A review by hdbblog
A Victim at Valentine's by Ellie Alexander

4.0

 

I have come to adore these cozy mysteries, I admit this wholeheartedly! In case you’re new to my blog, I picked up Alexander’s first installment in this series on a whim through my library and fell hard for them. Everything about these stories is a love letter to small town bookshops, and Agatha Christie herself. While some of them are a little more exciting than others, I’ve had a ton of fun following along with this series. Rest assured that I couldn’t wait to see what the crew got up to on Valentine’s Day.

We open on the preparations for a grand matchmaking weekend, that is being sponsored by one of Hal’s long time friends. George is a philanthropist, and a beloved member of the town. It seems that all he wants to do is support women owned businesses, and to help others find love during a romantic weekend. What could possibly go wrong? Yes, yes I know you’ve already guessed murder and you would absolutely be right! In the midst of a holiday dedicated to love, our Annie must focus her attentions on solving yet another crime.

Now, can I please gush for a minute about how much I loved this concept? Alexander writes the cutest activities for the couples to do while they attempt to find love, and it just added so much to the rich backdrop of this story. I already look forward to visiting Redwood Grove whenever a new book comes out, but now I feel like it’s starting to become a second home for me. Plus Annie attempting to solve this murder, while balancing her research into her best friend’s death and her budding relationship made it all the more exciting to follow along with her. Our girl was stressed, but this book made her resilient personality shine.

If you’ve ever read a cozy mystery series before, you know that they’re pretty formulaic. That’s part of the charm. You always know what you’re going to get. In this instance though, I will admit that I didn’t figure out the culprit until right before the ending! And that felt very cool to me. Alexander does an excellent job of leaving just enough clues (and red herrings) to really get the reader invested. The vibrant cast of characters turned suspects was glorious. I flew through this book, and enjoyed every minute of it.

So far this series has been pretty solid for me. I’ve not rated a book below three stars, and this particular one I’m happy to award with four stars because a lot of forward momentum happens. I see big things starting to happen for Annie, both good and bad. I simply cannot wait to see what these books have in store for me next.