So far I have only come across one other series that features a trio of sisters and I must say that the Shepherd sisters are every bit as good as the Swensen sisters. This story instantly draws you in with the horrific crime of the statue beheading followed by a murder. There is a lot of smart to go with that art that that Savannah teaches to the school kids as she uses her skills of observation to notice that the things are off just enough to not be right. Plenty of suspects to choose from after all, there is an ex-wife, a disgruntled son, some hinky business dealings, and political plotting. While this is the second book in the new series, it takes no time to figure out who is who in the cast of characters. All three Shepherd sisters are unique and vibrant ladies who work well together, much like a picture with balanced colors. The usual cozy story must-haves are present including the splash of romance that makes you feel as warm and gooey as a rhurbarb pie, which happens to be the recipe found at the back of the book. By the way, this pie pairs quite well with a yooper hand pie, which is not only mentioned but also described in such a way that I had to look it up and make one. This was my first Shepherd Sister Mystery and my first time trying both rhubarb and rutabaga.

This cozy mystery has all the Hallmarks of a good read (see what I did there? LOL) - a small town, a family that gets along and loves each other, and a mystery that keeps the pages turning! It was fun to catch up with the Shepherd sisters and I'm looking forward to the next book! If you're a fan of the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel, you'll enjoy this book!

When Savanna Shepherd discovered councilman/mayoral candidate/friend John Bellamy's murdered body and then heard that the police had arrested a local chef she'd known for years, she couldn't help but be drawn into the investigation. Carson, Michigan is a small town on the shores of the lake and is home to some interesting characters. This is a good mystery that kept me guessing to the end. I really enjoyed this second book in the Shepherd Sisters series.

Savanah Shepherd has returned to her hometown of Carson, Michigan, working as an elementary school art teacher and serving as the head of the prestigious Art in the Park festival for its first year in Carson. When she discovers serious damage to the statue of the town’s favorite ancestor and then stumbles across the body of one of the members of the city council, mayoral candidate John Bellamy, she’s drawn into the jealousy, deception, and fraud of a small town.

This is the second Shepherd Sisters mystery and part of the Hallmark Publishing Cozy Mystery series, but it stands on its own with only minor references to events in the first Shepherd Sisters mystery. There are several red herrings, interesting characters who aren’t necessarily who they seem and a dash of romance with the new doctor in town. I found the book a quick read but not simplistic. Just enjoyable.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, but the opinion is my own.

Savanna Shepherd, an art expert turned elementary art teacher, is planning the Art in the Park festival for her hometown of Carson. But apparently, someone isn’t happy that Carson got to host the event: the beloved statue in the park is destroyed. Not long after, Savanna finds the dead body of one of the people on the planning committee.

Savanna and her sisters are convinced that the arrested murder suspect didn’t do it, despite strong evidence to the contrary. With the help of Dr. Aidan Gallager, Savanna’s new romantic interest, they uncover hidden resentments and intrigue. Several people in Carson had a motive for the murder. Can they find out which one of them is behind the framing of an innocent person

This is a good book to take to the beach or set in front of a fire. There is a mystery involved in the book as well as the beginning of a romance between Aidan and Savanna. All Savanna wants to do is hold Art in the Park. Little did she know that she would be investigating a beheaded statue, vandalism to her car, and to top it off a murder. Who would what to kill one of the planning committee members. The more she digs into the background of the victim the more suspects she finds.

I was given this book by Hallmark Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Cozy Hallmark Mystery on the Shores of Lake Michigan
This is a wonderful cozy mystery that is part of the Shepherd Sisters Mysteries. There are so many neat background pieces to this story! There 3 sisters that are separated by 2 years each. The oldest is an attorney who is married with a child. The middle sister is an elementary school art teacher. The youngest runs a dog grooming salon. Their parents also live in this small beachside town. A murder brings out all things crazy. And, without revealing anything important, this is a great mystery! I always enjoy a cozy mystery that does not go overboard describing every meal, every bottle of wine, and/or every outfit of clothing ad nauseam. I loved the first book in the series and this one may be better. I want to read everything that this author writes. I truly hope that this series becomes Hallmark mystery movies. In reading the book, one can easily envision the scene as played out on the screen. The story is sweet and clean with a great deal of humor. There is no on-screen violence or intimacy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, clean mystery with a good and surprising ending. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book in the Hallmark "Shepherd Sisters" Mystery series. The mystery was well-written and I like the way the characters interact.

The only reason that I gave it 4 stars rather was 5 was that I felt that sometimes the description was a but too detailed and slowed the story down.

