setting were detailed and interesting.

Elements I struggled with:
Especially near the beginning, numerous, abrupt jumps between characters’ points-of-view made it hard to connect with the characters and left me feeling that I wasn’t really getting to know them. Unfortunately, many of the descriptions of the setting read more like a tourist guidebook than places in which the characters lived and interacted. The book would benefit from an additional edit to fix the several instances of what looked to be missing words.

Overall:
This entertaining cozy whodunit contains many of the common elements of cozy mysteries and was a fast, easy read. The story should appeal to fans of cozies who are looking for a familiar-feeling and enjoyable read.

(Read August 2022)

Taylor Browning moved to Santa Fe after the death of her husband. She lives with her Abyssinian cat, Oscar, and works as a mystery editor at a small publishing house. But when the owner -- Preston Endicott, Jr. -- is mysteriously killed in his locked office, everyone who works there is a suspect, along with his ex-wife, Jessica, who made no bones about the fact that she hated the man. Could one of Taylor's co-workers be a killer? Perhaps -- and Taylor is determined to find out who had the best motive. Now if she can just stay alive long enough to figure it out...

This is the first book in the series, and as such, I enjoyed it very much. I found the chapters devoted to everyone's thoughts an interesting item, and something I encounter rarely in the books I read. I also enjoyed the little tidbits about Santa Fe and the surrounding areas and attractions as something nicely added. It gives you a feel for the area, which is always welcome in books.

Taylor herself is a good protagonist. Whatever she learns she shares with Detective Sanchez -- eventually, and in her own way. Do not get me wrong; she doesn't withhold information for her own use, as some protagonists do; she just forget to inform him until something triggers in her brain. How it triggers is also a bit of a twist, and a good one at that.

I do like Oscar, but I have a soft spot for cats anyway, and also for characters who like cats, so that puts Sanchez and Jim on my list. While Jim is abrasive, it's because he's been embittered, and as the saying goes, people can change given the right time. He might. Time will tell.

As to the mystery, it was done very well, and gave us clues throughout to determine our own suspect. I am glad to say that I was right, but then again, as I have said many times over, I read a lot of mysteries, so there's that.

When the ending comes, it was done in such a way as to be rather refreshing, since I have never read it this way before. I found it unusual yet satisfying, and am glad that I picked this book up. I will definitely read the next in this series. Recommended.

I was browsing for a light cozy to read and I couldn't pass by the Abyssinian cat on the cover and the title that sounded intriguing. My attention was then drawn to the descriptive line ...

"Feline royalty expects to dine on schedule and penalties can be quite severe when expectations are not met."

I was definitely ready to meet the royal Abyssinian as I knew there would be smiles ahead. Oscar did not disappoint.

Oscar lives with Taylor Browning who has been working as an editor of mysteries at Endicott Publishing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and for about a year and off hours she has been renovating her fixer-upper. Preston Endicott, Jr. is not anyone's favorite boss but luckily Taylor reports to Virginia Compton, senior editor so Taylor doesn't have daily contact with Preston. He's best known for shouting at his secretary and that desk is filled on a revolving door basis. But everything changes one morning when Preston's office door is locked, a voicemail on the secretary's phone indicated Preston was a no-show at an evening meeting, and a check with his housekeeper shared that his bed had not been slept in.

At a small publishing company, the list of suspects seems as though it will be focused on the employee list until Taylor begins reading the latest manuscript submitted by flamboyant and high maintenance author Dominique Boucher. The locked-room plot is eerily familiar. As Taylor is concerned for her job since she loves her little house and wants to keep that roof over her and Oscar's head she's very attentive to the actions of her coworkers and then she sees Dominique one evening in an unusual venue for the author. As Taylor investigates it seems as though everyone is rightly on the suspect list.

After stress filled days at the office Oscar knows the purr-fect ways to give Taylor the calm evening company she needs and has his own clever reminders when her attention is diverted. It was no surprise to learn from About the Author that

"Collins has been cat mom to a dozen kitties, all with their own eccentricities. Oscar is the reincarnation of her late Abyssinian cat."

as she describes the behavior with the insight and humor of a cat owner.

For fans of Ellery Queen and Agatha Christie locked-room mysteries this is a contemporary gem! I'm looking forward to spending more time with Taylor and Oscar.

Native American legends combined with the psychic. Rachel Blackstone must find what and who is behind the earthquakes happening in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Follow along as she gathers the facts and goes into the countryside to investigate.

