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A review by kimdavishb
To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton
5.0
TO HELVETICA AND BACK by Paige Shelton, is the first book in her brand new A Dangerous Type Mystery series. Clare Henry helps her grandfather, Chester, run his almost fifty-five-year-old shop, The Rescued Word, in Star City, Utah. They repair typewriters, restore books and manuscripts along with selling wonderful stationery and pens. After one of Chester's long-time customers brings in an old black Underwood No. 5 typewriter for repair, a strange man dressed in leather enters their shop, angrily demanding they sell it to him immediately. He disappears when the police are called and when Clare examines the ancient typewriter, she finds strange numbers and letters scratched into the key bars. When "leather man" is found murdered behind their shop the very next morning, Clare wonders if it had something to do with the old typewriter.
The police officer who shows up to take a report and secure the scene is none other than Clare's cheating ex-boyfriend who just happens to be the brother of her very best friend, Jodi, who is also a police officer. Clare doesn't have an alibi since she worked half the night and then fell asleep at her desk and it doesn't take long for her ex, Creighton, to become suspicious that she might have something to do with the crime. In amongst all the upheaval a new arrival to town, geologist Seth Cassidy, manages to turn Clare's head and she finds herself on a date. Sean has an idea about what the numbers and letters on the typewriter bar keys may be but when Jodi investigates his past, finds that he's had a brush with the law and Clare worries that he may be behind the crime.
As Clare begins asking questions around town she finds that many people are hiding secrets, including her own grandfather. Jodi helps her as much as she can which leads them to seeking answers from a goat relocating motorcycle gang and a crusty old newspaper reporter. When Clare's photograph shows up on the murdered man's camera, she decides she has to find the killer quickly before she or someone in her family becomes the next victim.
There was so much to love from the very beginning of the book! From The Rescued Word being a place I could literally spend hours browsing in to the tidbits of information on old typewriters and how to repair them to the well developed characters that could become friends to the twists and turns in a well plotted mystery. Paige Shelton has written a wonderful start to her new series!
The police officer who shows up to take a report and secure the scene is none other than Clare's cheating ex-boyfriend who just happens to be the brother of her very best friend, Jodi, who is also a police officer. Clare doesn't have an alibi since she worked half the night and then fell asleep at her desk and it doesn't take long for her ex, Creighton, to become suspicious that she might have something to do with the crime. In amongst all the upheaval a new arrival to town, geologist Seth Cassidy, manages to turn Clare's head and she finds herself on a date. Sean has an idea about what the numbers and letters on the typewriter bar keys may be but when Jodi investigates his past, finds that he's had a brush with the law and Clare worries that he may be behind the crime.
As Clare begins asking questions around town she finds that many people are hiding secrets, including her own grandfather. Jodi helps her as much as she can which leads them to seeking answers from a goat relocating motorcycle gang and a crusty old newspaper reporter. When Clare's photograph shows up on the murdered man's camera, she decides she has to find the killer quickly before she or someone in her family becomes the next victim.
There was so much to love from the very beginning of the book! From The Rescued Word being a place I could literally spend hours browsing in to the tidbits of information on old typewriters and how to repair them to the well developed characters that could become friends to the twists and turns in a well plotted mystery. Paige Shelton has written a wonderful start to her new series!