I'm pretty impressed by this new series from Hallmark Publishing. This is the second in the series, billed as a cozy mystery, and it's really well-done. (Higher quality than the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, honestly, though I do have a weak spot for them.) The Michigan setting doesn't hurt. I'll definitely be following the Shepherd Sisters in their further adventures.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Behind the Frame is the second book in Tracy Gardner’s Shepherd Sisters mystery series. Art authenticator, now art teacher, Savanna Shepherd has been instrumental in gaining their small lakeside town of Carson, Michigan, the prestigious Art in the Park event. Savanna has worked with her good friend and former colleague, Britt Nash, and Councilman John Bellamy to organize this event with a very special banquet for supporters and sponsors. The night after the banquet, when Savanna goes to meet with the Councilman to work on some event details, she sees him through the window sprawled on the floor and immediately calls 911. She fears he has fallen or perhaps had a heart attack, but what the emergency workers discover is that he has been murdered and the knife that did the deed belongs to the chef that had catered the event the night before.

When Savanna’s sister Skylar becomes the Chef’s attorney, Savanna and Sydney sign on to help their sister however they can. Once again Ms. Gardner has woven an intriguing tale of the victim’s family secrets and political hijinks of opponents as it twists such that the reader is still following clues when all is revealed. Along with a wonderfully spun mystery, this series is also a well done story of the Shepherd family and those in their lives. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Behind the Frame: A Shepherd Sisters Mystery from Hallmark Publishing by Tracy Gardner
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: August 11, 2020
🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍
Behind the Frame is the second book in the Shepard Sisters Mysteries series.

I really enjoyed this book! I will definitely be reading the first book in the series, Out of the Picture, and any future books released with the Shepard Sisters.

I loved the characters in this story and their interactions with each other. I quickly came to feel invested in what happened to Savanna, Sydney, Skylar and their friends and family.

This was such a great cozy mystery, filled with suspense, humor and new romance. I couldn't help smiling as I read this. If you're looking for a great cozy mystery, look no further!

I'm so grateful for NetGalley, Tracy Gardner, and Hallmark Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very well written cozy mystery. This is the second book in the Shepherd Sisters mystery series. The book can be read as a standalone, but I think reading from the beginning of the series gives better understanding of the characters and their developing relationships I love the family feel to these books and the close, supportive relationships of the three sisters is so refreshing. The mystery surrounding the death of the city councilman was well done. There were twists and red herrings that kept you guessing.

If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, this would be a good choice. It gives you well developed characters that are very likable and a solid mystery Tracy Gardner and Hallmark Publishing have given cozy readers another mystery series to enjoy.

Behind the Frame is the story of Savanna Shepherd, who has returned to her hometown of Carson, MI, where her sisters and parents still live. Savanna, former art expert now art teacher, is leading the effort in planning the Art in the Park Festival for Carson. This is the first time Carson has been awarded the festival, and it would seem that someone is not happy about it as the Carson statue in the park is found beheaded with the an ominous note attached to it. Shortly after the statue is found beheaded, town councilman John Bellamy is murdered. The police quickly zero in on one suspect, however Savanna and her sisters do not believe the suspect possible of the deed and take it upon themselves to defend the person they feel is wrongly accused, as well as to find the real culprit.

In the midst of all of this is the developing relationship between Savanna and Dr. Aidan Gallager, the hometown doctor. There are many twists and turns, numerous possible suspects and as Savanna begins to unravel the murder, she quickly becomes a target.

This is the second book in a series and stands alone, as the author does a great job bringing the reader "up to speed" on the characters . Hallmark Publishing has done a wonderful job with this "cozy mystery with a bit of romance." The reader quickly gets drawn into the story, into the life of Savanna and her family, and is behind Savanna all the way in bringing a successful Art in the Park to Carson, as well as solving the murder! Looking forward to further adventures with Savanna!

Behind the Frame is definitely Hallmark worthy. It’s got charm, great characters, a beautiful setting, and a puzzling mystery. I love that though Savanna Shepherd is the main character, her sisters Skylar and Sydney play major roles in the book. The Shepherds give the book a warm feeling of family closeness. Their parents, as well as Skylar’s husband and little boy, enjoy spending time together. My family is still like this, but I know it’s become a rarity. It’s nice to read books where family is important and honored.

Savanna’s growing closeness to Dr. Aiden Gallagher gives Behind the Frame its romantic charm. I think it’s so cute that they go on several dates before they even kiss goodnight; that could be due to the fact that someone always has bad timing and shows up at exactly the right (wrong!) time.

Being from Ohio, it’s hard for me to say good stuff about Michigan. If you know anything about college football, you know that OSU and UM are major rivals. During the week that they play each other (okay, maybe more often than that), we here in Ohio call them TSUN (that state up north). But I must say, it is a beautiful state. Carson, the town in which Behind the Frame takes place, seems like a beautiful town on Lake Michigan. Like most of the towns in cozy mystery books (or Hallmark movies!), I wouldn’t mind living there myself! It’s no surprise that Carson was chosen to host the Art in the Park festival. However, that doesn’t make their rival, the town that’s held the festival for three years running, very happy.

