A Brush with Murder is the first book in author Bailee Abbott’s new series, A Paint By Murder Mystery. The book is set in Whisper Cove, NY, a fictional town, along Chautauqua Lake. Chloe Abbington has moved back to her hometown to help her sister, Izzy, with her new shop, Paint With A View. But a murder has the sisters trying out an entirely different art form, investigating.

With a name like Whisper Cove, I expected a charming, idyllic town, and I was not disappointed. But like any town, there are a lot of secrets, and some quite unsavory things happening. Vivid descriptions paint a picture of a placed I’d love to visit. Quite a few characters are introduced in this book, some you will love, some you will love to hate, and some you won’t be so sure about. As the series progresses, I would like to see more background information on the characters. It does seem like there the author was trying to set up a love triangle with the main character. I don’t care for love triangles, so my personal preference would be for that angle to be dropped. Cleverly plotted, with lots of twists and turns. I was very surprised at who the killer turned out to be, and why. That person wasn’t even on my suspect list.

There was a comment made by Chloe’s mother, in chapter 3, about the detective, that was never addressed again. Maybe that will be fleshed out in another book? I’d really like to know what she was talking about.

I truly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading future books in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good cozy mystery as they are fun and great escapism. I love trying to play sleuth even though I rarely predict the outcome. Cute cover and I was seeing this pop up over a lot of book groups on social media specialising on this particular genre so thank you so much for allowing me to read and review this.

Painting events have been a big thing in real life. So to make that the backdrop for the book is very timely. The book has several side stories going on which adds interest. The murders are the focus but as the story unfolds the back stories become more interesting. I thought the book was entertaining.

The path to true love and a career as a fine art painter in New York hasn't run smoothly for Chloe Abbington so she finds herself back home in Whisper Cove helping her sister with a new business venture. With Izzie keeping secrets and a local newspaper columnist causing disagreements and fallings out between friends it seems the small town isn't at all like Chloe remembers.

After the pre-opening event, designed to bring people together, ends with Chloe finding a dead body in the alley behind the store the new venture turns into a crime scene. With her place at the top of local cop Detective Barrett's suspect list going unchallenged and both friends and family keeping secrets, Chloe's old life in New York suddenly seems a far better bet.

This is the first in the Paint by Murder Mystery series and I wish I could say it was a successful beginning but unfortunately, for me, it was anything but. The main protagonist, her sister Izzie, and their parents grated from the start and the dialogue just didn't ring true. The murderer and their reasoning was obvious to me early on but I read a lot of crime novels which could be why. I hope this will be well liked by other readers as there is always a lot of work put into any novel, but sadly this wasn't for me.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I can't in good faith recommend this.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, particularly the 2 main characters. It's a fun and detailed story. I was surprised by who the killer was. #ABrushwithMurder #NetGalley

An interesting premise but this book just did not hold my attention.
I did not connect with the characters at all.
Standard cozy mystery which may interest others.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I thought this first outing with Chloe was okay. I like the small town world with an art focus, and it's always fun when a fairly despicable person is the murder victim. But Chloe's sister's unexplained disappearances are supremely irritating, and the way the killer is not just a killer but a gleeful maniac is a bit too over the top for me. Still, I think the plotting's good, and I'd give a second book a try before making a decision about the series.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Brush with Murder by Bailee Abbott details Chloe Abbington returning home to Whisper Cove to help her sister Izzie with her new business, Paint with a View. Fiona Gimble, who writes a column for the local newspaper, ends up dead after the first event held at the new business with a paint knife in her neck. It seems at first that Chloe is a prime suspect as she found the body and was alone in the business when the murder occurred. However, given the amount of negative writing Fiona has done in her column, there are many people with businesses in Artisan Alley who also make it onto the suspect list.

I liked the book well enough (3/5 stars), but I found Izzie to be annoying and very lackadaisical in the running of her business. On one hand, she really wants the business to be a success, but then she is always running off and leaving Chloe and Willow, their employee, to run things. Her not being there for the opening event where she was hosting her fellow business owners and not telling Chloe why she couldn’t be there was strange. I felt bringing Ross (Chloe’s ex-boyfriend) to town muddied the water and served no purpose other than to create a potential love triangle between Chloe, Ross, and Hunter, the town detective. I felt the detective, Hunter, didn’t have much of a personality to draw Chloe to him. I couldn’t figure out why he declared their business to be a crime scene when the body was in the alley out back. That really bugged me, but Ms. Abbott did address this with Izzie complaining about it.

Ms. Abbott did a fine job of throwing in many suspects with motives to keep you guessing. The ending was really good and surprising and she did a great job on showing who the killer was and why. I liked the characters of Chloe and her parents, but the rest of them not so much. Maybe that was because their actions in running their businesses was also strange in that they didn’t really seem too invested in keeping their businesses running – taking off all the time, closing, etc. Maybe in the future these characters will be more interesting as they probably won’t be suspects and hopefully become more invested in their businesses and community. If there is another book in this series, I will read it to see how the characters develop.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fun to read. I started enjoyed the story from the first few words. The book fits the description of a cozy mystery well: an amateur sleuths attempting to solve a murder and a small town setting. The characters were believeable , and the plot was good. Kudos to the author. I look forward to reading more of her books, and I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

Chloe Abbington is done with New York life (for now) and comes back to her home town to help her sister start a paint night shop. I love the idea behind A Brush With Murder! I’m a painter as well and while reading I definitely googled if it was possible to stab someone with a paint knife, this book was right up my alley. Painting, a cute town and a cute dog, what’s not to love? While the setup for the book is really great I found the characters to be a bit hard to relate to (The family seemed really privileged and maybe stuck up) and I didn’t always find the dialogue realistic.

