I enjoyed this one very much. The Jessup family is back together and reviving the family record store. Unfortunately a woman is murdered at their grand opening party. Then Uncke Calvin disappears after the sisters use the shop to guarantee his bail on moving violations making him look guilty. Will they be able to find the real killer and Calvin before his court date?
Well written with great characters. Clean, no obnoxious language or sexual content. A fun read that kept ne engaged from beginning to end.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Juni Jessup and her sisters pool their resources to open a record/coffee shop in their Texas hometown. When a body is found after their grand opening celebration and their uncle is the prime suspect – and then Calvin disappears – the sisters are determined to find him, and to clear his name by finding the actual killer.

This is the first book in a series by a new-to-me author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Fortunately, I enjoyed the story, the characters and the mystery. The three sisters who are the primary characters have their differences, but their relationship overall is enviable. I have a brother instead of a sister, and we get along fairly well, but I can’t imagine going into business with him :) The setting – a small town in Texas – is stereotypical for a cozy mystery, as is the relationship between Juni and the town’s detective. There is the potential for a love triangle here, but I’m ok with that as long as it doesn’t drag on for book after book.

The mystery here was pretty straightforward, but the reason for Uncle Calvin’s disappearance was puzzling. There weren’t many possible suspects to consider for the murder, but plenty of reasons were presented for Calvin’s vanishing act. As the story progressed, I began to suspect one particular character as the killer, and it turned out I was right. Once that was revealed, Calvin’s story made sense too.

I have already added the next book in this series to my to-read list and am eager to see what happens next in Cedar River.

Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke is the debut of The Record Shop Mysteries. Juni Jessup along with her sisters, Tansy and Maggie open Sip & Spin Records in Cedar River, Texas. It is a shop that sells vinyl records and coffee with clever names. The sisters are cleaning up after their grand opening party. Juni opens the supply to find a dead woman. Unfortunately, the detective investigating the woman’s death is Juni’s ex-boyfriend, Beau Russell. Beau is quick to arrest the sister’s uncle, Calvin Voight. To get their uncle out of jail, the sister’s put Sip & Spin Records up as collateral. When Calvin disappears without a word, the sisters know there is only one thing they can do. They need to investigate the murder to clear their uncle’s name and save their shop. Vinyl Resting Place is a cute story. It has all the elements needed for a cozy mystery. There is a small Texas town, a charming shop, inquisitive sisters, a murder, a relative accused of the crime, and a frustrating detective. We get to know Juni, her sisters, and her immediate family. It is a small town where everyone knows you and nothing stays secret for long. There are two romantic interests for Juni. Beau Russell, the detective who wants Juni to leave the investigating to him, and her high school BFF, Teddy. The mystery is straightforward. There are multiple suspects. It seems that everyone in town attended the grand opening party. Beau tells Juni to leave the investigating to him more than once. The crime can be solved long before the reveal. The whodunit could have used work. I was not a fan of Uncle Calvin’s business, Prankenstein (I dislike pranks). People can order gag gifts sent to someone who wronged them (would you like to open a gift and have glitter explode all over you). There are cute puns throughout the story as well as musical references. I found the pacing to be sluggish and the writing a touch stilted. There is a lot of repetition. I lost track of how many times we are told that the grandparents had a record shop in the same location. The book could have used another round of editing. The author made sure we knew the book was set in Texas. There were interesting details about vinyl records. Vinyl Resting Place is a hoot with a Sip & Spin shindig, a right ruckus, a kin who lit out, rockin’ coffee drinks, a sorry suspect, a cold coke, and sleuthing sisters.

This was a fun new start to a series with a colorful cast of characters. It’s clear that there will be a love triangle in upcoming books but nothing too overwrought.

I appreciate that the author didn’t assume whiteness as a default (aka the only time someone’s race is mentioned is if they aren’t white, which is the presumed default). It did feel redundant at the beginning when introducing a lot of characters, all of whom were described as white, black, Hispanic, etc., but it did help to establish the setting, especially in a place as diverse as Austin.

I did figure out who the murderer was very early on, but it was still a fun read and figuring out how everything unfolded.

