This time out, Juni and her sisters are fending off an investment firm which has already ruined some local businesses. Juni has a history with the principal investor, and it’s not a good one. So, when he turns up dead outside their store, she decides to investigate.

There’s a lot of good stuff in this series, although I found this book’s plot to be a bit weaker than the first two. I like the punny names for the books in the series, as well as the punny names for the different drink offerings at the Sip & Spin Records. I like the characters and how Juni and her family and friends interact. There’s just enough description of the town and its populace.

But…the love triangle has gotten old and I’m glad we may finally have seen the end of it.

Juni has a bad habit of letting people disregard her boundaries, not only Beau, but now one of the investors. She’ll complain to her sisters and friends, but very rarely confronts issues. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a grown woman who has lived on her own, because she seems to have regressed a bit to her high school days. She’s shown some growth, and I hope that trend continues.

Why you should read it: Great small-town vibes and interesting characters. The puns are catchy, and you’ll root for the sisters to succeed in their business.

Why you might not want to: Weaker plot than the other books in the series and way more love triangle before we get to what is hopefully the conclusion of that.

I received an advance copy from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I am enjoying my visits to Cedar River Texas and Sip & Spin Records. Juni is such a character. I enjoy reading her point of view as she interacts with her sisters Tansy and Maggie and the men in her life Beau and Teddy.
The sisters are having a bit of a hard time making Sip & Spin profitable. They are approached by an investment company owned by a guy Juni was acquainted with in college. Before the sisters can tell them they aren’t interested Zach dies.
There is an epic storm, arms and legs in the river and a stakeout. The mystery was a good one.
Juni makes some relationship decisions. There is a fun karaoke night. There are plenty of good coffee names and much more gossip spread in Rhythm and Clues.
I hope I’ll get to visit Cedar Hills again soon.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins for the opportunity to read this book.

This is the third in the Record Shop Mystery series by Olivia Blacke. The record shop is being scoped out by predatory investors. The one pushing the sell is found dead during a major storm.

I enjoyed the twists and turns this well-plotted story took. I felt as I were there during the storm and investigation. Interesting twist on the plot.

I highly recommend this series and especially this book. I was given an advanced copy and these are my opinions.

Juni and her sisters embark on another mystery after a huge storm knocks out the power and Tansy's car is run into, a dead body is in the car that caused the accident. The dead body being half of a group trying to buy Sip & Spin. With the other half sheltering with Tansy and Juni, the search is on for the killer. Lots of twists and turns eventually lead to the killer. I enjoy the interaction of the sisters in this series. I'm glad the relationship issue is resolved in this story and that Juni is moving on with her life by the end. Fun read and great coffee drink names help make it a funny, interesting cozy mystery.
I was given an ARC of this book in return for a review.

This is a series that I didn’t expect to love as much as I do. Of course I enjoy the setting, Texas, but I really enjoy the characters and the plot. If you have not given this series a chance, do so now. Read the first two, the dive head first into this third installment.

Ahh I love Juni and her sisters and her tricycle and everything in between! This series is definitely one of my favorites and I like how the author balances the mystery with the humor and quirkiness of the small town. Juni literally spent the evening at a hockey game with the victims before he is killed in front of the record shop. As she investigates the mystery, another mystery pops up and it’s unclear if the two are related. To top it off, Juni is still trying to decide between Teddy and Beau…I don’t know if I liked where that plot ended in this book but I’m more worried about if Juni ever got her Savage Garden concert t shirt and favorite pair of jeans back.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

Olivia Blacke is a new author for me and this is the third book in the Record Shop Mystery series. This was a fun book and I plan to read more by this author. This book can easily be read as a stand alone.

Description:
It’s been five whole months since the last murder in Cedar River, Texas, and Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie have been humming along when disaster strikes again.

Their struggling vinyl records shop/coffee nook, Sip & Spin Records, is under pressure from predatory investors, though the Jessup sisters aren’t ready to face the music and admit defeat. But the night after their
meeting, the sketchy financier is killed outside their shop during a torrential Texas thunderstorm that washes out all the roads in and out of town. Now the sisters find themselves trapped in Cedar River with a killer, and Juni is determined to solve the case.

