Liz McCall's ex--due to an unmentioned wife--is suspended from his duties as police chief due to the murder of aforementioned wife. Her father comes out of retirement to lead the investigation into the murder which leaves Liz and her sister carrying the load at their vintage toy shop. But extra work doesn't stop Liz from getting very involved in the investigation. Her ex, Ken, may be interested in rekindling their relationship, but he has serious competition from not one, but two other suitors.

Interesting background of vintage toys and an unexpected, but fair, solution make for an enjoyable read.

I loved, loved, loved this book! The vintage toy shop setting is fun. The characters are believable and engaging. I especially love the relationship between Liz and her father, a retired police detective. I appreciated the red herrings and side twists in the mystery itself. And I thought the creepy matryoshka doll was a lot of fun.

Death of a Russian Doll has that fabulous old-fashioned feel.
Clever and well told story, real and believable characters and witty diallogue.
Liz has broken off her relationship with her boyfriend because his estranged wife has suddenly showed up. Sometime later his wife decides to join Liz's charity cause. That same day she is found stranged to death right next to Liz's toy shop.
When she realises that she is a possible suspect along with said ex boyfriend she relises she must try to help her father,who has taken a temporary duty of being chief of police again, to solve this puzzle. All of a sudden she is showered with possible male attention not to mention suspects. As Christmas approaches everyone is on edge wishing bad things away and Liz realises her time is running short.
I enjoyed this delightful whodunnit to the last line. Smart main character fully aware and respectful of police procedure. Also a very touching story dealing with some very serious issues during the holiday season.
Highly recommended.

I received a Digital Review Copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley.

Death of a Russian Doll is the third book in the Vintage Toy Shop Mystery series by Barbara Early. This is the first book I read in the series and won't be reading the rest.

I really didn't care for any of the characters, especially Liz the main character. I don't know how old Liz is but she is pretty naive and annoying and I will stop there.

There is something that bothered me early on in the book, the use of the word "illegal alien". When I first read that, I was taken aback. Wow, I guess people still use that term.

If you want to read a book featuring a grown woman who wears kid themed character pajamas, gets her haircut by her Dad and doesn't stand up for herself, then you might like this book.

Liz McCall, her family, and friends are back and better than ever. Just when Liz thinks things are going well with her life, she gets thrown a monkey wrench, and everything goes topsy turvy. Barbara Early knows how to write books that keep you glued to the pages. I loved all the twists and turns this book took, and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book and this series.

In this Vintage Toy Shop mystery, Liz McCall, who owns the toy shop Well Played, is not happy when her boyfriend, Ken Young, who also happens to be chief of police, introduces his estranged wife Marya, who is going to be working as a hairstylist at the barber shop right next door. Liz knows that Marya, a Russian immigrant, wants to worm her way back into Ken’s life.
When Marya turns up dead after an argument with Ken, the police chief becomes the prime suspect. Liz finds that her dad, who is a retired policeman, has been asked to investigate the crime.
Ken had the best motive, but there were definitely others who had a motive, and Liz is sure Ken is innocent.
This is the third mystery is this delightful series.

I had highly anticipated 'Death of a Russian Doll' and it exceeded my expectations. The shock at the end of the previous Vintage Toy Shop Mystery had me questioning my high opinion of Ken, Liz McCall's 'boyfriend' and rightly so. The surprise was a wife, who is the murder victim in this engaging story. I love the surroundings of Aurora, the characters and their development, and the expert executed mystery which kept me guessing. I hope there are many more in the series to come!

I absolutely loved this book. Liz McCall is a great protagonist and her role in this book is phenomenal.
Even though her relationship with Ken has hit a huge roadblock, that doesn't stop her from investigating when his estranged wife s found dead, murdered, and he becomes the prime suspect.
This story grabs the reader from the very beginning and keeps the momentum going throughout the entire book.
The cast of characters add humor to this story and the reveal was shocking. I did not figure it out until the end.
I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Death of a Russian Doll is the third installment in the Vintage Toyshop Mystery series featuring Liz McCall, manager of her father's vintage toy shop in East Aurora, NY. Liz is still reeling from the surprise of her life when the estranged wife of Police Chief Ken Young (who Liz was happily dating) appeared in town and the two decided to get back together, leaving Liz embarrassed and out in the cold.

