This was by far the best book in this series.
From the moment it began, the story gripped my attention and wouldn’t let go.
The story fast paced, with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you reading late into the night.
Savannah Webb is a strong character, filled with compassion for her friends who always have her back.
I would definitely recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers.

Cheryl Hollon
Down in flames
This is the sixth book in this series my favourite so far.

All the glassblowing techniques are so interesting and inspiring especially now the group are making glass beads.
Strong characters, good plot and mystery, enough twist throughout.
Thoroughly enjoyable book.
Many thanks to Kensington and NettGalley for my copy to read and review this book for a honest feedback.
Definitely recommend this book and author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I always have fun with this series set around the Webb's Glass shop and this was another enjoyable installment. Although it got a bit sad at times and the start of the book was a bit slow for my taste. I did like the mystery and managed to figure out who the murderer was. I also like learning more about glass thanks to these books and reading about Savannah's glass classes. It's great to see some familiar characters again too.

The start of this book felt a bit slow for me and a bit too emotional. I don't mind when cozies get a bit emotional, but with the victim not dying immediately and being someone the characters knew, it took a while to get the mystery started with the focus being on the loss and a sad hospital scene at the start. The mystery also was a bit slow to get started as it looked like an accident at first. Once the mystery gets started I got pulled into the story. There also are a bunch of personal issue and another sad scene later in the book.

The mystery was a decent mystery. It's a bit slow to start and there weren't as many suspects at first that felt right. I also felt that there wasn't as much attention and speculation for each suspect. I had a guess about who might be behind it and I thought it was a pretty strong clue, but they have no way of following up on it at first. Then at the end there is a clue that brought it all together for me, but the characters don't pick up on it and only figure things out when the murderer reveals themselves, which wasn't as satisfactory as having them figure it out.

There is also the case of Jacob being the only eye witness to the hit-and-run and him being mute and having memory loss for most of the book. While it made sense and felt in-character it also felt like a convenient way to keep an important clue hidden till late in the book. I was happy how it was a mystery you could figure out as the reader as I always enjoy doing that, if you pick up on that one clue. Savannah's connection with the mystery through her art knowledge was a bit far fetched on this one, especially as it wasn't one of her area of expertise. It did make sense why she would get involved and it is nice the police trust her enough to let her help.

I enjoyed spending time with the familiar group of characters again. It's always fun to spend time with character you've grown to know and see how they're doing. Although it's quite the stressful book for the characters. With a big competition going on where Edward's pub participates, but without his manager things don't go as smoothly. Then there is Savannah who is managing her shop and classes, supporting her friends and trying to solve the mystery. Amanda's mother is not doing so well so she's out of sorts and going to the hospice a lot. Then there is Jacob who is mute and has memory loss, so he's dealing with a lot too. They all deal, but I would've liked a few calmer moments. I did like the scenes with the new police station as that actually made for a bit of comic relief at times. It's fun to be able to get the police their point of view as well. I also liked to see how Savannah and Edward are doing as a couple. And the twin who always attend the glass classes are great too. The mystery was mixed in well with all the other topics.

To summarize: It was fun to spend some time with the familiar characters again and in Webb's Glass shop. I found the start of this one a bit slow, once the mystery started I got pulled more into the story. I also thought this was quite the stressful book for the characters with everything they have going on and it could be a bit sad at times too. I did like the mystery and I managed to figure out who the murderer was after an important clue. It was a bit unsatisfactory how the main character doesn't figure out the murderer's identity until the murderer reveals themselves. There were some fun scenes surrounding the new police station and I also enjoyed the glass shop scenes. All in all this was a solid read, but for me not one of the better books in the series, although it still had plenty of things I enjoyed.

Down in Flames is the sixth book in Cheryl Hollon’s A Webb's Glass Shop Mystery series. The storyline is well plotted and flows at a steady pace, and the affable characters are well developed. Not only has the author written a solid mystery, but she also addresses several social issues, including same-sex marriage, autism, and dealing end of life hospice care and the loss of a loved one.