When the river spits out an unexpected surprise, Detective Beau Russell asks for Juni’s help, never predicting her investigation will spin her into danger. Up until now, the Jessup sisters have been playing it by ear, but with
the whole town watching, can they catch a killer before he strikes again?

My Thoughts:
I loved the record / coffee shop setting and the sisters who worked together to revive this family business. This book gave me exactly what I want from a good cozy mystery: a small town setting, friendly characters with a sense of community, a little romance, and a murder mystery to solve. The shady investment company angle adds interest to the story and to the investigation. The two romantic interests competing for Juni also adds interest. I have to admit I like Beau the best of the two. I liked the names they gave the coffee selections, they added some fun. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good cozy mystery.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication on March 26, 2024.

Juni Jessup, along with her sisters Tansy & Maggie, runs the Sip and Spin Record Shop/Coffee Bar in Cedar River TX. She has been caught up in the middle of two previous deaths and is just trying to avoid dead bodies and figure out her love life.

Juni's luck runs out and once again she finds a dead body. This time in a car that has run into Tansy's car outside their shop. They were in the shop trying to rescue the shop cat Daffy from the horrible storm going on in Cedar River when the accident happens. They rush out to find a deceased Zack Fjord, whom Juni was acquainted with in college, dead in the front passenger seat and the driver missing. It turns out Zach's business partner was the driver and begs Juni to help find the real killer since she has become the prime suspect. What's a too nosey for her own good girl to do?

This book takes us a on a fast paced, can't put down story with lots of red herrings, suspects and great secondary characters. If that's not enough there is also a love triangle. Are you Team Beau or Team Teddy?

I have to admit that I lost some sleep not wanting to put down the book. I didn't guess the culprit's identity, so I was surprised to find out who did it. I can't wait till the next installment. Reading this series is like getting to sit down and visit with old friends and leaves me with a smile and a wish that the next one comes soon!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's for the chance to read this advanced copy.

“Zach Fjord dead you say? I didn’t think the devil could die.”

The Jessup sisters’ record store/coffee shop Sip and Spin hasn’t yet turned a profit, and Zack, an aggressive investor, and his partner Susannah, have the family business in their crosshairs. The sisters have no intention of signing a contract with him, and after an evening meeting with Juni, Zack is killed in a car crash in front of the store.

Torrential rains wash out the roads into and out of town, meaning Zack’s killer is trapped in Cedar River. Though Detective Beau Russell once again charges Juni to avoid the investigating the case herself, she continues to ask questions, and what she began to protect her family ends up putting them all in danger.

I enjoy this cozy mystery series for the fun record store setting near Austin, Texas, the interesting mysteries, and the strong bond among the siblings (plus all the great puns!). I liked that the primary mystery, Zack’s murder, introduced themes of business ethics and predatory investing. This book also has a secondary mystery about illegally dumped mannequins that is a fun addition. Additionally, by the end of the book Juni has made some personal decisions that were a little overdue.

This is the first book I’ve read in the series, and I didn’t have any difficulty following the storyline or figuring out the relationships. For the most part, the characters kept me interested, but Tansy’s over-protective tendencies toward her sister Juni and Juni’s love life got a bit tiresome. The three Jessup sisters, Maggie, Tansy, and Juni (Juniper) own Sip and Spin Records, a vinyl record/coffee shop in Cedar Rivers, Texas. In business for only six months, they are being courted by Zackary Fjord and his business partner Savannah Goodwin. The two want to buy a controlling interest in Sip and Spin Records. So far, the answer has been ‘no.’ Zackary and Savannah are well-written as business partners with possibly questionable ethics. As the story evolves, the murderer’s identity and motive become more difficult to pin down. There are plenty of suspects and red herrings to keep a reader guessing. Rhythm and Clues is a fun, quick read.
4/5 stars.

This series is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I look forward to each addition.

Not only did the person from Juni’s past add a level of intrigue this time around, the crazy storm created its own series of events and potential problems.

