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A review by daybreak1012
Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier
2.0
Well, my mini break from Lucy did not work. I am so frustrated with this series. Let me elaborate.
What I liked about Candy Corn Murder:
The actual mystery - Those two stars I awarded? Purely because the mystery itself kept me guessing, which kept me turning the pages even when I wanted to throw the book. (I would never actually abuse a book that way, for the record.) I was a bit unsure, at first, if the back-and-forth in the timeline was going to pose a problem for me, but the fact that it was in italics kept it clear when we were going back in time and its placement was never disruptive, so it worked for me.
What I didn't care for:
The press releases - While the flashbacks didn't bother me, the press releases at the start of each chapter were an odd addition, somewhat irritating, and didn't seem to serve any actual purpose.
Too many Millers - Between the flashbacks and the current Millers, I felt like I needed a family tree to figure out who was who and how they were related.
Politicizing - These books are starting to feel like the author is trying to be "fresh and poignant" by getting political in each installment now, something that wasn't really the character of the series early on. But by only offering one point of view, it comes off as grandstanding and that just isn't what I am looking for in a cozy mystery.
Here's where I stand: I am so deeply invested in this series that it's difficult to walk away at this point, even as it irritates me, but I am sitting not-so-firmly on the fence now and I suspect it won't take much to push me off. There are only eight more books currently published (at the time of this review), half of which are just holiday novellas and two of which I presently have in my possession on library loan. I suppose...for the time being...I move forward. I'll leave you to discern the operative words in the previous sentence.
What I liked about Candy Corn Murder:
The actual mystery - Those two stars I awarded? Purely because the mystery itself kept me guessing, which kept me turning the pages even when I wanted to throw the book. (I would never actually abuse a book that way, for the record.) I was a bit unsure, at first, if the back-and-forth in the timeline was going to pose a problem for me, but the fact that it was in italics kept it clear when we were going back in time and its placement was never disruptive, so it worked for me.
What I didn't care for:
The press releases - While the flashbacks didn't bother me, the press releases at the start of each chapter were an odd addition, somewhat irritating, and didn't seem to serve any actual purpose.
Too many Millers - Between the flashbacks and the current Millers, I felt like I needed a family tree to figure out who was who and how they were related.
Politicizing - These books are starting to feel like the author is trying to be "fresh and poignant" by getting political in each installment now, something that wasn't really the character of the series early on. But by only offering one point of view, it comes off as grandstanding and that just isn't what I am looking for in a cozy mystery.
Here's where I stand: I am so deeply invested in this series that it's difficult to walk away at this point, even as it irritates me, but I am sitting not-so-firmly on the fence now and I suspect it won't take much to push me off. There are only eight more books currently published (at the time of this review), half of which are just holiday novellas and two of which I presently have in my possession on library loan. I suppose...for the time being...I move forward. I'll leave you to discern the operative words in the previous sentence.