Devereaux "Dev" Sinclair worked in the major metropolitan
city of Kansas City, Missouri, but she gave it all up in the
wake of a major scandal, which was a blessing in disguise.
She was able to come home to help take care of her
grandmother. She also bought the town's dime store, where
she has a bit of a side business creating custom-made gift
baskets for various occasions. She has never been happier,
and the town is thrilled that someone local has bought the
store and is revitalizing it.
But what seems to be the storybook ending takes a disastrous
turn when one of Dev's gift basket recipients ends up dead,
with some of the basket novelties used as the murder weapon.
It doesn't help that the victim is her ex-boyfriend's
fiancee, or that Dev's fingerprints are on the murder weapon
(easily explainable since she put the basket together, but
the detective is not so easily swayed, especially since he
has an axe to grind).
Dev's grandmother (known to locals as Birdie), soon decides
that Dev needs help proving herself innocent, so she calls
on the neighbor's nephew, Jake to assist with Dev's
defense. Although he is on medical leave, Jake is a U.S.
Marshal, so he has some pull with various law enforcement
agencies. The effort to prove Dev innocent becomes
complicated, though, when Dev and Jake discover a possible
mutual attraction... complicated by information that Dev's
ex-boyfriend is still pining for her, which could be a
motive for the murder.
LITTLE SHOP OF HOMICIDE is an excellent read. The
characters are
great and relatable, and the story was interesting. The
small town feel of the setting was right on. I am from
Kansas City, Missouri, and I could easily relate to the
transition from moving away from the city and what it's like
when going to a smaller town that is slower pace, more
clique-ish, and where everyone is in everyone else's
business.
I like to be able to solve the mystery along with the
protagnist, but in the case of LITTLE SHOP OF HOMICIDE the
author made this difficult.
Dev Sinclair is the happy new owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But if she doesn't focus on finding the killer of her ex's fiancée, this five-and-dime owner may find herself serving twenty-five to life...
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