This is a fun, quick read. It's a delightful story, and a perfect cozy mystery.

This is the 4th book in the series, but honestly, you can read this book without the others. It's definitely a great story, and you don't need any prior info to get into it.

Florrie is an absolutely lovable character, and is the perfect coloring book sleuth you didn't know you needed. Krista Davis has crafted a Miss Marple level heroine. Delightful!

This series is new to me, but I do love this author. Florrie Fox is an artist. She creates coloring books when she is not a bookstore. Her boss is a wealthy author and he is remarrying his true love, a romance author. The wedding is a surprise to the guests. Many attending are old friends and authors themselves. The next morning, one of the guests is found dead in a pool. He is or was an assistant to Arthur Bedlinham, another author. Who would want to kill the man? He seemed meek and mild and an aspiring author but with no published books to his name. Florrie is dragged into the investigation in an effort to help her employer, John Maxwell and his new wife Jacquie.

There are some twists and turns in the plot. Many characters seem to be hiding something, but is it that they are a murderer? Who knows.

This was a fun cozy and kept me entertained. The writing style is easy to read and I liked the characters.

A Colorful Scheme is part of the Pen & Ink series. I have read other books in this series, however, it is easy to dive right into this book and get comfortable with the characters and the setting. Florrie is attending the wedding of her boss, which is held on the grounds of his home in Georgetown, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Prior to the wedding, the bride disappears and is found, a wedding is celebrated and then a murder victim is found. Many connections and secrets are uncovered during the course of the book. The final reveal was a surprise, however, I needed to suspend some disbelief as to how the murderer thought they would “get away with it”.

I enjoy reading this series and wish that that there were digital coloring pages included with the e-book! Overall, a satisfying read, one I recommend to fellow cozy mystery readers. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review

In this fourth book of the series Florrie is attending a wedding for her boss who is marrying a romance author. She soon realizes that the guest list is filled with a variety of not so savory people and some who will do anything to get to the top. When Arthur Bedlingham's assistant is murdered during the party Florrie has a long list of suspects that she can investigate. She soon learns that secrets abound with this group and finding the truth might not be as easy as she had hoped. Follow along and see if Florrie can figure out who the killer is before anything else bad happens.

Overall, I thought this was a really interesting read! I really liked the idea of being able to color in the front and the back of the book, which was really neat! This was my first book by this author. The storyline was pretty good and so much happened throughout it. Definitely recommend!

Florrie Fox is thrilled to be a part of the festivities as her boss, Professor John Maxwell, marries (again) the love of his life, romance author Jacquie Liebhaber. Among the many guests are authors, agents and friends, including literary novelist Arthur Bedlingham. The ceremony is beautiful, the party goes swimmingly and everyone is having a wonderful time until Florrie discovers Arthur's assistant, Evan, at the bottom of the pool. When questions arise as to whether Evan's death was accidental or murder, Florrie finds herself drawn into the middle of an investigation that offers many more questions than answers and far too many suspects.

Though the author provides a cast of characters, not having any read the previous Pen & Ink mysteries, I found my self confused through the first chapter or two as I struggled to keep the characters straight. Yet, once they all clicked, I found myself drawn into the mystery, looking for clues and struggling like Florrie for answers. Every turn of the page led to more puzzles to be solved, each chapter brought more questions to be answered. Until the startling, unpredictable and twisted conclusion.

This series just gets better and better with each book! Florrie and crew are back with grand events in store for the cast, but a murderer is lurking amongst them! A new detective has decided that Florrie looks good for the crimes and is intent on proving it, while the real killing may just be coloring Florrie as the next victim! Exciting plot with lots of twists to keep you guessing who the killer might be! The characters are so vibrant that they seem like real friends rather than characters on a page! I absolutely can't wait for the next colorful book to come out!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 4 in this series.

I'm a big fan of Krista Davis, and this series is a fun one. That said, this book was not my favorite. It just had too much going on and too many suspects. And frankly, there have been a lot of cozies with weddings lately and I'm getting bored. But that's a me problem, not the book's.

The other thing that bothered me a bit was Jackie's behavior. Here she is, remarrying Professor Maxwell, but keeping secrets from him and everyone else.

In the end, I enjoyed it and I look forward to more.

This is a very strong 3, but I can’t quite round up to four. I consider a three to be a solid read, and it’s generally my starting point for rating any book I read.

Because I read a digital ARC, I did not have the benefit of a cover to color, but that didn’t really impact the story line. I am a huge fan of Krista Davis’ Diva series, and pre-order each book as it’s released, so I couldn’t help but compare this offering to her other series. I simply could not feel a connection to the characters or visualize the settings the way I do in the Diva books. Although a cozy mystery, it just didn’t have the depth and detail - though I do appreciate the recipes at the end.

Krista Davis pens an illuminating tale in this fourth instalment of her Pen & Ink Mystery series. Set in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Florrie Fox is the manager of Color Me Read bookstore and she is a guest at her boss, Jacqueline Liebhaber's marriage to Professor John Maxwell. It's to be an extravagant affair and Jacqueline is a famous author. Many of the guests are writers of different ilks and capabilities, some wealthy and some not. One of the guests is Arthur Bedlingham, there with his assistant, Evan McDowell, a wannabe writer. The wedding venue is Maxwell Mansion, a huge property with a carriage house, attics and secret underground passages. There is a cocktail party for everyone but Jacquie has disappeared. Then Evan is found dead...