Did someone hand Abbott a fill-in-the-blanks book called HOW TO WRITE A COZY MYSTERY with too many blanks for narrator internal dialogue?

It takes a lot for me to give up on a cozy mystery series, so for me to walk from one 23% in to the first book is unheard of. The main character is obnoxious and the book was just too formulaic for me, which was disappointing because I love the idea of one of the paint shops being in a series.

K ndle Copy for Review from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books.

I received an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new series featuring a Manhattan artist who moves to a quiet lakeside town in western New York State. Chloe once did fine art painting but now has opened up a painting event business.

Fiona a poisoned pen journalist does not like her work will be found behind Chloe’s shop dead with a painting knife in her neck She will be become the number one suspect and must clear her name.

She and her sister and business partner will dig into the journalist past and enemies will be found. Will thay be able yp find the killer before thay are out of business? It’s a promising start in the series.

This my first Bailee Abbott book and the start of her Paint by Murder Mystery series. The plot was good and she did an excellent job of slowly revealing the murderer. There were a lot of suspects and a bit too many characters. Quite a few of the main characters were annoying and I hope they will become more endearing in the second book. I'm curious to see what happens next in this cozy mystery series.

Bailee Abbott's debut mystery "A Brush with Murder" exhibits a cast of colorful characters with an abstract mystery that keeps you guessing.

"A Brush with Murder" begins with spirited Chloe Abbington leaving the drama of New York City behind as she returns to her hometown of Whisper Cove, New York. Her younger sister, Izzie, is opening a painting-event business and Chloe plans to support her. Things are finally looking up for the Abbington sisters, but it all comes crashing down when the body of a local newspaper columnist is found dead behind Izzie's store. Chloe and Izzie have targets immediately painted on them, but they aren't the only ones suspect in the crime. Several Whisper Cove merchants had an axe to grind with the victim, and Chloe finds herself wondering who in her beloved hometown could resort to murder. When a friend calls, saying she knows who the killer is, then ends up missing herself, Chloe realizes something sinister is underway. Can Chloe and Izzie unveil the culprit before the killer designs their demise?

Abbott's debut is everything a cozy mystery reader could want. Chloe's close-knit family is a showstopper, wrapping the reader in warm fuzzies whenever the Abbingtons share the page together. There's also a delicious amount of romantic leading men in this first installment. From the gruff detective to the mysterious new guy in town to the intent-on-winning-Chloe-back ex-boyfriend, Chloe sure has her hands full navigating relationships.

Whisper Cove is a character all its own. With charming shops and gorgeous lake views, Abbott delivers a picturesque town that has you longing to visit. I can't wait to venture back.

New author for me and what a great read and new series I will enjoy. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her books.

This first book in a new series for author Bailee Abbott gets things off to an entertaining and intriguing start! The main characters are realistic, complex, and relatable. The dialogue is natural and flows easily between characters.
The mystery quicks off quickly with what many could see as a justifiable homicide and the number of suspects keeps the reader guessing to the end. There is even a hint of a potential love triangle that injects just a bit of romance.
Just one thing that irks me about the cover - the dog in the book is not once mentioned being at the art store. Clearly, he's there on the cover just to dupe readers into believing he has a larger part in the story than he does. It's misleading.
Abbott has done an excellent job and will no doubt have plenty of readers anxious to get their hands on the next installment.

Thank you NetGalley, Bailee Abbott and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of A Brush with Murder. This is my personal review.
The cover of the book caught my eye, and I knew I had to read this book. This is the first in a new series A Paint by Murder Mystery.
Chloe made a big change in her life going from fine art painter to a paint- event business owner it was a bit difficult. When she was given a not nice review of the business, she owns along with her sister that she knew her life was going to be tough, but she never imagined how tough when the journalist who wrote the review is murdered. And Chloe is the main suspect.
With the help of her trusty dog-Max Chloe is determined to find out who is framing her for the crime.
This is going to be a fun cozy series to read, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

This is a great series with interesting characters. They are fun and free spirited, in neat little town of whisper cove. . The store front called artisan alley becomes the scene of the crime where Chloe becomes the main suspect. The screwed detective Barrett tries to paint Chloe into the corner. Chloes furry canine buddy helps by adding a little flavor to the story line. The story line gets interesting and keeps you wanting more.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I loved the characters and the story kept me guessing, perfect for cozy mystery lovers..

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of A BRUSH WITH MURDER (Book 1 of the Paint by Murder Mysteries) by Bailee Abbott in exchange for an honest review. Chloe Abbington is ready for a change of pace and space while she makes some adjustments in her life, so she moves home to Whisper Cove from Manhattan. Whisper Cove is an artist enclave, and Chloe’s sister Izzie has just opened a painting event business. Chloe has agreed to spend her time at home helping Izzie get her business running. The same night as their first event, the notoriously nasty writer for the local newspaper is murdered in the alley behind Izzie’s shop. Now Chloe, Izzy, and many of their dear friends find themselves person of interest in the killing. Chloe is determined to find the real killer before she, her sister, or one of their friends is successfully framed for murder.

I liked this book and thought it was a good start to new series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, art, artists, small businesses, tourist towns, family, friends, and pets.

#ABrushwithMurder #NetGalley