Savannah Webb owns Webb’s Glass Shop in St. Petersburg, Florida, the glass shop that her father owned before his death. Savannah is engaged to Edward Morris, the owner of Queen’s Head Pub. Amanda Blake, the shop’s assistant manager and part-time stained glass instructor, recently placed her mother in hospice and is going through a rough time. Savannah recently promoted Jacob Underwood, a high-functioning autistic teenager, who has the unique ability to analyze and decipher things, and a service dog named Suzy, to the position of journeyman in charge of Webb’s Studio. Savannah had just finished teaching her first flame-working glass bead making workshop when Jacob witnesses a hit and run accident in front of her shop. The accident traumatizes Jacob, rendering him speechless and causing him to experience memory loss. The victim, Nicole Borawski, was a bartender and manager of Queen’s Head Pub, who recently celebrated her one-year anniversary with her wife, Elizabeth Hartford. When what was initially thought of as a tragic accident turns out to be an intentional act with possible ties to the art community, Officer Joy Williams and Homicide Detective Parker use Savannah as a consultant. As Samantha investigates, she learns that Nicole had a secretive side that even those closest to her didn't know about.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an Advanced Read Copy of DOWN IN FLAMES by Cheryl Hollon. This is the sixth book in the series, and the mystery is completely self-contained within the book. There are recurring characters and the reader might feel a bit as if they are missing some connections if they haven’t read the earlier books in the series. This was my first read, and my expectation is I would have enjoyed the book more if I had begun the series with the first book so I was acquainted with all the secondary characters in the book. The author does provide the reader with enough information to understand how the characters relate to one another.
I was interested in reading this book because it was placed in St. Petersburg and I was hoping for a bit more local color than was written. There were some references to the fact that St. Petersburg has become more of a diverse community, drawing artists and young people into the city, and I would have liked to read even more. The use of graffiti and other building art to enliven downtown St. Petersburg was touched on in the book, however there was limited opportunity for the reader to “see” the results of this trend.
There were multiple themes to this book in addition to the murder mystery. This included the prejudice and stigma some people in the LBGTQ community experience, both from family and from officials encountered within institutions; the difficulties a teenager who is classified as a high functioning autistic individual might encounter; and the stresses a family member might encounter when a loved one is in hospice care to name the primary ones. These served to add some texture to the novel, but on occasion veered into the arena of trying to impart information rather than character or world building.
The writing came across as a bit stilted, which left me feeling as if I was having the story told to me rather than having an opportunity to see what was happening. The information was interesting, and I would have welcomed the opportunity to encounter it on more of an emotional level than I experienced.
In this novel, Samantha owns a stained glass studio and is teaching a class on creating glass beads when a friend is run down in front of her shop by a hit and run driver. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that what was initially thought of as a tragic accident was actually murder. As Samantha investigates, she learns a resident at the nearby halfway house saw the incident and confirms it was a deliberate act. She then learns of a connection between her friend and an artist in the graffiti community who is suspected of having painted a forgery. These are bits of information are enough to persuade the police to hire Samantha as an expert with a connection to the arts community to provide investigative assistance.
Solutions for the mystery and other storylines seemed to wrap up a bit swiftly in nice, neat little packages. In at least one case, I was unaware there was a storyline until presented with the resolution. I was not surprised at the identity of the murderer, although there were few actual clues that would lead to the correct solution for the reader who likes to solve the puzzle. Overall, it seems the book has a good premise and potential, but the execution lacked as much depth as I would have liked.

Between the glass shop and the new studio, Savannah's businesses are really taking off. After the first session of her new glass bead-making class, she steps outside her shop just as a pedestrian is struck by a hit-and-run driver. When the victim turns out to be a friend, and it becomes clear that this was no accident, Savannah, Edward and the rest are determined to find out who was driving the car involved, and why Nicole was targeted.

This is book #6 of this series, and it has been one of my favorite summer reads for the past several years. I've always been fascinated by the artists who work with glass, and every book has made me want to find a class nearby where I can learn some basic skills.

In the current day of big box stores taking over everything everywhere you look, I love the idea of a community of small businesses who work together to build up their businesses as well as those of their neighbors and friends. The group of recurring characters make these books feel like I'm meeting up with old friends. Who couldn't use the support and friendship of people like Amanda, Frances, Hope and Faith? Although there were plenty of suspects introduced, I suspected the identity of the guilty party relatively early in the book, but that didn't take anything away from the story, and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.</i>

I loved this book. While the death of an important character was sad, as was the effect that accident on another main character, it was great to see everyone come together. I loved to see Jacob determined to overcome his limitations and face his fears. The ending was awesome, and the storyline was a reminder that time doesn't stop for anyone. Loved, loved, loved this book!

Savannah Webb runs the family glass shop and teaches classes in addition to being a consultant for the police department. When a friend and employee of her fiancé is run down in front of her shop, Savannah wants to find justice for her friend as well as help her autistic employee who has gone silent after seeing the accident happen right in front of him.

The book covers a lot of topics from same sex marriage, to autism, to end of life hospice care, and all are covered with the normalcy that they truly are in life, but are rarely addressed in writings. Well written and a good mystery.

This is the first book I have read in this series and it was a great introduction, with no gaping holes because I have not read the first five books. I now have a new series to add to my to break read list and will enjoy them.

The author threw me for a loop right from the beginning, and had me hooked from there. From the first mention of the murder, this story was faced paced but not hard to keep up with. I love how everyone reacted to murder differently, and how the author really took the time to focus on that and the internal conflicts they were having. What I enjoyed most was that I was not able to figure out the villain, not until the end and it was such a surprise! This series is just amazing and one I am completely in love with.

Love this series revolving around stained glass. As always, well written, interesting characters that have developed along the way. The inclusion of a disabled person in such a normal way is so unusual and appreciated (I myself have several). Wonderful read.

Love, loss, uncertainty, mystery and intrigue are all a part of this wonderful cozy mystery. I am in love with this series that contains a person living with a disability, something that is rarely explored. I can't wait to read the next in the series!

Down in Flames is a great mystery and you get to learn about stained glass. Well written and great characters. I would read more from this author.

I have been a fan of this series since the very first book, and now feel that a story involving Savannah Webb, her fiance Edward and the cast and crew of Webb's Glass Studio is like a visit with old friends. But now there is one less friend since Nicole, the head bartender at Edward's pub has been killed in a hit and run accident which Police Officer Joy Williams comes to realize is not an accident at all, but murder. Savannah and her friends get involved in the investigation because Nicole is a friend and also because her assistant Jacob, who is autistic, witnessed the crime and it has led to a regression in his behavior. When Savannah uncovers the fact that Nicole was a budding graffiti artist with an obsession with the artist SNARK, a art connection to the crime emerges which allows her to become a consultant to the police department. This is a compelling story but so much more - it emerges you in the world of stained glass creation and is a great learning experience for anyone with an interest in that art form. It's also a story of friendship, families and the different forms of love that define us as human. I highly recommend it.