I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 📚 I felt this book was a little slower to get into than the first but after the first chapter or so it got very interesting. Well written, likeable characters, excellent plot. Wonderful read!!! Enjoy! 📚

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The characters were likeable and believable. The plot twists always surprised me, and I had no idea who was going to be the villain until the end.

I was given this book for an honest review from NetGalley. I'm going back & buy the first book of the series...in paperback, so I can color the book cover!

This is the second book in the Pen and Ink Mystery series. I read the first one and loved it and I liked this one even more!

Florrie Fox is the manager of the Color me Read bookstore in Washington DC. She creates coloring books as a hobby and runs a coloring book club at the bookstore. One of the club members, Dolly, comes to the store with a rare coloring book. When Dolly is found murdered, Florrie knows that the rare book is involved somehow because suddenly all kinds of people are asking about it. She wants to solve Dolly's murder and find the book.

I like the characters in this book, they're fun and quirky. The plot is well written and interesting. I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward tot he next one in the series.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing Corporation and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Florrie feels like life is going well. She and Eric are dating, the bookstore is doing well and she is working on a garden coloring book. One of the bookstores’ customers, Dolly, finds a rare book at an estate sale. That evening Florrie and her sister find Dolly dead at her house and the book is missing.
The mystery takes some interesting twists and turns as Florrie tries to piece together what happened.
All the elements combine in a charming whole. I enjoy the fun and quirky characters and the bookstore and Washington DC setting. This is the second book in the Pen & Ink cozy mystery series. This book could be read stand alone but to really get to know the characters start with Color Me Murder.

Krista Davis was one of the first cozy mystery authors I started reading when I started getting into the genre, and while I still love the Domestic Diva series, the Pen & Ink Mysteries are proving to be a real treat. Florrie is a fun main character with an interesting side job of creating coloring books (and the clever colorable covers on this series are a great touch), and it seems that she fits a current genre trend towards slightly younger protagonists. While the last book focused entirely on a mystery surrounding her boss/landlord, this book didn't do much to forward his storyline, though there were some small mentions that make me think his character may have a larger role in the future. I enjoy the large circle of friends and patrons that make up Florrie's world, and this story managed to develop characters and still have a solid mystery.

I've read other books by Krista Davis, so thought I'd like to try one with this coloring theme. The front and back covers of the book are designed for you to color, which is an added bonus (though I didn't get to do this with a review copy). They look like they'd be fun to do.

The book focuses on Florrie, a bookstore manager in the Georgetown region of Washington, DC.. who also draws adult coloring books. The store has a coloring club, and one of the members has found a very rare book at an estate sale--the earliest known coloring book featuring botanical subjects. Unfortunately, the lucky buyer ends up dead and the book missing. Florrie works to figure out what happened. There's also a bit of a focus on Florrie's love life, as well.

It's a nice little cozy mystery with a different theme. The characters are all a bit eccentric, but it adds to the character of this particular story. There are enough people with motive that it makes the reader keep on reading.

I love Davis’ writing style. We get some beautiful, fleshed out backstory with murders and thefts old and new alike. Compelling characters include an agoraphobic butler, a desperate realtor and a sinister collector. Like Davis’ other series, this one is a definite recommend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I took a chance on reading this book. Not my usual reading genre but I was amazed at the story line and characters. Well written and delightful reading.

This series presents us with a different sort of heroine--oh, she manages a bookstore, like many others in this genre, but her hobby is creating coloring books for adults. While many think of this as a recent trend, Florrie Fox discovers that a copy of the first coloring book from the 18th Century, the Florist, has been unearthed by one of her customers. Dolly purchased the rare book at a garage sale and makes her ownership known across social media. This proves to be a deadly mistake as Dolly is soon murdered with a scrap of a page from The Florist still in her hand.

Suspects abound, one of them being Florrie's good friend, Zsa Zsa. Florrie's book store friendships and policeman boyfriend Eric help her to navigate the twists and turns of this mystery, revealing hidden connections between the characters that give rise to multiple motives.

