“Killer Classics” by Kym Roberts it's a thrilling and engaging cozy mystery that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. The book introduces us to Charli Rae Warren, a charismatic and determined protagonist who finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation that hits close to home. Robert skillfully crafts a suspenseful plot, filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end. The small town setting adds A charming backdrop and the well-developed cast of characters brings the story to life. The author’s attention to detail and descriptive writing style create a vivid atmosphere that immerses readers in the world of antiques and secrets. With its perfect blend of mystery humor and a touch of romance, "Killer Classics” is an absolute page Turner that will leave cozy mystery enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the next installment in this delightful series

This is the fifth book in the Book Barn mystery series. You can read the book as a stand alone but if you read them in order you get a better sense of the characters.

Charli Rae, who is a small town bookstore owner, is back on the case! When an author writes a murder mystery that bears too close resemblance to the real town and citizens of Hazel Rock, art imitates life in the form of murder. Charli soon finds herself tangled in another mystery where she must prove the innocence of a friend while keeping herself out of the killer's sights.

The story was cute but I felt it dragged in places. I also felt like a lot was going on. It just seemed busy at certain points. The book was not a bad book at all but it just wasn’t my favorite.

I really loved this book in a new to me author. The characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

Cozy mystery. I found it hard to keep track of the characters. This was the fifth book in series and I had never read anything by this author before. The manner of speaking was a bit hard for me to follow.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

A Bookish Barn Bookshop, heck yes! I absolutely loved this series. Even though I started out not reading the first in the series, I have easily have became a fangirl of the series. The characters were fantastic and diverse. The plot was well written and most of all, it was FUN!

Killer Classics by Kym Roberts is the fifth book in the Book Barn Mystery series. Charli helps run the family book store, and she keeps a close tab on the choices for the book club. When an author uses the town and its residents as inspiration for a novel, no one expects it to mimic real life. Charli's friend, Sugar, is the main suspect when her rival is found murdered. Charli juggles the mystery and her pet armadillo's new boyfriend. This book has several side plots that keep the story moving along. This is a nice addition to the series.

Although I have not read the others in the series, this is fine as a standalone. There's enough detail that you can wade through the characters and find out who's who and how they're all connected.

The premise is fun. A used bookstore owner - with a pet armadillo, a handsome sheriff boyfriend, and a few solid friends - finds herself investigating the murder of one of the members of the book club she hosts at her bookstore. Oddly, the murder mirrors the plot of the book they have just finished reading and discussing, and the person who was profiled as the murderer in the book is arrested in real life. Even Princess the armadillo gets involved in investigating, albeit just tangentially.

There aren't a lot of clues leading you to the killer, but I managed to figure it out anyway. The plot is less mystery-focused than relationship-focused, so that was a bit frustrating. The brother of the victim shows up on occasion in order to bring the focus back to the murder.

Overall, though, it was an easy read and enjoyable enough.

Killer Classics is a classic cozy mystery. It's got a bookstore, a murder, a small town and weird pets. It's a delightful read with fun and engaging characters. A few surprises and an overall good read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading other books by this great author.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Any book that has a main character whose nickname is Princess is starting off right. Add to that a pet armadillo, also named Princess, whose new boyfriend is a skunk- literally. It’s all set in small town Texas bookstore so it is full of quirky characters, great dialogue (including Princess’ favourite expression when things go awry as the often do: fuzz buckets!
You can tell this is a fun read although it still has lots of strong suspense and commentary of some social issues. It is also quite refreshing to have a politician who still has scruples (it is fiction) and examples of why everything and everybody may not what and whom they seem at first. I had suspicions about the killer but the reason for the murder came out of left field. It struck just the right balance between suspense and humour.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Charli runs an independent bookstore in Texas and her friend Sugar is accused of murdering her Boyfriends ex wife. Charli knows that her friend is innocent and investigates.

I found it confusing that Charli and her pet armadillo are both called Princess. There's also a lot of information about the armadillo and her skunk boyfriend. I would have preferred more information about the murder.

It was an okay read but a bit too quirky for me.

Killer Classics
A Book Barn Mystery, Book #5
Kym Roberts
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Small-town life in Hazel Rock becomes a Texas-size crime scene when murder takes a page from Charli Rae Warren’s book club’s latest mystery . . .

Charli takes great pride in running one of the few independent, family-owned bookstores in small-town Texas. She vets everything carefully, with an eye to the eclectic tastes of the locals. That includes the Book Barn’s weekly book club selection. This time out it’s a mystery whose characters bear a striking resemblance to local citizens, including Charli’s friend Sugar . . . who’s the prime suspect when her real-life nemesis is found dead in a hotel’s water tank.

With help from her pet armadillo Princess, Charli campaigns to clear Sugar’s sweet name—literally—when the up-for-election mayor becomes a killer’s next target. Murder and politics make scandalous bedfellows as Charli discovers that fiction may be fatal, but reality could be just as deadly . . .

“A well written, fast-paced cozy mystery that has well developed and likable characters with good humor and a bit of romance.” —Fresh Fiction on Perilous Poetry

“An electrifying tale.”—Fresh Fiction on A Reference to Murder (Amazon)


Review:

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and it pulled me right into the book. I felt like I was there in Hazel Rock, visiting with the people and animals. I would love to go into the Book Barn to do some browsing.