In this clever and perfectly titled cozy, Juniper "Juni" Jessup moves home to Texas from Oregon and, with her two older sisters, opens a record/coffee shop in their small hometown outside of Austin. Unfortunately, they find a dead body in their supply closet during their grand-opening celebration. Then, making matters worse, their uncle is arrested for the murder. The sisters believe in his innocence and put up their record store as collateral for his bail. When he skips town, Juni sets out to find him, hoping to clear his name and save the store. To top things off, Juni's ex-boyfriend keeps popping up, mostly because he's the detective in the official investigation of the case!
As a Texan, once Whataburger was mentioned in the story, I decided right then and there that I liked this book a lot! However, there is much more to love than regional fast food in this one. Juni is a likable amateur sleuth with an enviable collection of vintage concert tees, surrounded by a group of quirky secondary characters. The world-building is fun, especially the punny coffee drink names based on well-known songs and the small-town atmosphere, complete with nosy neighbors. I really loved the record store setting, the vibe of it, and all the musical references. The mystery takes some twists and turns, and I enjoyed being along for the ride.
Blacke was a new author to me, and I liked her writing style. I'll not only be keeping up with this series but also looking up her other cozy series. Cozy lovers will want to add this one to their tbrs!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC, this was a fun read!

I loved the first installment in this new cozy series. We’ve got two possible love interests, a sweet tight knit family, small town charm, and punny musical coffee names. It wrapped up really well and there were enough hints to the killer along with plenty of mystery along the way. The record store was so much fun and the sisters make me miss my own sisters. Altogether delightful!

As a cozy mystery fan, I am always excited for a new cozy series. Vinyl Resting Place is the first in the Record Shop Mystery series. Juni is our narrator and, along with her two sisters, is reinventing their family's record shop. Unfortunately, their opening celebration has turned deadly, as the sisters find a dead body in their storage closet.

I like the characters of the three sisters. The author has given them all unique personalities which seem to line up with their birth order. Juni is the youngest and her family seems to be trying to take care of her to some extent. We also get a start to two possible romances, one with an ex-boyfriend who is now the detective working the murder case, and the other with her former best friend. The police are focusing on Juni's Uncle as the main suspect in the murder, so the sisters need to figure out what really happened to the victim. The story is twisty and I didn't figure it out before the reveal of the murderer.

I will pick up the next book in the series to see what happens next with these characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

When the Jessup sisters Juni, Maggie, and Tansy decide to follow in their parents footsteps and open their own record and coffee shop, Sip & Spin, they had no idea that the grand opening would be memorable for all the wrong reasons. Oh, the grand opening party is a great success but when it comes time to clean up someone is found murdered and the number one suspect is a family member, Uncle Calvin. Juni doesn’t have faith that the police will solve this crime and find Calvin. Besides selling albums, making gourmet coffee, and riding around town on a lime green tricycle,she decides to start her own investigation.
Suddenly she is seeing her old boyfriend Detective Beau Russell a lot ( she still has feelings for him even though he broke her heart), and her childhood best friend Teddy (who she might see in a different light now that they’re both all grown up). Between trying to save their new business, finding a killer, and figuring out her mixed feelings about Beau and Teddy, Juni is always in the middle of things, and a killer might think she sees too much.
This is the first book in the new cozy mystery series. It has all the things that I love in a cozy. An interesting family, mixed feelings about old friends and loves, a cat, murder, and a town full of new characters to discover. It seems like there are a lot of ways this series could go and I’m looking forward to learning more about this family, their hometown,and what looks to be quite a few quirky characters

When Juni Jessup loses her IT job in Oregon she moves back home to a small Texas town near Austin to help her sisters open a record store. When they find a body in the store holding one of their uncle’s business cards the sisters jump in to clear him.

Although this is the first book in a new series, the author jumps right into the action, filling in background information as needed. The story is well paced, has all of the traditional cozy mystery elements, and enough plot twists to keep me guessing. And the record shop was a fun and unusual setting, as well as being nostalgic.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

When Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie put all their beans in one basket to open Sip & Spin Records, a record-slash-coffee shop in Cedar River, Texas, they knew there could be some scratches on the track, but no one was expecting to find a body deader than disco in the supply closet.

Family is everything to the Jessups, so when their uncle is arrested by Juni’s heartbreaking ex on suspicion of murder, the sisters don’t skip a beat putting Sip & Spin up for bail collateral. But their tune changes abruptly when Uncle Calvin disappears, leaving them in a grind. With their uncle’s freedom and the future of their small business on the line, it’s up to Juni and her sisters to get in the groove and figure out whodunit before the killer’s trail—and the coffee—goes cold.