Determined to get over her heartbreak, Liz, her father Hank, and sister in law Cathy come up with a plan to restore old dolls and donate them to charity. Liz is not too happy when Marya, Ken's wife joins the committee. Marya has taken over the barbershop next door though so Liz can't exactly avoid the woman, and she does do a good job with hair so when the rest of the committee begs Liz to let her participate she figures why not.

Accidentally overhearing an argument between Ken and Marya, Liz doesn't know what to think when later that night she hears screaming and finds Ken standing over Marya's dead body. Despite her feelings towards him, Liz is convinced that the one thing he is not is a killer. The Mayor decides to remove Ken from the case for personal reasons, and reinstates Hank, who is the retired Chief of Police. Desperate to help her father wrap up the case and get back to his retirement, and clear her own name off the suspect list, Liz sets out to track down a killer with the help of her family and Mark Baker, the hunky forensic accountant employed by the FBI.

A fast paced plot features the return of series regulars, plenty of suspects and just the right amount of romance. A twist at the end will have readers looking forward to the next in the series.

I received an advanced copy of Death of a Russian Doll from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

This is a murder mystery story set in a Western NY small town in the weeks before Christmas. Liz McCarry ends her romantic relationship with Ken Young, the town's chief of police, when his estranged wife Marya returns to reconcile with him. He had failed to tell Liz that he was married and she feels betrayed. Marya is cast as a villain by the town and works hard to make friends. Unfortunately she ends up dead, strangled by the cord of her hairdryer.

Liz is the narrator of the story of the search for the murderer. Her father is the former police chief and is assigned the task of leading the police investigation of the murder. Ken is suspended from duty due to him being a suspect. Liz has mixed feelings about Ken because of his deceit about his marriage, but she feels he is not a murderer despite a lot of circumstantial evidence against him. She wants to find evidence to confirm his innocence and persuades her father to allow her to look into the killing. Marya turns out to have a checkered background: she emigrated from Russia at an early age and may have entered the US illegally. There's suggestions that she may be involved in drug dealing or money laundering. Solving the mystery makes for an interesting story with a dramatic conclusion and a generally happy ending.

There's a cast of interesting small town characters, although none other than Liz's father plays a major role in the story. Despite that they make for good background and local colour. The Christmas season events add a festive touch.

I found it to be a superior cozy murder mystery and an enjoyable read. It is the third of a series and easily can be read as a standalone.

Recommended.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an eBook copy of this book. The views expressed are my own.

This book is charming and interesting. The conversations are witty and the characters feel real. The plot has some twist which I love. I really liked this book and look forward to more in this series. Grab your copy today! Thanks to the publisher for providing an arc through netgalley. the review is my own opinion

Liz McCall finally (maybe) gets past the breakup with her ex boyfriend, Chief of Police Ken Young, when his wife is found murdered. Was Liz wrong to have trusted him? Does she really think he is capable of murder? Torn between conflicting feelings, Liz finds herself looking at the circumstance as her retired Father is reinstated as interim chief of police and put on the case.

This is a great read that raises questions about relationships, trust and family ties. You’ll find yourself questioning some relationships and going down a few paths before finally uncovering the culprit and what drove them to murder.

While this was my first introduction to the series, the book reads well as a standalone…though it will make you want to go out and read the first book in the series to get caught up. :)

Liz McCall is not thrilled when her boyfriend Police Chief Ken Young introduces her to his estranged wife Marya. The very beautiful Russian immigrant came back to East Aurora to rekindle their romance, will be working as a hairstylist at the barber shop next door to Well Played, the store that Liz runs. Marya offers to help with the shop’s doll rehab project but then ends up dead with a hair dryer wrapped around her neck. Of course Liz dad a retired police officer is asked to investigate since Ken is the main suspect.

Well-drawn characters and an intriguing plot Charming and surprising, with a thrilling twist, humor, and heart

This was a very enjoyable story. I look forward to reading the other books in this series. Would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a complementary advance copy of Death of a Russian Doll by Barbara Early in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in the Vintage Toy Shop mystery series and my introduction to the series. The mystery is self-contained and does not require having read previous books, although there may be some character development that was done in earlier books that is not repeated here.

The pacing is good and the book is an easy one to read in a matter of a few hours. It is well constructed with clues peppered throughout for the most part. It was fairly easy for me to figure out the perpetrator of this mystery.

