When Rory checks on one of her neighbors she sure doesn't expect to find her dead...

Henery Press and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published January 31st.

This is a cozy mystery with a bit romance for Rory. Her girlfriend is always trying to set up her up on dates and she decides to accept this one. He's a doctor who works for Doctors Without Borders and he's cute and personable. She also likes the local detective and he's just recently single after breaking up with his girlfriend. She really wasn't anxious to meet him again over another dead body.

There's discussion of it being a burglary gone bad, but Rory doesn't think so. When she finds out a homeless man she's helped that is now in the hospital was seen there, she's also sure he didn't do it. But why would he be visiting her neighbor?

Lots of people didn't like her neighbor so there were plenty of suspects. As random things begin to tie together, the killer is identified. Unfortunately, the killer was closer to Rory than she expected and she almost doesn't survive this adventure. She does though and she has a new adventure in front of her. She's going to go on a date with the detective!

There's plenty of action and a lot of mystery in this story to keep you reading. It's a good read.

This is book three in the Aurora Anderson Mystery and has Aurora hunting the killer of her neighbor. When a fellow artist comes under suspicion she steps in to save her. This story touches on assisted suicide. I like the characters in this series, they are down to earth live normal everyday life.

A Palette for Murder is the third book in Sybil Johnson’s Aurora Anderson Mystery series. This is the first book I’ve read written by this author and even though I haven’t read the first two books in this series, the author provided good character background and I easily understood their backgrounds and relationships and didn’t feel lost. The story flows at a steady pace that kept me engaged throughout the entire book. The characters are well developed and relatable and I was kept guessing until the final reveal.

Aurora ‘Rory’ Anderson loves to paint and is a computer programmer who works out of her home in the Los Angeles County city of Vista Beach, California. Rory and her best friend and realtor, Liz Dexter, are heading to the mall to buy a new dress for Rory to wear on a blind date but decide to deliver a bag of recycling to a homeless man, Kit, who Rory has befriended. When they find Kit’s dog, Buddy, wandering the beach unattended, Rory becomes concerned and begins searching for him. Sadly, they find Kit has been injured, possibly attached, and is taken to the hospital. Neither Rory nor Liz can keep Buddy so Liz contacts a client who agrees to give him a temporary home. While trying to return a cat collar to her neighbor, Willow, Rory finds her stabbed to death in the kitchen. When Dawn Ogden, a friend and painting instructor, becomes the prime suspect in Willow’s murder, Rory finds herself juggling finding out what happened to Kit and working to clear Dawn’s name, despite warnings from Detective Martin Green to leave investigating to the professionals.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Enjoyable read with colorful characters. From the author we learn about trompe l'oeil painting, a California artistic community as well as a good description of homelessness.

Sybil Johnson offered a thoughtfully complex story in her latest Aurora Anderson Mystery. The usual cast of characters were there with new problems of their own, with Rory's desire to help them a catalyst to the mystery. There was romance and suspense in a perfect mixture and a surprising and satisfying conclusion. I can't wait for the next one!

A Palette for Murder: An Aurora Anderson Mystery
By Sybil Johnson
Henery Press
January 31, 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

Los Angeles’s Vista Beach may be in the middle of an August heat wave, but the high temperature is not what leads to the hospitalization of the homeless man known as Kit. After being led to Kit’s unconscious body by his loyal dog Buddy, freelance software designer Rory Anderson discovers that her friend had first been attacked and beaten. It’s one of many crimes plaguing the heat-ridden coast, with series of home break-ins ultimately culminating in murder. While this is the third murder Rory has encountered in just five months, she would much prefer to focus on building her business and helping out at her mother’s store, Arika’s Scrap ‘n Paint.

Willow Bingen’s death may have been the result of a burglary-gone-wrong, but the overbearing owner of the Beach Healing and Acupuncture store had more than her share of enemies. Dating a much younger personal trainer had Willow the target of envious glares by his many jealous fans, although it was Willow’s straying eye that stirred up rumors. It is only when evidence has police focusing on one of her mother’s employees that Rory feels that she must get involved, even if it means butting heads with Detective Martin Green. The two have felt sparks between them in the past, but her legal status and his relationship one had them at odds.

As tourism heats up with Vista Beach’s annual end-of-summer sidewalk sale, Rory finds herself in the midst of the investigation with the occasional aid/hindrance of reporter Veronica Justice, along with that of a new private investigator. Rory’s generous heart and protectiveness have her taking on more than her share of responsibilities, both in clearing Dawn Ogden of suspicion and tracking down the mystery of Kit’s identity. Rory’s best friend Liz Dexter provides ample support and even more humor, not to mention a blind date for her bestie.

What is refreshing about this third in the series is how well the author incorporates Rory into the investigations without making her seem reckless or intrusive. Rory and Liz’s questioning those involved in the mysterious Willow’s life may irritate Martin Green – AKA “Dashing D” – but their queries come at angles the official police may have missed. The California coast comes alive with vivid descriptions, not just of the enviable beaches but of the topics and challenges facing a small tourist-driven town. Readers will be surprised not just with the conclusion, but with how much they will feel invested in the characters’ fates. Clever plotting ensures for satisfaction on many fronts, not in the least of which will be in seeing just where Rory’s life takes her next.