Music and mocha seem like a blend that should be “Knockin' On Heaven's Door,” but caught up in a murder investigation with her family and their life savings on the line, Juni wonders if she might be on the "Highway to Hell" instead.

The setting of this cozy mystery is so cute; I would love to visit a record/slash coffee shop. This is a cute cozy mystery.

I had never heard of this author (so thanks, NetGalley for introducing us), but really liked her and am interested in reading more from her. Her writing was clean and clever as we learned about the three sisters who opened a vinyl record shop and soon found a dead body in their storage closet. Since their uncle was a chief suspect, they believed it was up to them to prove his innocence by finding the real killer.

I could relate to this story in several ways. For one, I lived in Austin for several years and was very familiar with areas and places named in the book. Also, I owned a cat that I named Daffodil and called Daffy for short.

The three Jessup sisters are filled with optimism for their new record store. Even finding a dead body in the supply closet in the middle of their grand opening party isn't enough to make them give up their dream -- but then their uncle is arrested on suspicion of murder and skips bail. If they can't find him and prove his innocence, he'll lose his freedom and they'll lose the store.

The first Record Shop Mystery is full of likeable characters and the mystery was complex enough to keep me guessing until the end. I look forward to spending more time with these characters in future books.

I’m a lifelong vinyl collector, and I was in the mood for a fun mystery, so this book seemed like the perfect fit. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

I didn’t feel any of the characters were well developed. I liked Juni, our narrator, but her love interests had no spark whatsoever. Beau was an arrogant bully with absolutely no redeeming qualities I could find. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why anyone put up with the guy. Teddy was the exact opposite, practically a wallflower, with little personality on display.

The plot felt weak to me, as well as the resulting whodunit and why.

Pacing was sluggish, with lots of repetition.

I enjoyed the musical references, but I needed more to hold my interest.

I thought this was a good beginning to a new cozy mystery series! Overall, I would recommend it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Set in Cedar River, Texas, just outside of Austin, Vinyl Resting Place is the first book in a new cozy mystery series. Juni (Juniper) Jessup has moved home to open a record store and coffee shop with her two older sisters. Soon after Juni finds a dead body in the storage closet at the end of their grand opening celebration, her Uncle Calvin becomes the prime suspect. The Jessup sisters put their store on the line in order to bail him out of jail, but Calvin promptly disappears. With the future of their shop on the line, Juni and her sisters start looking for the uncle, and evidence to clear him. The author's pun-y sense of humor, quirky characters, a fast-moving plot, and enough suspects to keep you guessing to the end combine to make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Juni Jessup has given up her high tech career in Oregon to move back to Texas and go into business with her older sisters. They are reopening a vinyl record shop that had been in the family for years. All is going well on the opening night..until the body shows up. A local girl has been murdered. And the suspect is her uncle. But it gets worse. They put up the record shop as collateral for his bail. But then he jumps bail and disappears. If he doesn't show up, Juni and her sisters will lose the record shop. She and her sisters set out to find their uncle but also find the murderer.

This is one of the best murder mysteries I have read in some time (and I read a lot of them). I love the author's witty dialogue and dry sense of humor. It reminds me of some of Janet Evanovich's best work. The dialogue is crisp and the characters are well developed. I figured out who the murderer was about three quarters of the way through the book, but that was more of a hunch than any weakness in the plot development.

All in all, this was a great book. I look forward to reading more from the author.

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on December 27

Vinyl Resting Place is the first book in the Record Shop Mystery series, this was a new author for me. I found this to be a well-plotted storyline, surprising to be a debut cozy mystery. I found the concept of the record/vinyl shop and coffee bar to be an original concept. I enjoyed how the sisters worked together to try and help their uncle. I would recommend this book to others that enjoy cozy mysteries.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, in exchange for my honest review.

Juni and her two sisters are all set to open their new shop, Sip and Spin Records, when a local is found murdered in their storage room.  Their uncle is the prime suspect.  But in a small town like Cedar River, where everybody knows everybody, how long can the real killer stay hidden?    What a fun start to a new series!  I really enjoyed this one, from the cast of characters to the mystery itself.  Hits all the "cozy checkpoints" without being overly obvious.  I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Great new cozy series with a fun family dynamic. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, but the pieces still came together and made sense. I could do without all of the references to albums from my formative years being released before the main character was born 🤣 but I still loved the book!

I love cozy mysteries and especially starting new series. The setting of this one was new to me and the characters were fun! I loved the mystery and especially the author’s writing style. I can’t wait to read the next in the series!!