Characters and places remained two-dimensional for me in a style that did more telling the story than creating a picture where I could see the location and the individuals residing within it. While it held together well, I prefer a writing style that lets me see the people and the places more vividly. The protagonist was a confusing mixture of immature traits such as footed pajamas, questionable ability to dress herself for adult situations, living in an apartment with her father who still cuts her hair on the one hand and more mature traits such as serious dating that may lead to more permanent relationships on the other. None of the characters evoked strong emotion in me one way or the other.

The final, definitive clue regarding the villain of the piece is one that is actually delivered in the last pages of the book, which prevents the reader from having an honest chance to solve the mystery based on clues throughout the story. As a reader who likes to solve the puzzle of a mystery, this feels a little like cheating.

This book is easy to pick up and put down while engaging in other activities, and as such may be an excellent read for someone involved in other activities or who wants something to occupy the mind without having to tax the memory. If you are looking for something that will have you on the edge of your seat and frantically turning the pages to see what happens next, you might find this one disappointing.

DEATH OF A RUSSIAN DOLL was twice as good as the first book in the series, which is amazing since the first book was perfection! You just can't go wrong with a book by author Barbara Early.!

I would definitely recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters were so real and the plot was riveting.

Poor Liz, her promising new romance with new police chief Ken Young was shattered when his estranged wife, Marya, blew into town looking to reconcile. Liz does her best to get over it, but when Marya is found strangled to death and Ken comes under suspicion, Liz steps in to help her dad solve the murder and uncovers the secrets Marya has been hiding for years. But who killed her?

Another great chapter in the Vintage Toy Shop series, I loved the twisty plot, this wasn’t your ordinary cozy! There were a lot of timely themes in this story that were handled with humanity and grace. When the whole truth came out, it wasn’t difficult to feel for Marya and her tragic history, and it made for a memorable read. I totally knew who did it by a third of the way through the book (and I was completely wrong, so the ending was a surprise!)

As always, the villagers are a hoot and the liberal sprinkling of puns made me chuckle. Add in Liz’s new romance and the nostalgic (at least for me!) setting and the book left me with the warm and fuzzies. A marvelous series that just keeps getting better and better! This book can be read as a standalone, as any references to the earlier books are adequately explained, but I definitely recommend reading them in order (actually I just recommend reading all of them!)

I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for this delightful cosy mystery. The dialogue is witty, some humorous situations and engaging characters. The mystery is well plotted and there is room for some romance and breakups. This is my introduction to the Vintage Toy Shop series, and can’t wait to read the previous two books.

Although this book works as a stand-alone I am anxious to learn more about Liz McCall and her father, Hank, a retired policeman and now toy shop owner. I am also interested in learning more about her workmates, previous boyfriends and her prior success in solving mysteries.

Hank is called out of retirement to investigate Police Chief Ken Young. He was Liz’s romantic interest until she found out he was married when his beautiful Russian wife, Marya, moved into his home. This caused some scandal but mostly sympathy for Liz. Marya works as a hairdresser at the barber shop which is adjacent to the vintage toy store. She also joins a group at the toy store restoring dolls for disadvantaged children. After Liz overhears a loud argument between Ken and his wife, Marya is found murdered. Liz is determined to find Ken innocent and involves herself in the investigation. Ken wants to renew their relationship if he doesn’t end up in prison, and meanwhile Liz is dating two other men. All the while she is carrying out her detective work with great determination.

This was an enjoyable read with eye catching cover art. My review can now be found on Goodreads and on Amazon.ca at time of publication.

Liz is not happy, just as things seemed to be going well with the Police Chief Ken Young (and by well that means romantically) his unknown, estranged wife arrives and it seems she wants to get back together with Ken, so romance is off again between them, so Liz tries to avoid the both of them, but it is tricky to avoid Marya as she not only works next door at the barber/hairdressers but she also has joined the team of ladies fixing up broken dolls, which will then be gifts for under privileged children.

Liz then overhears part of a humdinger of an argument between Ken and Marya, the problem that then arises is that Marya is found murdered and Ken is the prime suspect.  Liz doesn't believe he could have done it, but with Ken suspended pending the investigation and Hank (Liz's father) drafted back as Police Chief, Liz has a lot on her plate - oh and she hopes to pitch the  doll rehab charity to a local firm for backing, and ends up going out with the son (and current person in charge of the charity decisions), she also has been invited out by Mark (the FBI investigative accountant), could life get any more complicated ... well YES but you need to read it to find out how and why *grin*.