PANE AND SUFFERING is first in the Webb's Glass Shop Mystery series.
We meet a determined young woman who
won't be stopped by such matters as murder. Or will she?
It's hard to stay in business when trouble arrives with
PANE AND SUFFERING.
Savannah Webb takes over her father's stained glass store
and workshop in Florida after his untimely death from a
heart attack. The store gave lessons in glass art, and she
hopes to follow in her father's footsteps, having qualified
in the craft. But her store's competitor comes to make her
an offer. Savannah believes there's room for two of them,
repairing old stained glass, giving lessons and selling
crafted pieces. Frank Latimer disagrees.
Savannah is engaged with teaching her first class - and
doctoring the inevitable cuts - when an apprentice finds her uncle Hugh
dead. Can it be coincidence that
her father's business partner has died? Does Jacob, the
apprentice with Aspergers, know any more than he's telling?
What about the over-friendly pub landlord Edward?
Savannah has been living in Seattle and intends to return,
but she needs to salvage the business until she sorts out
if it's worth selling - to Frank Latimer or anyone else.
The craft of stained glass certainly caught my eye and
there is a fair amount of instruction and loving detail about tin, lead and
copper solders as well as glass. In a
wry twist, there's a hint of THE DA VINCI CODE as well. A
glass replica of the famous painting of The Last Supper is
being restored, and Savannah's cagey father left her a
coded message warning that he was afraid of being killed.
Now, the lady turns amateur sleuth in earnest.
I thoroughly enjoyed Jacob and his service dog, Suzy. The
work of a glass artist is strenuous so Savannah is strong,
and she takes us geocaching. There is plenty of variety
and not just workbenches in the lively story by Cheryl
Hollon. The atmosphere is convivial among local, brightly
dressed shop owners while an officious police officer is as
annoying as it's possible to get. Luckily, a detective has
his wits about him. I also appreciate that our protagonist
experiences real grief over the deaths so the departed
family members are not just a simple device. I really cared
about the outcome of PANE AND SUFFERING, and I'm sure you
will too.
To solve her father's murder and save the family-owned glass
shop, Savannah Webb must shatter a killer's carefully
constructed façade. . .
After Savannah's father dies unexpectedly of a heart attack,
she drops everything to return home to St. Petersburg,
Florida, to settle his affairs--including the fate of the
beloved, family-owned glass shop. Savannah intends to hand
over ownership to her father's trusted assistant and fellow
glass expert, Hugh Trevor, but soon discovers the master
craftsman also dead of an apparent heart attack.
As if the coincidence of the two deaths wasn't suspicious
enough, Savannah discovers a note her father left for her in
his shop, warning her that she is in danger. With the local
police unconvinced, it's up to Savannah to piece together
the encoded clues left behind by her father. And when her
father's apprentice is accused of the murders, Savannah is
more desperate than ever to crack the case before the killer
seizes a window of opportunity to cut her out of the
picture. . .
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