But, does the vandalism of Carson’s beloved statue of Jessamine Carson have anything to do with the murder of a prominent townsperson? That does seem pretty far fetched! When a beloved member of the community is arrested for the murder, Savanna knows that person couldn’t be guilty! In true cozy mystery form, Savanna (and her sisters) gets involved in solving the crime. I love following the clues right along with the characters and trying to figure out whodunit before the reveal.

I definitely recommend Behind the Frame by Tracy Gardner. It’s a real page-turner!

As soon as I finished this delightful mystery I had to get a copy of the first in the series that I had missed. This one works fine as a standalone. The first thing to catch my interest was the art theme. Savanna is an art expert turned elementary school art teacher. Her life turned upside town and she returned to her family in Carson, Michigan. She and her sisters make a great team investigating murders.
The town has been active getting ready for Art in the Park and it looks like smooth sailing until somebody starts vandalizing the event and one of the committee members is found murdered. When a friend of Savanna becomes the prime suspect she and her sisters set out to find the true killer. Turns out that the victim had more than a few enemies and the twists, turns and red herring kept me guessing to the very end.
If you are a fan of the Hallmark Mysteries as I am, I'm sure you will enjoy this series. The puzzle is satisfying, the setting is cozy and the relationships between family and friends is great. There is even the right amount of romance. The perfect stress relieving escape reading.
My thanks to the publisher Hallmark Publishing and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Tracy Gardner brings us Savanna, Sydney, and Skylar Shepherd. These three sisters all live in Carson, Michigan. Sydney owns Fancy Tails & Treats, a grooming salon and organic treat shop for Carson's canine population. Savanna and her dog Fonzie who recently returned from Chicago and restarted her life as Carson's elementary art teacher stop by with coffee and treats They are soon joined by Skylar, the lawyer in their family. They all gather and catch up before Sydney has to open up the store for the customers. They mostly talk about Savanna and Dr. Aidan Gallager whose schedules limited their time to get to know each other. She is also excited about the Art in the Park festival she is helping out with for her town. Their town won the privilege of hosting this year's festival. She sets out to the park to meet up with Britt Nash, a colleague from her former life as an art authenticator, city councilman John Bellamy, and a liaison from the Art in the Park state committee. She realizes that the head of an important statue had been defaced. When Savanna goes to the councilman's house to drop off some registration forms, she finds a visible leg sprawled on the floor with the shoe half off and completely still. Calling the police, Savanna finds herself trying to get away from nosy neighbors and ends up seeing Detective Jordan holding a knife covered in blood. This leads the police to arrest Joe Fratelli, the chef of a restaurant since they found his fingerprints on the knife. Because Skylar is representing Joe, this leads the sisters to start investigating the murder of the councilman believing in Joe's innocence.

Will they be able to figure things out before it's all too late? Will Savanna and Aidan ever get time to spend together or will their busy lives end up defeating them? This is another case for the Shepherd sisters to help solve!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for this privilege.

This is a great cozy mystery read! I loved the family feel of the book and how the characters were likable, relatable, willing to help each other out, and full of life. The plot was intriguing! Who killed the councilman running for mayor and why? I tried to figure out who was involved and what happened but was surprised at the end with the reveal. I also enjoyed the love story that wove itself beautifully throughout the book. I can't wait to read more of this series! I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy a good cozy book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

‘Behind the Frame‘ is the second title in the ‘Shepherd Sisters Mystery‘ series, a delightful Cozy Mystery that will keep you on your toes and making guesses throughout.

Really, everything you should know before starting is in the Cover Description and I won’t be giving away spoilers. What I can tell you is that once again we find Savanna smack in the middle of a murder mystery and the twists, turns, and surprises just keep coming as the victim wasn’t exactly what everyone in town thought they were. Although it seems as though the police have their murderer, Savanna isn’t buying it so the sleuthing begins which brings danger right straight to her own door.

The ongoing, developing romance between Savanna and Aidan is sweetly in the background, we’re aware of it and it shows but romance is not the focus of ‘Behind the Frame‘ – murder is.