With a fantastic and smart protagonist, this was a great cozy with its adult colouring book theme. The mystery was terrific and I loved trying to work out whodunit whilst sipping my tea and scoffing a cupcake. If you enjoy a well-executed, creative cozy, I'm sure you'll love it too!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review. There is plenty of fun in the latest book in Krista Davis' series about Florrie and the bookstore she manages. This time a guest at a party surprise wedding ends up dead in the pool and there are plenty of suspects. Of course, Florrie ends up as one of them but she and her cast of friends find out the truth. There is more than one death and plenty of police activity, too!

I always have mixed feelings reading books about places I've lived but especially Georgetown since I grew up there. It's difficult to reconcile the place I know with the new one that's presented in the book and I spend so much time trying to figure out exactly where everything is and frequently come up short. Despite this, I really enjoy this series. It allows me to reminisce but also see the area with new eyes. This mystery was well paced with tons of new fun characters thrown in. I had no idea who the killer was until the very end and enjoyed my journey to the satisfying conclusion.

A Colorful Scheme is book #4 in the Pen & Ink series by Krista Davis.

Florrie Fox draws coloring books and manages a bookstore. Her good friends are getting married and a guest is murdered. Many of the couple’s author friends have secrets. Florine wants to get to the truth.

Florrie and her friends and family are wonderful, caring characters. The wedding was easy to imagine from the description in the book. The murder wasn’t the only mystery in the book and it was fun trying to figure out which ones were related. The new hires at the bookstore promise to keep things interesting. I highly recommend this series.

Thank you to the author, Kensington, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

A possible wedding, a missing bride, a deceased wedding guest, an intriguing mystery with lots of twists and turns and red herrings, a cool bookstore, a coloring club, a plucky amateur sleuth who manages the bookstore and draws coloring pages for adults....this book has it all and so much more! I enjoyed everything about this book. I was captivated from the very first page to the last.
This is book four in the Pen & Ink Mystery series, but it's easily read and enjoyed without having read the other books (although I think you should just because it's a great series).

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

A Colorful Scheme by Krista Davis is the fourth A Pen & Ink Mystery. Each book can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. Florrie Fox is back. I like Florrie as well as the rest of the cast in this entertaining series. This is a very much a character driven series. Florrie manages Color Me Read a Georgetown bookstore owned by Professor John Maxwell. She also designs adult coloring books. Jacquie and Professor Maxwell are getting married again. They invited five hundred people for a party and surprised them with the wedding. It is a lovely event with some interesting authors in attendance. The next morning, Florrie is awakened early by screams and squeals. Mr. DuBois, the butler, has found the body of Evan McDonald, Arthur Bedlingham’s assistant. The police find evidence of foul play. Professor Maxwell is worried that his bride will be a suspect and asks Florrie to don her sleuthing cap once again. Florrie will need to watch her back because it seems that someone is following her. I like Krista Davis’s upbeat writing style. It makes her stories a delight to read. We get to meet some interesting characters at the wedding. There are several known authors in attendance. I enjoyed meeting Jezebel Fish (what a name). I hope we have not seen the last of this spunky character. The mystery was entertaining. I enjoyed figuring out this whodunit. There are several good suspects and a red herring or two. I like how Florrie’s artistic skills are used to provide clues. While I was able to discern the who early on, but I did not know the why. I was eager to learn more which had me rapidly turning pages. There are some great revelations (I love twists) and plenty of action. As the story concluded, the various storylines all came together. There was a good wrap up where all questions are answered. I enjoyed the ending which has me eager for the next A Pen & Ink Mystery. A Colorful Scheme has drama, mystery, touching moments, romance, and humor. A Colorful Scheme is colorful cozy with a sprightly pig, an exasperating sister, an assassinated assistant, a frustrating sergeant, useful sketches, author antics, and a surprising secret.

A Colorful Scheme is the fourth in Krista Davis' Pen and Ink series, and the mystery is as twisted as I have come to expect! The favorite characters are here, plus a quirky new person. I love this series because it has everything I want --a good mystery, close knit characters, [for the most part], a great setting and pace. An excellent addition to the series.
#AColorfulScheme #NetGalley #Kensington
Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington for granting my request for a digital ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Once more Ms Davis writes a suspenseful, clever and charming mystery with unique characters and setting. Thanks to #NetGalkey and AColorfulScheme for advanced digital copy.

Release Date: August 30, 2022

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Florrie Fox is attending the wedding of her wealth boss, John Maxwell to his ex wife. The wedding brings out many authors including an ex FBI agent and award winning Arthur Bedlingham. While this would seem like just another event, the body of Arthur Bedlingham’s assistant and wannabe author Evan is found floating in the pool. Florrie is on the case but when a second victim is found and all the evidence points to Florrie, can she color her way out of the corner?

I really enjoyed this new series! I LOVED Jezabel (possibly just for the name but she is a super fun and funny character). The introduction of Jacqui as a series regular is also welcome and I hope to see more of both these characters in the future!

#penandinkmystery #kristadavis #acolorfulscheme #coloringbooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #cozymysteryseries #kensingtonbooks

Flossie becomes the main suspect when she discovers a body in the pool after the wedding of the Professor and Jacquie. She is also being followed by a rogue journalist who believes she is the Professor's lost daughter's child. There's a lot going on in this story, but you are able to follow the storylines because the book is so well written. Love these characters and the bookshop backdrop for the story. Well plotted with new characters being introduced. A great read!

I love these mysteries as they're gripping and compelling. The setting is fascinating and the plot is always complex and keeps me guessing.
I'm not a fan of Florrie because she makes me think of a 60 years old (some old ladies are more trasgressive) in the body of a 20something. It's a weird character and I always hope that she will do something totally unexpected
This is a good mystery that kept me guessing and I enjoyed.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine