Dollycas's Thoughts

It's almost Halloween in Georgetown and there is a special event at the Color Me Read bookstore. Store manager and coloring book creator Florrie Fox has invited Hilda Rattenhorst, a psychic author to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories. When Hilda arrives everyone knows something is wrong but when she announces she saw a bare human foot sticking out of a rolled-up rug not far from the bookstore they are all taken aback. Florrie dials up Sergeant Eric Jonquille who also happens to be her boyfriend and tells him what the psychic claims she saw. When he arrives at the supposed scene there is no sign of the rug or the foot. 

As Hilda gets to the middle of her reading she tenses, and declares "There's a killer in the building!" and collapses to the floor. Florrie thinks it may just be a stunt but fears it is the truth. When bodies start dropping Florrie realizes the psychic may have been right.

In another spooky development, the owner of the bookstore, Professor Maxwell has received an unexpected package that contains an eerie object.

It's time for Florrie to grab her sketch pad and try to make sense of all the clues so she can help her beau catch a killer. She also needs to help her boss get the full story about the "gift" he has received.

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I was very happy to reconnect with these characters and at the perfect time, Halloween.

I love that Florrie is a coloring book creator and she uses her creative side to help understand what is happening around her. It doesn't happen fast but when a doodle helps all the clues start to fall into place it is just so cool. I love the relationship she has with Sergeant Eric Jonquille. He tries to keep her out of his cases but he knows her and that her insights can be helpful. The rest of the core characters bring the quirkiness required in a cozy series. They are all cleverly created and interesting. 

The mystery has several light paranormal elements, which is fun in a Halloween mystery. An old mystery gets twisted up with the new one and Florrie is in the middle of it all. She notices things other people miss and she even happens to be in the right place at the right time to prevent an event from becoming dire in the nick of time. There are several twists to unwind and secrets to reveal. She follows clues to uncover a surprising component and that sets up a heck of a scary showdown.

Ms. Davis is a marvelous storyteller. I have no trouble escaping into her mysteries. The characters are fun and relatable. The settings are always picturesque. The mysteries are so well-plotted and intriguing. As I expected Murder Outside the Lines sucked me in and held on tight. It was definitely A Perfect Escape.

The unique coloring book covers in this series are an added bonus. Be sure to grab markers, colors, or colored pencils when you get the books.

I love the atmosphere of this story, the description of the book store and all the regulars of the bookstore. The mystery was good but I think relationships are the best part of these books.

Let's face it, Krista Davis is one of my favorite authors, period. I will read anything she writes. I love that this series feels similar to others but has distinct differences. One of my favorite things in this one is the skull moving! Oh, and I pretty much can't resist a cozy set around a holiday or season. Perfect!

Krista Davis is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

This is the third book in this series, but my first, and despite the plot standing alone perfectly well, I think I would have been better reading books one and two first, as there are so many characters here and I suspect many of them were established in earlier books as there isn’t a lot of background for many of them.

I love the twist on the trend for bookshop sleuths, that Florrie’s shop sells adult colouring books and that the cover of each physical book can be coloured by the reader! I also love that as Florrie investigates the suspicious and nefarious events in the story, she takes the time to draw the clues, victims and suspects, capturing her thoughts in picture form rather than in lists or a mind-map.

There is a lot going on in this cosy mystery plot – ghosts, missing children (and a snake), various attacks and murders, and a historical ghost/love story – so I felt a little bit lost at points, and I will openly confess that I was absolutely certain I knew who the murderer was AND where the missing snake was at least, and then I turned out to be wrong on all counts! As I read so many mystery stories, I was pretty impressed to be so thoroughly red-herringed, but a little disappointed too… I was quite attached to my theories!

Overall, this felt like a really promising cosy mystery set-up but I think I missed out by not having more background to the setting and characters, and coming at the whole community ‘cold’. So I would definitely recommend starting from the start, and suggest that this is a good choice for some cosy Halloween mystery reading.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

It is almost Halloween, and Florrie Fox, manager of the Color Me Read bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C., has invited psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories. Hilda predicts a couple deaths, one with a good sticking out of a carpet. Florrie calls in her boyfriend and policeman, Sergeant Eric Jonquille, but the carpet corpse has disappeared without a trace, from where Hilda thought it was. That night when Florrie is heading home to the carriage house, she stops to admire her neighbour's decorations. What she wasn't expecting to find was a dead body, wrapped in a carpet and partially buried under the coffin. It turns out it was someone who was at the reading, so he wasn't dead yet, when Hilda saw her vision. Is there going to be another murder, based upon Hilda's visions, there is. Can they find the murderer before another body shows up.

I really like protagonist, Florrie Fox. She not only manages the books store, but is an adult colouring book artist. She lives in the carriage house owned by her boss, Professor Maxwell and is involved in a new relationship with Sergeant Eric Jonquille. There is an added storyline to the book, when Professor Maxwell receives a skull and scrying mirror in a package. Throughout the book, the skull, Harry, seems to move around the store to add to the spooky atmosphere. There are more attacks with another death, and things are getting out of hand. There seem to be several suspects, but motives are thin. Florrie tries to figure out what is happening, and gets some help from some friends, but time is ticking. While doing all this investigating and working at the store, there are still a lot of Halloween festivities. There are walks in the fall air, a costume party, lots of baking Halloween treats, decorations and that skull. As Florrie and Eric begin to figure out who the culprit is, they run into a couple of brick walls. The showdown was exciting and very Halloween appropriate. Both storylines were brought to a satisfactory ending, and I was glad to see that Harry even gets what he needs as well.

I love to read a good Halloween cozy and this one is a perfect one for the spooky season. The characters are interesting, likable, and realistic. The mystery is well-written like all of Mrs. Davis’s cozy mysteries. There are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises as you solve the murder alongside Florrie. For fans of food cozy mysteries, there are recipes included. I recommend this book to fans of food, Halloween, and cozy mysteries.


All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been influenced by anyone.

I really enjoyed Murder Outside the Lines. It had been so long since the last book though that I felt like I was starting a completely new series. Florrie is a great protagonist and the author adds a little more facets to the character with each book. The mystery completely stumped me. I thought I had it figured out, but was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully it won't take as long to be released.

Book 3 in the series.

I am a big fan of Krista Davis, and this series is just getting better with every book. That said, this is my favorite book in the series, because it's set at Halloween, my favorite holiday. It has a spooky feeling to it, without being over the top. The mystery is well written, with a fun plot surrounding it. I really like Florie, and the adult coloring books she draws are a novel twist on the typical cozy profession.

I look forward to book 4 in the series.

This is book 3 in the Pen & Ink cozy series and it can be read as a stand alone. The Color me Read bookstore is going all in for Halloween including having a psychic author give a book talk. In the middle of her reading, Hilda chillingly declares that she feels the killer's presence in the store. Is this a publicity stunt or a genuine psychic episode? Florrie and her friends decide to investigate and find some of the locals have some big secrets. Can't wait for book 4. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed listening to this book. However, I will point out that there are editing errors. The human body, at dead weight, is extremely heavy. There are several others but I don't care to point those out.

Great addition to the Pen and Ink book series set in Georgetown. Davis does such a great job of weaving a solid mystery in with likeable characters whose relationships keep deepening and growing

This was the first I’ve read but the third in this series. I love that the covers are adult coloring pages, it is such a fun and unique tie in to the story. I liked the main character Florrie who works in a bookstore and creates adult coloring books that she sells there. Bodies start to pile up and of course the amateur sleuth is in the thick of things both in discoveries and her own efforts to solve the mystery. There is a good spooky feeling with his book which was perfect for Halloween. I did think he mystery was interesting and the cast of characters in the town were delightful. I didn’t find huge shocks in the mystery’s solution, but I found the whole thing engaging and enjoyable.

Florrie Fox and the book shop she manages are getting into the Halloween spirit with a visit from local author and psychic Hilda Rattenhorst. During the reading, Hilda has a visit from an evil spirit, where she learns about a body wrapped inside a rug.

Florrie calls her policeman boyfriend to share the news, but he doesn’t discover a body. However, later that night, Florrie and her dog stumble across a body wrapped in a rug, hidden in a neighbor’s Halloween decor.

This discovery sets off a chain of events from snake bites to throat slashing to kidnapping. Florrie and her friends try to make sense of the numerous mysteries. Are these events connected or is someone having some Halloween fun?

MURDER OUTSIDE THE LINES by Krista Davis is the third book in the Pen & Ink mystery series. This cozy will get readers into the Halloween spirit with the food, the decorations, and the spooky moments. Lots of twists and turns will keep readers on the edge of their seat.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was my first taste of this author, and I quite enjoyed this book. It held up well as a standalone. Had plenty of festive Halloween atmosphere. Nothing annoys me more than a book advertising itself as a "holiday cozy" and then there is barely a peep about the actual holiday. 🤬 Not the case here, thankfully! The plot was intriguing with plenty of red herrings. That said, I found it a tad confusing keeping everyone and how they were connected straight at times. The characters themselves were likable (and plenty), and the ending satisfactory. I'll definitely check out that next book in the series! 👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Murder Outside the Lines is a great cozy mystery with a holiday theme and a bookstore to boot. It is well-written and has great characters. A solid mystery all around. I have not read anything from this author before and really enjoyed her style.

Multiple murders, seemingly unconnected attacks, can Florrie connect these occurrences before someone else gets hurt? A great read that kept me on the edge of my seat!

Another fabulous installment in the Pen and Ink mystery series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC in exchange for my review.

To see my published review, please see the link provided.

I read the first book in this "coloring book" mystery series and found it interesting. I wondered whether subsequent story lines would continue to be of the same quality. This episode is different enough to hold my interest, focusing on mysticism and Halloween. Several new characters are introduced and make the story line unique. We also learn a bit more about the regular characters in this book. I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery, as well as the bookstore setting in Georgetown.

I chose to read this cozy because I was intrigued by the idea of the cover being a coloring book. There is nothing in the book to color and if the reader gets this as an ebook or from a library, there will be no coloring for the reader.

The coloring comes in because the protagaonist had a coloring book store. I know there are coloring books everywhere, but I find it amazing that there can be an entire store just dedicated to coloring books! Actually, she does sell other things like colored pencils, crayons, and markers. Again, really? For her repeat customers how often do they need to buy these things? The premise seemed a bit silly.

BUT the mystery was good. A "psychic" foretells a murder and one happens. A body is there and then it's not, and then it is found somewhere else. Who committed the murder and why does the body keep moving?

A fun story, but I don't think there was enough there to make me want to read more of the series. There are so many other choices that I feel I need to give others the time I might spend on more of these.