Author Krista Davis is a master of the cozy, seamlessly intertwining likable characters, atmospheric settings, and enticing recipes. Her books are charming escapes and eminently readable.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This is a fun series with Florrie, a bookstore manager who gets involved in solving murders. In this outing Florrie finds Dolly dead in her house and also ends up trying to solve who the skeleton is behind a wall in the attic bedroom. Florrie immediately suspects that Dolly was killed for the coloring books Dolly found at an estate sale. There is also another mystery in the book, so lots going on. Overall a fun read!

I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE COLORING CROOK, is the second book in the Pen & Ink Mystery series by Krista Davis. I greatly enjoyed examining the cover, which is meant to be used as a coloring page. The details of the line drawings includes clues and pieces of the story… kind of like a “Find the Picture” type of layout, which brought back fond memories of solving those types of puzzles and coloring with my granddaughter. I wish I had a few spare moments to join the coloring hobby for relaxation but unfortunately I already have more hobbies than I know what to do with :)

Once the reader opens the book, Ms. Davis provides some intriguing historical information in the acknowledgements about a famous adult coloring book that was created in the 1700’s! Then the reader is introduced to the protagonist, Florrie Fox. Florrie is a very sweet, slightly old-fashioned, young woman whom I find charming. In her free time she designs and publishes adult coloring books. She also manages the Color Me Read bookstore. With the author’s strong descriptive voice, Color Me Read is a place I can see in my mind and a place that I would dearly love to hang out at.

Tragically one of the elderly ladies who has joined the book store’s coloring club, Hues, Brews, and Clues, is murdered. Florrie then discovers a mysterious skeleton that has been hidden behind a walled in bookcase in the murdered woman’s attic. The plot is fast-paced once the murder takes place and there is a slew of characters and suspects. I appreciated the list of “Cast of Characters” at the front of the book which helped keep them straight. The wrap-up holds a satisfying reveal but felt a bit rushed. Overall THE COLORING CROOK is an entertaining read with a delightfully artistic protagonist!

A fun and entertaining cozy! This was a mystery that kept me guessing at how all the pieces would fit together in the end and had a nice conclusion. This series has charming characters, a super cool setting and is superbly written. This book is one destined for my keeper shelf!

The Coloring Crook by Krista Davis is an enjoyable, quick-paced cozy mystery. It is entertaining (romance, humor, suspense), and the plot and characters are well-developed. Krista Davis has a great way of concealing the crime's resolution until she is ready to reveal the perpetrator. Florrie Fox and friends are charming and delightful. This time around, we are introduced to several more folks to add to the suspect list. Pen & Ink Mysteries is definitely a series I look forward to reading for many years to come. Plus, more tasty recipes! Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the review copy.

Will post on Goodreads and Amazon.

The Coloring Crook is the 2nd Pen and Ink Mystery by Krista Davis. For the most part it's an okay book. I do feel like there was a little too much going on. The plot jumped all over the place - one minute it's about the main mystery, the next it's about one of several past mysteries, then it's about one of the other lesser present-day mysteries... it was just too much for one book. Also, the big reveal didn't actually happen. There was no confrontation with the killer. Florrie assumes who it was and then, after resolving a few of the other mysteries, it's revealed that, oh yeah, Florrie was right and that person was put in jail. I really liked the first book in this series though, so I'm hoping the next one will be much better.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Florrie Fox manages a book store in Georgetown and has add friends with some of the members of her coloring group that is sponsored at the store. When a valuable and historic coloring book is purchased at a yard sale, the new owner ends up dead. But who wanted the book so badly that they’d kill for it? So many suspects, so many reasons.

The story will keep you guessing for quite awhile as here are quite a few likely candidates and just as many likely scenarios for murder. What a fun read!

Krista Davis is one of my favorite authors. This is the third series of hers that I am totally addicted to. Being a DC area gal myself, I’m sure that doesn’t hurt, but her writing style is fantastic! I’m hooked...and you will be too!

The Coloring Crook by Krista Davis was a light, easy read, just what I needed after a rather intense week. It is filled with easy to like characters, a charming setting and several mysteries to untangle. The primary mystery revolves around who killed Dolly, and as the story progresses the other mysteries begin to surface.

This is the classic definition of a cozy mystery. There is a murder, with little emphasis on blood, guts and gore. The primary protagonist is Florrie, bookstore manager, with help and encouragement from her policeman boyfriend and a group of friends who gather at the bookstore for regular coloring sessions.

I enjoyed getting to know the various characters and reading about a bookstore where I might like to spend time. There are a few recipes included in this book, which you will also find in Krista Davis’ Domestic Divas series. In this series, one of Florrie’s stress reliefs is baking and after the book some of these are included. They look interesting and might appeal to someone who wanted to try some new dessert recipes.

While the characters and setting were entertaining, I found the overall story to be a little contrived. The way almost everyone in the book is revealed to be connected to someone else in the book as well as the murder victim was a bit unrealistic. Still, it was entertaining to read, and easy to not concentrate on how unlikely all the connections would be in real life. It is a book of fiction, and as such is entertaining when you want to give your brain something it doesn’t have to work hard to resolve.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light, relaxing read. This is the second book in a series, but is totally self-contained and I did not feel at a disadvantage because I hadn’t read the first in the series. If you’re looking for lots of tension and some serious crime fighting this book may not be for you. It is a perfect addition, however, for the dedicated cozy reader. My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an Advance Digital Copy. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

I loved the first book in this series, and this was a close 2nd! Florrie manages Color Me Read Bookstore. She has started a new Adult Coloring group called Hues,Brews & Clues (cute!). One of the members, Dolly, finds a rare book at a yard sale and shows it to Florrie and the other members. That evening, Florrie finds Dolly dead. Florrie cannot believe anyone would want to hurt Dolly so she begins to delve into Dolly ' s past and Dolly has a very interesting past! Florrie ' s romance with Sergeant Eric Jonquill is interesting and one of the things I really liked about this book. It is a well-written book with everything I love about cozy mysteries - likable interesting characters, an intriguing mystery (this book has quite a few extra characters who are possible suspects), friendship, family, humor, and romance. There are a couple of different story lines intertwined to keep things interesting! Very enjoyable!

The Coloring Crook by Krista Davis was a fun interesting read.  I love the setting of the bookstore/coloring group along with the mansion/carriage house and the characters associated with each including the main characters cat.  I especially enjoyed Florries sketching background and how it was incorporated in the story. It was all very entertaining and I only figured out one of the mysteries early. I will read the first book written in this series and look forward to the next.  Krista Davis writing is right up there with my favorites  Dianne Mott Davidson and Anne Canadeo.

The colouring crook is the second book in this new series.
What a 2nd book !! , I couldn't put it down.
Loved the characters and the fact that Florrie is the manager of a bookshop adds to the charm.
Lots of twists and guessing who it could be which was a surprise at the end .
I am looking forward for the next book to come out already .
Many thanks to Kensington books and netgalley for letting me review this brilliant book by Krista Davis.

Florrie Fox manages a bookstore in Washington, D.C. and is an adult coloring book artist. When her friend Dolly shows her a rare first edition coloring book she found at an estate sale, Florrie unwittingly becomes a target when the estate wants the valuable book back plus international buyers seek to find the book, also. Dolly hid her precious find before someone killed her.

More than one mystery is skillfully blended into this plot and the pace is steady and absorbing. The author has outdone herself inserting mysterious characters into the storyline at different points making you wonder ‘who on earth is this person’ before nicely connecting all the dots at the end. The cast of characters, whether good ones or not-so-good ones, are each enjoyable in their given roles. Delicious recipes to try at end of book.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.