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Charli is smart and adventurous and she is not afraid of hard work. She wants the bookstore to continue to be successful. She loves her dad and Princess, their pink armadillo, and she is grateful that she is back home. I like the friendship between her and Scarlett, her best friend. They can get themselves into some awful predicaments and it is fun to see how they get out of them.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery was well plotted and it was not easily solved. I really liked that the story revolved around a book mystery.

I would highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Grab a copy and enjoy.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

I received this ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review. This is the first book I've read by this author and is the fifth book in this series. Charli Rae is the proud owner of an independent book store in a small Texas town, as well as the 'mom' to a pink armadillo named Princess. Charli is also in a long-time 'sort of' love triangle between the Mayor (her high school sweetheart) and the Sheriff (her current boyfriend). A local author pens a mystery that uses the characters of the small town and only lightly disguises them. A local woman is found murdered at the recently renovated hotel and all fingers point to her former husband and current significant other...who are all characters in the published mystery. It's up to Charli and her trusty companions, of whom Princess is only one, to figure out what happened and why. This was an enjoyable cozy and one I can recommend without having to read the others in the series.

I am a fan of this series so I was by sorry to find out this is the last in the series. It has been a joy to read each new release and a fun series to enjoy. Well done to the author and I look forward to further work by her in the future. This creation of the town, quirky fun charcters and mysteries has been the perfect cozy mystery series. I highly recommend the entire series.

Charlie loves her bookstore in a barn and is enjoying her new life as a bookseller and making friends among the quirky Southern residents. She has found her footing and is loving her new bookstore . Soon she is involved in another murder that has to do with her book club. The clues to the murder are following the mystery the book club is reading ! When one of her friends is framed for the murder she is on the case and soon to find many clues abound throughout the town . The mystery is well crafted and kept me guessing .

A perfect cozy mystery with all the perfect elements including a pink armadillo that joins the fun in each and every book. l will miss this series and had hoped it would continued.
it is always sad when a cozy mystery series ends that is so enjoyable to the readers.

Going to Hazel Rock is always a trip in itself. Even with a murder that follows a new book going on, the town is still entertaining. Between Princess the Armadillo and her skunk boyfriend causing trouble, and Liza the reporter trying to manipulate the story you will not be able to put this book down.
For me this was a great book it was humorous and very entertaining.


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

While this was a cute cozy read with a main character who has a pet armadillo and says "fuzz buckets" a lot, I was overall disappointed. This story takes place in a small Texan town of Hazel Rock. A woman, named Maddie, is found murdered. Shenanigans occur and the mystery behind Maddie's murder is brought to a conclusion. Since I am reading this series for the first time and starting on book 5, I am happy to say that the characters were well introduced, and this worked as a standalone story. However, I found the story a bit tedious. I wasn't sure I really cared about the characters and really wanted to have a story that focused more on the murder mystery. Instead, the book takes the reader through all these side stories, like the armadillo's boyfriend, who is a skunk that is terrorizing the town, and a character who is running for a Texas Senate seat. Only about 5-10% of the book really had anything to do with the murder. Every time you started to forget about Maddie's murder, the author would bring in a scene with Maddie's brother, Tiny, to remind you. It was like the author was trying to distract you from the whole purpose of the story or from figuring out who the killer was. However, no amount of distractions could make you not realize who the murderer was, as it was a random character who wasn't part of the main group of characters, who kept showing up in different scenes. Also, the killer's reason for killing the victim seemed to have no backstory to support it. It was a crime of passion, but the reader would have had no knowledge of such a passion existing (unless that was mentioned in one of the previous books in the series). While this story was cute, it lacked the compelling thrill that mysteries are suppose to have.

Killer Classics, the latest Book Barn mystery by Kym Roberts, starts off with a bang and keeps going. As always, Roberts builds on the established characters and makes sure the town itself is a character in its own right. Charli, of course, gets herself into situations she shouldn’t, but somehow that makes her all the more relatable. The mystery is engaging and will keep you guessing until the very end. This is one of my favorite cozy series.

I voluntarily reviewed and ARC of this novel.

Princess aka Charli Rae once again finds herself and the Book Barn in the middle of a mystery in this fifth outing in the Book Barn mystery series. This time around, Charli has organized a book club. The book they're reading has disturbing similarities to people and places in the town of Hazel Rock, TX. But, the similarities don't end there, a murder occurs that could be right out of the book. And Charli Rae's good friend Sugar becomes the prime suspect when her nemesis is found dead.

There are sufficient subplots to fill out the story including some romance. The mayor's candidacy for political office becomes an important part of the story as well.

The characters are interesting and many are well developed especially, of course, Charli Rae and her friends and family. Life in smalltown Hazel Rock proves interesting because of the characters and their actions.

The book moves along at a good pace. Charli's meddling ways move it forward as she investigates to help clear her friend. As it nears the end, the pace picks up and ends on a high note.

I give this cozy 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written and interesting. The pace moves along at a good speed. And the mystery is resolved satisfactorily. I enjoyed the subplots as well. While this is the fifth book in the Book Barn series, enough background is given for you to enjoy it as a standalone. If you like a good smalltown cozy, then this book would be a good choice for you.

Killer Classics by Kym Roberts was published December 4th, 2018 from Lyrical Underground.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Killer Classics by Kym Roberts is the 5th book in A Book Barn Mystery series, and another fun addition. I loved this book! I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. There are a lot of twists and turns that kept me reading. There is a wonderful mixture of mystery, suspense, friendship, and romance for a well-balanced story. If you love cozy mysteries and pink armadillos, I strongly recommend this book/series, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.