A review by mollyreadsandcrafts
Broken Bird by Gregory Ashe

3.75

•spoilers• 

Dash and Co. are back to amateur sleuthing when an author visits Hastings Rock for a book signing and ends up being killed. Dash doesn't exactly want to be involved but when his nemesis asks for his assistance solving the murder to prove her innocence, he can't help but try to figure out the confounding mystery. Too many suspects, too many motives, but the biggest question of all is what Bobby seems to be avoiding Dash. 

I'm always going to enjoy a Last Picks book, but this one wasn't my favorite because lacked all the good Dash and Bobby content. Bobby has recently broken up with his ex, and as he has told us before he doesn't handle his feelings well. He tends to shut down and not talk, but this translates to ignoring Dash and pulling away from their friendship. Dash spends most of the book in his own head about it, drowning in his insecurities and feeling really down about losing his friendship with Bobby. It was a bummer because I was really excited to see if anything would start to spark between them now that they live together and are both single, but of course Ashe wasn't going to make it that easy. They do resolve everything and it was a necessary process and conversation, but I just wanted more of them being endearing and silly together. 

The case was fine, it did remind me a lot of another case from another series of Ashe's. Pippi is a wild and honestly annoying character, but is it weird I think her and her husband are cute? I love the setting of Hastings Rock and the kooky shenanigans the town gets up to, even amid a murder investigation. The Last Picks are the fun and loving supporting family as always, bringing lightness and affection to the story. Millie was very sweet this book, and I enjoyed seeing this caring side to her. Also I love a good Christmas/holiday story and the last little bit was really cute, so it gets some bonus points for appropriately place mistletoe. 

Read if you like: 

• cozy mystery 

• found family   

• slowest burn ever istg  

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