This is a book that you will want to read more than once in order to draw out all the information on the Hopi legend of the end of the world; and, to remotely visit the beautiful countryside of New Mexico.

Taylor Browning, mystery editor at Pinon Publishing, leaving the theater in downtown Santa Fe, hears noises in the dark corner of the second floor of the parking garage. When she goes to investigate, she finds a kitten, though she looks around to see who is there, she is sure the kitten was making the sounds she heard.

Detective Victor Sanchez is called to the same parking garage and on the second floor finds the body of a young woman. His primary suspect is the woman’s abusive ex-husband.

Meantime Taylor visits the Psychic Fair, hoping to learn about New Agers, as she is editing a New Age mystery for publication in the Spring catalogue. Here a palm reader warns her of danger and a handwriting analyst slips a note into her hand warning her of a man of violence.

With these events at the Fair and the strange notes she has been getting at work she decides she must ask Detective Victor Sanchez for advice. He tells her it could be a stalker and to be careful and go nowhere alone.

Danger keeps building, and Taylor, well she keeps being a tourist in Sedona, forgetting Victor’s advice.

The characters of Taylor, Jim Wells and Detective Victor Sanchez keep expanding, they are becoming my comfortable friends. The mystery mounts, with very subtle clues which Taylor frequently ignores, until a satisfying ending. An enjoyable read!

Publishing and murder seem to go together. The locked room death of Endicott, the publisher, a group of unhappy employees, an ex-wife, all of whom hated the victim, and you have the plot for this cozy mystery. Will the police find the killer or will, Taylor Browning, the mystery editor, step in to solve the crime?

I enjoyed the interaction between staff members, many little moments that define the interaction in the workplace.
Jim, with a huge chip on his shoulder is inappropriate at times, as Taylor tells him. He doesn’t hide his dislike of Endicott who demoted him when he took over, from his father, as publisher.
Virginia as an editor, accomplishes a workload with skill, gets done more than most, has people skills, and knowledge of the publishing world and she is mentoring Taylor in her new position with the firm.
Taylor, she is nosy, private about her life and notices more than expected. She feels an obligation to Virginia who hired her. She and Jim do the occasional beer or social event, are they friends? She also has a wide streak of honesty and public or civic consciousness; will she help Detective Sanchez?
The growing friendship between Taylor and Detective Sanchez delivers the romance, and the descriptions of Santa Fe, New Mexico are the bonus.

Rachel Blackstone is a believer in Native American lore, she believes that the dead can be brought back to this plane of existence. Following her father’s death with its questions and police non-conclusions of the cause. Rachel attempts to bring her father back so she can talk with him and get answers. Instead, she brings back an evil entity who was once Mario Pena. In a rush to protect her brother and friends from the evil of Mario she rushes back to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This book makes you feel and taste Santa Fe, a wealth of detail, about a city I have always wanted to visit. The story has everything a good book should have, in my estimation, mystery, believable characters, a little bit of humor (some even laugh out loud), love and best of all idea exploring. This is a book that I will be rereading in the future.

The Lemurian Medium gives us a little bit of everything: paranormal, clairvoyance, astral projection and time travel. All this with descriptive prose that paints New Mexico as a travel mecca. Be sure you can sit back and relax for a time as you journey into the search for a different lost Atlantis because you won't want to set the book down.

Rachel Blackstone has fled from her home in Santa Fe leaving behind her life after being devastated over the death of her father. He died in a mysteriously in a car accident and now, she is looking for answers. Using a ceremony she learned from a Hopi shaman, she tries to raise his spirit to get the answers. Unfortunately, the ceremony does not go that way and instead of raising her dad's spirit she raises a spirit who is up to no good. And on top of that, this spirit seems to know her family, specifically her brother. Well, at least it asks her how he is doing.

Deciding to go and protect her brother from this spirit, she decides to go back to Santa Fe. There she will face her soon to be ex-husband, her old boss who is still upset that she suddenly left, and has a re-union with her crazy real estate agent friend, Chloe. Along the way, she gets her old job back and finds herself in the middle of writing a story about a new building development that is not what it seems to be.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was a fast read with great characters and a thrilling storyline. Rachel and Chloe's relationship are at the heart of this tale as Rachel tries to uncover the truth of what is going on at the development while also trying to protect her brother, and find out what happened to her dad.

And reading this book has made me want to visit Sante Fe! This book is a Must read.