Again, a cast of characters that is much too large. Intertwined so randomly and unbelievably. Essentially, 3 mysterious taking place, and none of them very interesting. Too much repetition with certain phrases. And bad things done by good people that we are supposed to automatically forgive, but I do not.

My reaction to the first in the series was ambivalent at best. I did not see myself pursuing this series further, but for some reason, I decided to give the second one a shot, and I was really glad that I did.
One of the problems I had with the first was the pacing. This time around, since all the people and their interpersonal relationships had already been broached to some degree, I felt like the pacing improved. The latter could apply to our lead protagonist's life as well. She has been living in the same town for a while, but as long as her husband was alive, they did not venture out much to be part of the local community. Now, left alone, she is struggling to find her place in the larger picture, especially since she wants to belong.
She is known for her daring antics in solving the previous case. I would not recommend starting this without having read the first because, for once, an author writing in this genre does not go into the backstories of the people we encounter. I actually appreciated it because there were more stories to come, and if put together, it might have been a little too much to go through in one book.
This is a plot with several parts. We have Bianca with her plans for her life and fighting her attraction to the not-so-happily married sheriff, and we have one-half of the couple who run the local Inn trying to keep his past under wraps. There is also the romance or lack thereof of old friends and a lot more romantic plots that will surface by the time the plot ends.
The main mystery is of an age-old death, recently discovered and the myriad of solutions provided by multiple people. I found the way that part of the story unfolded to be the highlight of the book. It continues at the slow pace that the book maintains, but you get a feel for the people and the sense of connection that they all hold for each other.
I will not talk about the main quality that they showed because that would reveal more than I usually give away in my reviews.
I would actually recommend this series to those on the lookout for cozy mysteries whose leading lady does not fall between the spunky young returnee to town or the aged Marple-type protagonist and not featuring characters from either end of that spectrum.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This is an interesting mix of mystery and drama as relationships are described - and tested - in a small village setting. I really enjoyed the sense of apprehension and discovery as characters rummaged through attics and found more than they expected,

This book was a very good read I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nothing like a good rummage through an attic to come across secrets galore and that’s only the start of it..

A storm and flooding threaten the village as strangers arrive for a charity auction.
Forced together, couple and friends are forced to face relationship issues. Secrets surface. Told in alternating poinrs of view this book was clear and the story easy to follow. So many entangled secrets, the tension kept building. It kept my curiosity up throughout the entire book.

I am not ususally over sensitive to pressure put on law enforcement but I really felt for Mike.

Another mystery book that win my heart.

When first time I pick up this book I have a feeling that it will be your cozy type and you should enjoy it with your afternoon tea and I was right.

This is the coziest mystery book i have read but we still get a sense of thrill, tense, curious and waiting for what will happen next. each character's personality here is really compliment to each other even some of relationship I do get confused but it's probably my lack that didn't read the first series of this book.

The slow burn pacing is very well done and the writing is really make you calm that I sometimes get sleepy but don't worry it's not taking you long.

I thoroughly enjoyed a whole book and I honestly like it when a book has a setting of a small community specially countryside and the author can successfully pull the readers in as we part of them, it's giving you a good second break from our reality

I wasn’t sure what to to expect when I picked this up. Something like a cosy-murder-mystery. And
That’s exactly what it was but set in small town America.
This was a great, quick read. Thoroughly enjoyable and well written. I would definitely read more from this author.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Level Best Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Vibrant imagery, cunning characters, a story you won't want to put down. Perfectly paced, a story that will stay with you well after you finish.

This novel takes place in a picturesque fictional Catskill Mountains lakeside village. As the novel opens, the villagers are collecting items for their annual charity sale, dredging up memories and secrets, setting the tone for what is to come. Heavy rains threaten to flood the village so everyone brings their essentials and packs into the community center to seek refuge. Volunteers go out to stack sandbags on the riverbank and discover a body in the shallow water. Sheriff Mike Riley and librarian Bianca St. Denis pair up to investigate the mystery. Tensions rise among the villagers packed into close quarters and secrets threaten to come out. I enjoyed this mystery and felt like I got to know so many of the villagers through deft characterization.