I had fun with this Cozy Mystery and if you love solving puzzles then ‘Behind the Frame‘ is perfect for you. There are red herrings, some surprises, as well as the close-knit family that we knew from ‘Out of the Picture‘ just keeps getting more familiar as we settle into this series. I figured out the culprit just before the reveal, so it really did keep me guessing almost to the end.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Hallmark Publishing via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Behind the Frame by Tracy Gardner has Savanna Shepherd helping to organize the Art in the Park festival for Carson, Michigan. It appears that someone is not happy that Carson won the event because the statue of Jessamina Carson was defaced. On Sunday, Savanna heads to John Bellamy’s house with more art submissions. She finds John dead in his home after being stabbed with a knife. When Joe Fratelli is arrested for the crime, Savanna and her sisters work to prove the chef’s innocence. Behind the Frame is the 2nd book in A Shepherd Sisters Mystery series. It can be read on its own for those who have not delved into Out of the Picture. I thought Behind the Frame was well-written with developed characters in a charming small Michigan town. The sisters are friendly and relatable. They have caring parents who support their children. I like the close relationship the Shepherd family enjoys. The romance between Savannah and Aidan progresses at a nice slow pace. I like that they are not rushing their relationship and that it did not dominate the story. The mystery of who killed John Bellamy had several suspects who all had motive to harm the councilman. People are questioned and clues are obtained. The whodunit can be solved before the reveal if you paid close attention to the details like Savanna. It is great that she notices that minutiae that others tend to miss. There is a good wrap up where all the loose ends are tied up. There was suspense and action as well. Behind the frame is an engaging character driven cozy mystery. I look forward to the next book in A Shepherd Sisters Mystery series. Behind the Frame is a crafty whodunit with art in the park, a killed councilman, a bloody blade, a dedicated detective, a tire tragedy, a cute canine, and the Shepherd sisters,

I read and enjoyed the first mystery in this series, so I was happy to stop back in to Carson and see how Savanna and her sisters were doing. This is another cute small-town cozy mystery with some sweet romantic elements.

After the events of last fall, Savanna is very much looking forward to the end of the school year, and the annual Art in the Park festival. Savanna’s spent quite a bit of time campaigning to get it placed in her small town of Carson this year, and while it’s a lot of work, it’s also doing a lot of good for the town’s tourism. That is, until a statue in the park is defaced and beheaded, and her co-planner ends up murdered. The police quickly make an arrest, but Savanna knows they have the wrong man. But can she prove it before the murderer strikes again?

There’s not as much of the art history element this time, which I missed very much. Instead, there’s a lot of investigation of small town drama – the divorced wife, the jealous hotel owner, the scorned son, the scheming politician. It’s not anything groundbreaking, but it was still very entertaining with plenty of red herrings. One of the things I enjoyed most about this mystery, though, was how Savanna worked with her sisters, one of whom was the lawyer defending the wrongly accused man. It gave her a bit more of an excuse to be sticking her nose into everything, though I think there was the usual eyebrow-raising silliness that goes with cozy mysteries. I did appreciate that Savanna and her family weren’t the type to go haring off wildly – Savanna’s careful to bring someone else with her (usually a sister or her maybe-boyfriend Aidan) and her friends and family are constantly warning her to be careful. The focus on Savanna’s family – her sisters, nephew and parents – is my favorite thing about this series, as it’s quite sweet.

“Things felt too formal and polite between them. She hadn’t seen him in over two weeks. They’d texted a little, and talked on the phone less than that, but connecting was hit and miss between their schedules. She wished she could rewind to the comfortable, easy rapport of their last date. Every time he left, it was like starting over again when he returned.”


The low-key romance with Aidan is sweet. Aidan, the town doctor, has been flying back and forth to help out his old hospital in New York, so between that, his job in Carson, and spending time with his daughter Molly, he and Savanna have had very little time together. It’s frustrating for her, especially since she’s still not quite sure about how he feels about her. There’s a minor bit of an other-woman plot – Savanna gets jealous when she finds out that Aidan’s working with a gorgeous female doctor – that I found completely unnecessary. There’s also a bit of a side romance between two other characters that took up a bit of pagetime and I’m curious to see how that pans out.

Overall, this was a fun mystery with enjoyable characters and just enough romance for me. Very much recommended if you love cozy mysteries!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Behind the Frame is the second book in the Shepherd Sisters Mystery series by Tracy Gardner. Those who have read the first book like myself will enjoy getting to rejoin these sisters for another mystery... but those who have not can still enjoy this as a standalone as well. There are a few references made to events in the previous book, but nothing that would keep a new reader from fully appreciating this story on it's own.

In this book, we join back up with Savanna as a new mystery is about to begin. When she comes across her partner murdered, the small town of Carson finds itself once again at the center of a crime... and one not short on suspects. There are many possible suspects and motives given as the story unfolds to help keep you guessing. I found myself a bit surprised by the final reveal myself, which is always fun as a reader.

If you love watching Hallmark mystery movies, you will certainly appreciate this series. The same clean and somehow lighthearted despite the murders style that you find in those movies are exactly what you'll find in their mystery novels as well. They're not too dark, but an enjoyable and intriguing mystery nonetheless. I personally cannot get enough and this book was no exception. There is a hint of romance, but honestly I don't feel like it was a primary focus in this book at all, so those who prefer their mysteries without the romance would likely still enjoy this one too.

While I must say that the first book was still my favorite in this series so far, this was a good read nonetheless. I cannot wait to see more from these sisters!

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.