4 stars out of 5

When I was chosen as one of the reviewers for “Cracked for Death”, the third in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery series by Cheryl Hollon, I was thrilled! I’ve been meaning to try this series for a long time, but we don’t own it at the library I work for. I’d been waiting for a good time to get it thru interlibrary loan, but this is even better. I was not disappointed at all. Even tho’ it was the first book that I had read in the series, I felt that Ms. Hollon definitely provided enough details about the characters for me to get the basic idea of how the main characters know each other and where they fit in each other’s lives.

I found the setting and the characters to be charming and wonderful. I’m already in love with Savannah and Jacob. Edward seems so wonderful and down-to-earth, yet ready to support Savannah in whatever she needs. The plot line moved along steadily, even somewhat quickly. The villain ended up being someone whom I considered for a bit but then thought, no, not them, so it kept me guessing quite a bit.

The only thing that I didn’t like in the story line was that Amanda was so wishy-washy in telling her friends what was going on between her and the victim. I literally wanted to give the woman a “Gibbs' slap” to the back of the head.

Outside of that however, I enjoyed this book very much and I’m looking forward to reading the first two books in this series!

** I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my fair and honest review. My opinions and views are my own and were not influenced by this. **

Originally posted on: Valerie's Musings ( )

This is the third book in the Webb's Glass Series and each book seems to be better than the last one. This is a fun cozy series, but every mystery leaves me stumped until the end. The fact that you also learn about glass, creating glass creations and some history and vocabulary surrounding glass is a bonus.

In this book, Amanda is teaching her first class at Webb Glass. It is an upcycling class and the students were asked to bring in a newer bottle to use in their creations. When one of the students, Martin, brings in some small cobalt blue bottles, he gets Savannah's attention. She believes the bottles are old and possibly valuable. She tells Martin she will do some research on his bottles. When he turns up dead, it is revealed that he had a relationship with Amanda. Savannah is hired by the police department as a consultant dealing with the bottles. Of course Savannah, Edward, Amanda and Jacob go outside the parameters of consultant and try to help solve the mystery. When Amanda is arrested for the crime, it becomes more important that they solve the mystery.

With salvage operators, hidden treasure, a new Webb warehouse for artists to rent space, the relationship between Savannah and Edward heating up, Jacob coming into his own and the Rosenberg twins helping out with Amanda's mom, this story is fast paced, intriguing and hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to any cozy mystery lover.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Savannah Webb is quickly becoming invested in the St. Petersburg arts community by continuing to run her father's glass shop and opening an artist's studio in a nearby building. Her stalwart employee Amanda is taking over her first set of classes at the shop when one of the students stops showing up. The identity of a body washed ashore and found by a dog walking couple seems clear and once again, the glass shop is the spot of police scrutiny. The mystery included pirate lore of the area, which was fascinating. And in every book so far, I have learned a lot about glass making. In this one, Amanda's class involves the reuse and recycling of glass bottles into other pieces. I missed that the pup Rooney didn't have as much to do this time, but can't recommend this smart series enough for people looking for a good story. ( )

Cracked to Death by Cheryl Hollon is the third book in the third book in A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery series. Savannah Webb lives in St Petersburg, Florida and owns Webb’s Glass Shop. Savannah is starting a new venture and is calling it Webb’s Studio. Savannah is offering studio space and equipment to glass artists. While Savannah will be at the studio, Amanda Blake will be watching the shop and teaching a class. Amanda is the office manager and will be teaching her first class (all on her own). The class is on upcycling. Taking glass bottles and turning them into usable items (like cheese trays, spoon rests, and clocks). Amanda is a little nervous about teaching her first class and asks Savannah to hang around a little while. The students were all asked to bring in bottles. One student, Martin Lane brought in some beautiful, old bottles. He would like Savannah to evaluate the bottles. Martin is an artist who uses salvaged materials for art pieces. Martin claims to have found the bottles on the Intracoastal Waterway near Treasure Island (while diving). Savannah agrees to look into the bottles for Martin. The bottles look very old and there are rumors that Gaspar the Pirate had buried his treasure in the area (hence the name Treasure Island). Before Savannah can look into the bottles, Martin is found dead on the beach. He has a dive bag with him with another bottle inside. David Parker, a homicide detective with the St. Petersburg Police Department, hires Savannah (a first) as a consult. Savannah gathers her group (Amanda, Jacob, Edward) together to look into Martin’s death and the bottles. Are the bottles related to Martin’s demise? Do the bottles have anything to do with pirate treasure? Join Savannah and her friends on another escapade in Cracked to Death.

Cracked to Death was an entertaining book to read. This may be the third book in the series, but it can be read alone (the writer does a good job of bringing the reader up to date). Cracked to Death is well-written, easy to read, and has a good pace. There is a romance going on (between Savannah and Edward), but it does not dominate the novel (I like how the romance is progressing). I appreciated the mystery and how it incorporated the antique bottles and their history. It is easy to figure out the killer, but it did not bother me because I was delighted by the overall mystery. It was interesting how Ms. Hollon incorporated Gaspar the Pirate (which leads to Gasparilla, a local festival). I give Cracked to Death 4.5 out of 5 stars. There is a good reference to Haslam’s in the novel. It is a local bookstore that has thousands of books. You can spend many pleasurable hours wandering through Haslam’s. One thing I thought was really not needed in the book was Arthur’s (a man who purchased studio space at Webb’s Studio) bathroom issues. One mention I could let slide, but a couple of times is too much (and I really did not need the details). I will definitely be reading the next book in A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of Cracked to Death in exchange for an honest evaluation of the book. ( )

This third installment of the Webb's Glass Mysteries takes the reader on a treasure hunt. Savannah has handed over the reigns of the Glass shop to her manager Amanda and she heads over to manage the Studio facilities but when one of the students in the recycled glass workshop is a no show, Savannah gets buried in the search for the murderer as well as the treasure that he had found.

The series seems to be getting better as it goes along. The characters are fun and entertaining as well as the plots getting you tied in knots! ( )