If this had taken me longer than an hour to read, I probably would not have finished it. The title grabbed my attention, and the plot sounded interesting. I was happy to see the main character grew a bit in accepting life in a small town, although by the end she still didn't have a great attitude about her brother or the location. Unfortunately, the writing was filled with pedantic descriptions and redundancies ( "the two twins") that were grating to read. Glad I gave it a try, but I will not be picking up the rest of this series.2024-reading fiction-mystery2 s Michelle944 6

Good mystery, negative outlook

Barbara is extremely contemptuous it’s rather off putting. If you love the city so much and hate small towns and the lack off anything to do then why are you going? It’s also repetitive making the same complaints over and over. The city is so great it has shows and fancy restaurants etc, the small town is stifling I’ll have to give up everything. That’s just the beginning the criticism is seemingly never ending. Meh.
The prose is stilted and overly formal. It makes the story rather difficult to get through. I realize this is a historical story but even so it doesn’t feel natural, it feels the author is trying too hard to be historically accurate and just missing the mark.
The good is if you can get past that the mystery is rather interesting to try and figure out. The solution was one I didn’t expect. I would be willing to give a book two a try, but if the tenor is as negative as this one I’d say that’s it for this series. Overall I’d give the book 3.5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.2 s Shelley10

This book was very disappointing, and made me question if the author had ever even seen a map of America or was capable of looking up when coffeemakers were invented. A small town in Georgia that is apparently lily white? No thank you.1 JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book)1,302 23

Barbara Hollis left the big city to go to a small town in Georgia to keep house for her widowed brother and his two twelve-year-old twin boys. She's sure that she's not going to it much, but since she left behind her luxury apartment and lost her job, she hasn't got much of a choice. It's a good thing her brother Craig doesn't know the reason she left, as she doesn't want to discuss it.

But when she arrives, she's a bit downcast, since her room is smaller than she imagined, and she thinks she'll be bored here. So she decides to give herself a spa day and heads to the only hair salon in town, Sharon's. Since no one is out front, she spots a woman under a hair dryer, and wishes she didn't. The young woman is dead, and at that opportune moment, Sharon arrives and starts screaming. After Barbara calls Craig, she waits to be questioned by his deputy -- who wonders if she killed the young woman.

But Craig will have none of it, and the town over arrests Sharon for the murder. Neither Craig nor Barbara believe it (even though she's just met the stylist); and Barbara decides to surreptitiously help her brother by gathering clues. It might not be her greatest idea, but if she can avoid the killer in town that she knows is still loose, she might be able to find them. Unless they find her first...

This is the first in the series, and I thought it sounded interesting, so I wanted to read it. First off, I must say that the blurb is wrong. Craig is not inept; he's just never dealt with a murder before, and the town's police department consists of him and his deputy. He just believes the other town would be better equipped to handle it, and he comes to regret his decision quickly.

Secondly, I really had no idea that this took place in the 1950's while reading it. I did wonder about the lack of cell phones, but aside from descriptions of a few cars, there wasn't really anything that pointed to the year this takes place. So that was the reason I took off one star. In future books I would to read about some of the things occurring during that time; something to draw us into the story timeline.

Other than that, I found this interesting, even if it was a short book. I would to see more character development, but in stories this short, you aren't going to get much of that. However, I am not dinging the author for it, since I died enjoy reading this quite a bit. In fact, I read it in one sitting, and I hope that others will enjoy it as much as I did. In the climax, it all came together quickly, and everything was tied up nicely. I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.cozy mysteries1 Kathy296 28

Barbara Hollis isn’t really running from her big city troubles. She just needs somewhere to regroup. At least that’s what she’s telling herself. No longer able to afford her rent, she accepts her widowed brother, Craig’s, offer to stay with him and take care of his house and twin boys. Cobsville seems dull and disappointing after the city, but Barbara can’t afford to complain. Things get interesting when Barbara finds an injured woman at the local salon. Even though her brother is the sheriff, his deputy seems to suspect Barbara. Feeling that their small town resources are inadequate, Craig turns the case over to a neighboring town. Barbara believes they arrested the wrong person and thinks Craig can solve the case, with her help. But will her involvement bring more danger than she can handle?

This 1950s era cozy mystery is a delightful read. Barbara is an interesting heroine, levelheaded and practical. I’m interested in seeing her character develop based on the hints we receive. What exactly is she hiding from? Her relationship with Craig feels natural. They seem to slip back into the closeness that they had as children despite their years apart. The twins, Tim & Toby, slowly warm up to Barbara and are depicted realistically. Overall a great beginning to a new series and a new author for me to follow.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Catherine Stratman327 1 follower

Good start to a new series!

I found this to be an interesting start to a new series. Our main character Barbara is very negative about her move to a small town from the big city and I hope the next book will add some of her backstory so perhaps we will understand her better. She definitely seems to have a past that her brother knows nothing about so that could get very interesting since he is the sheriff. The mystery kept me interested and we are meeting some of the townspeople. And maybe just a little bit of a budding romance?

I received an ARC. This is my honest review. Janice DickAuthor 14 books50

This Barbara Hollis Murder Mystery includes great references to the "old days" of the 40s or 50s, as Barbara leaves the big city for her own reasons, only to stumble upon an extremely rare murder in her old hometown. She must solve this before someone else is hurt, while she keeps house for her brother, the cop, and takes care of his two boys.

The humour is enough to add the right pacing and mood.digital fiction historical-fiction ...more MaggieDay35

Fun mystery

Set in the 1950s, Barbara Hollis moves to the small town where her brother works as the sheriff. His wife has died, and Barbara agrees to help take care of her twin nephews as she recovers from losing her job. After about a week,she goes to the local hair salon and finds a woman dead.

I enjoyed this short mystery, reading it over the course of 2 nights. Barbara is independent, smart, and determined. Patty Geisinger73

Great new start of a series!

I truly enjoyed this first in a new series by Blythe Baker. The small town transition for the sister of a sheriff, a murder and secrets galore! Looking forward to reading more from the Happy Housekeeper! Bebe46

I normally really Blythe Baker but this book has no heart. Maybe she wrote it in a day? It was over before it began! It feels rushed and forced, she had a publishing contract to fulfill. Jill100

Easy read

Cute little story. The main character comes to a small town and solves 2 murders. Easy read for cozy mystery lovers. Linda29

Quick, pleasant read.mystery Nic2416325 1 follower

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