"Death of a Russian Doll" is a quick holiday themed "whodunit" that calls upon the family of the local vintage toy shop to solve the crime. This is the third in a series - but I didn't feel out of the loop not having read the previous stories. The toy shop is filled with all sorts of fun toy memories that most readers will recall from their childhoods. The witty repoitre between Liz and her retired police chief Dad as they piece together clues is great - the way they feed off each other and get more and more groan-inducing reminds me of how my Dad & I would do the same thing (though not tied to solving crimes). The toy shop, town and cast of characters make for a fun setting for for settling into a mystery.

Free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Book is available October 9th.

Death of a Russian Doll is a well written murder mystery. I loved the plot and the characters.. I enjoyed this author's writing and will be reading more of the books in this series. If you enjoy a good mystery I recommend this book.

The latest in this Toy Shop series is entertaining. I really enjoy the camaraderie with the protagonist and her town and her family. Plus, it's great fun reading about all the vintage toys. Can't wait for the next!

Death of a Russian Doll by Barbara Early is the third book in the Vintage Toyshop Mystery series and can be read as a standalone. This is a really enjoyable cozy mystery; there is a right balance of mystery, humor and romance.

Liz, the daughter of a former police chief of a small town, is unofficially involved in the investigation of the murder of her ex-boyfriend’s wife. The plot is charming and what make great this book is East Aurora citizens. Liz relationships with the town and its people is so amusing, it makes me laugh so loud.

I didn’t read the previous books, but I am sure I am going to read them while I will wait for the next one.

A special thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a free digital copy of this book.

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Oh. My. Gosh. This book was fantastic! The ending in the last book gutted me for days. I was about halfway through this one when I started wondering if it would be the same kind of thing. Thankfully, this book didn't have that same kind of bombshell. (Phew!)

You couldnt help but feel a little bad for Ken, but at the end of the day I couldn't forgive him for being married and not telling Liz. His sisters were atrocious and he never did set them right about how Liz hadn't known he was married.

I loved getting to know Amanda more in this story. Marc and Liz were perfect together! When Liz went undercover for Lionel, I about cried with laughter!

Let's talk timeline. I downloaded this book before work on Monday and got maybe 40 minutes worth of reading in during breaks Monday and 25 minutes Tuesday. (I am not a fast reader.) By Tuesday night, I was somehow at 82% and I felt like putting the book down would be quitting! It was THAT good. Oh lord, please let there be a book 4! (And with more Mark!)

Great book! I had a fun time reading this. Parts made me laugh out loud. Great mystery! Very enjoyable!

Oh, how I love the Vintage Toy Shop mysteries, especially this latest from author Barbara Early. When we last saw Liz McCall, her boyfriend’s wife (!) showed up to put a kibosh on the burgeoning romance. Now the eyes of the town are on the “happy” couple, as well as on Liz. Thankfully the town seems to be on Liz’s side since she didn’t even know her boyfriend/police chief was married. When the wife’s body is found in the barbershop next door to the vintage toy store Liz and her father run, Liz can see the writing on the wall. She lets her inner Nancy Drew take over to find the killer before it’s her name on the wanted poster.

I cannot say enough how much I love the humor in this mystery series. It left me chuckling throughout. Watching as her relationships with the town and its people evolve is great fun, though it also means the series is probably read best read in order (aren’t they all?!) because it will reference past events, though it doesn’t go into detail. I was given the opportunity to read an ARC of this book from NetGalley which I was thrilled about, but that just means it is that much longer until the NEXT book is released (of which I HOPE there are many more). I’m not sure I can stand it! Excellent, excellent book and series.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this delightful book.

Liz McCall and her family run Well Played, a vintage toy shop. Liz's budding relationship with Ken, the chief of police, is stopped short when Liz discovers that he has a wife! There's no love lost between Liz and Marya, Ken's wife, but they join together with others to rehab some old dolls for needy children. Marya is a hair stylist, and works out of the barber shop next door to the toy shop. One day Liz overhears a loud argument between Ken and Marya. And when Marya turns up dead, Ken is a suspect. But then, so might Liz be as the woman scorned.

Liz's father was the prior chief of police, and is asked by the mayor to step back in and help solve the crime. And he can do it, with Liz' s help!

I really enjoyed this book. I laughed out loud several times while reading it. The dialog is witty, the characters well developed, and the interplay between the characters seems so natural. You can see it happening in your mind as you read the book. There's a love interest that's well done and looks like it will blossom nicely.

The murder itself is wrapped up in mystery and other situations and was nicely pulled together at the end. I had no idea who the murderer was and why, but it all made perfect sense at the end.

I highly recommend this one when it is available. I will admit that I had not read the prior 2 books in the series, but this one is well written as a stand-alone and I did not suffer at all by not having read the prior books. There was just enough character explanation early on that I felt I knew everyone and the important things that had transpired in the prior book.

This is the third book in the Vintage Toyshop Mystery series and can be read as a standalone. I love the toyshop with all its old goodies. Who doesn't like a trip down memory lane every now and then? The setting, the characters, the mystery - this book has so many great things going for it. And there are lots of puns that will have you rolling your eyes but also smiling!

This was a really enjoyable cosy mystery. I especially loved all the puns! I’m planning on reading the early books in this series now.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This series always brings back fun memories of childhood for me since it involves a toy shop.A fun, easy, well written read with engaging characters and plenty of twists and turns.

Don't be fooled by the cover; this cosy mystery has nothing to do with a Russian nesting doll. But it sure is a fun easy read including solving a crime. Kept me pleasantly entertained.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC

Author Barbara Early excels at creating interesting characters and engaging story lines. Liz manages her father’s retro toy shop in East Aurora, NY. Liz’s dad, Hank, is a retired police chief and her boyfriend, Ken, is the current police chief, yet Liz may have the most talent of all at solving crimes. When Ken’s ex, Maya, returns to town things quickly turn deadly for the Russian émigré. When Ken becomes suspect numero uno, Hank and Liz are determined to find out who the really killer is. This is the third installment of A Vintage Toy Shop Mystery, but it can easily stand alone. This book offers so much - engaging characters, a well-plotted story-line, delightful twists and turns and feelings of good ole fashioned nostalgia that comes with the vintage toy shop setting.