I obtained a free electronic ARC of this book via Netgalley, where I am auto approved b Bookbuzz.net to access books from their catalogues.

So, I will freely admit here and now I went on search for a free ARC of this book as, quite frankly, I heard of it, have been loving all the works I’ve read so far of the author Linda S Browning and I wanted to see what this new series was like before I bought it. Yes, I am indeed a cheapskate!

Was I disappointed? Heck no! It was almost as if her cosy crimes from the ‘Leslie & Belinda Tennessee Mysteries’ series merged with her love of the supernatural from ‘Pickett House’ and this was the end result. And, to me, it was yet another great story that looks to become a promising new series.

Oh, and please don’t think that my description of it being a bit of this and a bit of that makes it some sort of cookie cutter tales being chunked out for sale. Not at all! ‘Hanging Tobacco’ can be likened to Ms Browning’s earlier work… but it most definitely stands out as being its own person… so to speak. It is more a happy marriage of someone good at writing cosy crimes - as proven by one series - and who is good at writing about the supernatural - as proven by another of her books - has now hit the nail on the head by combing the two topics and her talents of weaving a good story and gone from there.

Does that make sense now? Yeah, no… I feel if I try again I am just going to make it even worse! ;-)

So, anyhow, ‘Hanging tobacco’ is a great little stand-alone cosy crime/ mystery. It does start with a short story that sparked the inspiration for the main story and I loved that. It was like a two for one deal and the short story was a brilliant way to set the scene and get the reader into the right mindset for the main book ahead. It was like a reading appetiser! :-D

From memory, Ms Browning did this with the first Leslie and Belinda book too. A short story teaser followed by the actual full book. Loved it there too. Maybe it’s being a writer myself… but I adore how one little short story can then inspire a whole book, if not series. It just adds that extra touch of love and proof of passion about the work. Or maybe that’s just how I see it?

‘Hanging Tobacco’ was well paced (ie: addictive and having me read well past my bed time) cosy crime with a touch of the supernatural to add a twist to the usual crime sleuthing in small town America. I also do love how Olivia is a reporter so has a reason to be interested in the case.

Sometimes cosy crimes just have the main character coming across as nosy rather than sleuthing as her job and links to the crimes are miles apart with no real connection. But Olivia and the other characters were set up well to cover any grey areas without going to the other extreme of having access to everything, knowing everything and being some misunderstood super cop (the other end of the cosy crime spectrum). No, the choice of characters, the setting and the reasons for why things went the way they did was well thought out and a good balance.

Due to this good balance there was just the right amount of padding to the story, the right level of red herrings and I have to admit I honestly didn’t decide on whodunit until just before the book itself told me! That is rare! And it wasn’t due to the story being so convoluted it confused me… it was because the story simply had that RIGHT BALANCE of everything to keep me guessing, keep me entertained and make me satisfied with how it all wrapped up and was finished.

I really do hope the series continues as I would be more than willing to grab copies and continue reading.

Would I recommend this book to others?

Uh, I think I already have in all that flowery prose of how good it was to read. ;-)

But for those who need the direct approach - yes I would. Lovers of a good American mystery/ cosy crime are going to really enjoy ‘Hanging tobacco’. For those worried there is too much supernatural in it to make it a true here and now cosy - don’t be worried, it’s fine. This is not a book on the supernatural that happens to include a cosy crime, this is a decent cosy crime book that just happens to have a touch of the supernatural to it. You will be fine, just buy, read it and enjoy!

Would I buy this book for myself?

Pretty sure I already answered this one too… but yes, yes I would. I follow Linda S. Browning on all the normal social media sites that allow me to be a fan and not deemed a stalker and will keep an eye out for any further books in this series and happily spend my money buying them!

In summary: A good author just created another great cosy crime/mystery series. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Hanging Tobacco is the first book I've read by this author. I enjoyed a lot about it but two things in particular: the fact that a main characters name is Olivia because that is my daughters name. I also loved the Ouija board aspect. I love "spooky" additions such as this while reading otherwise not horror genre books. The story is a well rounded one AND a quick read which is exactly what I was looking for. I didn't happen to notice any errors in grammar either which is a big plus for me! I would recommend this book to someone looking for a quick read while traveling or sunbathing.

I received a free electronic copy of this mystery novel for Netgalley and Linda S. Browning. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me!

I loved the short story included in this novel. It was a special bonus. This is an excellent mood elevator and a fast read. I found it funny and a well hidden mystery in that I didn't know the bad guy until fairly well into the book. Our protagonists are likable and well rounded and there are several choices of bad guys here that also have a few redeeming quirks. The Ouija board is a bit much but was also entertaining.

After successfully solving an old murder case with the use of a friend’s Ouija board, Olivia and boyfriend Preston take on another cold case, this one involving the 25 year old mystery syrrounding the death of Henry Meyer, who was found hanging in his tobacco barn. Did Henry take his own life, or did someone else do him in? Using her wits and her Ouija board, Olivia attempts to find out. A quick, pleasant read