Kristina Anderson
The Coloring Crook by Krista Davis is the second A Pen & Ink Mystery. Florrie Fox is the manager of Color Me Read, a bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C. She also creates adult coloring books in her spare time. Dolly Cavanaugh is introducing Florrie to estate sales and how you can sometimes find a diamond in the rough especially at sale run by Percy McAllister. Florrie leaves Dolly browsing while she hurries off to work. At the Hues, Brews and Clues Coloring Club later that day, Dolly shows Florrie the wonderful find she uncovered. Dolly discovered a rare copy of The Florist, the earliest known coloring book which was published in 1760. As far as Florrie can tell, it is an original. Dolly left her purse at the store and requested that Florrie drop it off on her way home. Florrie finds Dolly dead in her apartment clutching a piece of The Florist in her hand and sees someone fleeing out the back. Dolly posted the news of her find on social media and people are anxious to obtain the rare book which has now disappeared. When Dolly’s daughter asks Florrie to evaluate her book collection, and Florrie stumbles upon a skeleton hidden behind a bookcase in the attic. Zsazsa Rosca becomes the prime suspect in Dolly’s murder, and Florrie knows someone is setting her up. Florrie studies the case and digs into Dolly’s past hoping to uncover some clues. Can Florrie prove Zsazsa’s innocence? Who is the skeleton in the closet? The Coloring Crook can be read alone if you have not had time to pick up Color Me Murder. There is a colorful cast of characters in this series that aid Florrie in solving the crimes and in running the bookstore. I like that Florrie creates adult coloring books and that sketching helps her think through the crimes. The various mysteries in The coloring Crook are woven together into one entertaining cozy mystery. While the older murder has a complete resolution at the end, I felt the Dolly’s whodunit was not explained completely. I thought it unrealistic that Dolly’s daughter would be able to dispose of her belonging before the crime had been solved (the will had not been read nor probated). The Coloring Crook is well-written with steady pacing and developed characters. There are a number of characters and it can be hard to keep them all straight. The coloring club for adults is a clever addition and the benefits of coloring is explained (helps stress). There are many delightful cozy moments in The Coloring Crook. Florrie’s romance with Eric is progressing nicely and they have something humorous in common. I am giving The Coloring Crook 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). There are recipes at the end for some of the delectable delights whipped up in the book. Krista Davis has infused The Coloring Crook with engaging characters, a charming bookstore, a cute cat, mouthwatering food, coloring, friendship, murder, books, romance and mayhem. I look forward to returning to Color Me Read and Georgetown in the next A Pen & Ink Mystery.
Amy Weidenaar
Book 2 in a series that I'm starting out of order because - I missed book 1. I didn't catch any spoilers from the first book. The Good: Krista Davis writes amazing characters that you can't help but get attached to and she's not afraid to kill them off. You feel the loss, the devastation, and the confusion right along with the rest of the characters. I didn't put all the pieces together very early and there was an abundance of misdirects to keep you guessing. There were actually two mysteries in the book. The secondary mystery, I thought was pretty open and shut but I was pleasantly surprised. It was so in-your-face obvious that you almost groaned only to find out you had the smallest piece of the puzzle figured out and there was a lot more to it than you thought. The primary mystery, I was positive I had figured out. I was wrong though. I like being wrong when it comes to guessing "whodunnit" and realizing later the various misdirects. The Bad: If you have a priceless book or a book worth a significant sum of money, you explain to the police that it is a rare book and the value. Then, police look at things differently and take a theft seriously. The whole "oh, it's just a book, whatever" attitude was highly overdone and that bothered me. Granted, there are those who value books a great deal and those who don't see the value in them at all. I feel that both were represented but there is a character throughout the book that was portrayed as such a bumbling idiot I couldn't see how they stayed in business. The Summary: I highly recommend this book. I'll be going back to read Book 1 at some point and certainly look forward to more in the series. Thank you to Krista Davis, NetGalley, and Kensington Books for giving me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.