I love the music references in each book and Olivia Blacke got me again with all of the potential suspects.

Having lived in Texas, I love the setting of this book and how the sisters, while all different, pull together to help each other.

The family dinners are always entertaining.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

After reading this book, I've had the song the rhythm is going to get you stuck in my head. 😂

Juni Jessop and her sisters are trying to get their business at Sips and Spins going. When an investor comes to town inviting the sisters to a hockey game. Juni invites Beau, one of the two men she's dating. Later, a storm is brewing and Tansy and Juni go to the record store to get Daffy the kitty. When they hear a crash and find Zack the investor dead in the passenger seat and the driver seat empty. The police suspect Savannah had something to do with his death. Savannah asks Juni to investigate.

I liked this book and following the clues with Juni. With an arc I know it's not completely edited. So I'm hoping they fix a lot of the confusion I felt while reading. I'm intrigued to see what happens next. A good cozy mystery.

This is a solid cozy mystery series and the latest installment is no exception. Although a few plot points were pretty convoluted, I do love these characters and the setting. Juni is good at solving mysteries and definitely even better at getting into trouble! I wish I could visit Sip & Spin in real life! Definitely add this series to your TBR if you like cozy mysteries.

Rhythm and Clues comes out next week on March 26, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

Yes, I know I'm not a PI. I'm not a cop. I'm not a vigilante. I'm don't even own a car. But I do have a keen sense for a good mystery, a direct line into the local gossip mill, and two equally dogged sisters. Not to mention that I make a mean cup of coffee.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S RHYTHM AND CLUES ABOUT?
An old college acquaintance of Juni Jessup has approached her and her sisters with a proposition—he and his partner will invest in Sip & Spin Records, help it succeed—and take a good portion of the profits. Juni and her old (and maybe future) boyfriend, Beau, attend a hockey game with them for a little wining and dining (or beering and snacking) along with the pitch. It's not the beginning of a Record Shop Mystery that you'd expect, but it's pretty fun.

The fun goes away later that night when a monster storm hits their area, knocking out power to the entire town, and threatening to flood buildings as well. Juni and her older sister dash to their store to try to mitigate the damage there. Before you know it, the event readers were waiting for happens—one of the investors is dead outside their shop and Juni is the one who discovers the body.

The police warn her off—but the surviving partner has heard of Juni's previous adventures and asks for her help. Which is convenient—because she wanted to look into the murder anyway.

The storm has made leaving—or entering—Cedar River impossible for a few days, so the murderer is definitely still around. This could be a problem because it seems that everywhere Juni looks, she finds another suspect with plenty of reasons to want that investor gone. Will she be able to find them before they can get out of town?

THE INVESTORS
For various and sundry reasons (starting with all the roads being washed out), Juni ends up spending a lot of time with the dead man's business partner and gets to know their business practices much better than she did during their pitch to Juni (or her sisters).

While they don't do anything illegal, and probably not strictly unethical either, there's something about their methods that just don't sit right with me (or several others in the novel). As a mystery reader, we get to encounter all sorts of unsavory characters and actions that aren't necessarily illegal, but sure aren't good. Very often you wonder how realistic they are while hoping some fiendish writer made it all up out of whole cloth (but secretly knowing they didn't). I suspect that Blacke is sharing something that came up in her research—or something that people she knows have run into for their own small business.

I truly hope the latter isn't the case, because I'm sure people like this exist and people suffer because of them. It makes me glad to not own a business and have to worry about it.

JUNI'S GROWTH
She's been on her own for several years, and until an economic hit at her company led to her coming home, seems to have found some sort of success in life. So you'd think she'd come back to town as an adult—and she does, but she also seems to be largely treated as pretty much the same kid she's always been. And maybe part of that is just coming back to the place where everyone knows you as that kid you were when you went to college and aren't ready to accept that you've grown up.

But she's been coming into her own, little by little, over the course of the series—and arguably arrives in this book. Maybe she's just more comfortable in her own skin and her old hometown. Maybe it's the way others see her. Probably a little bit of both. It certainly doesn't hurt things at all the way she keeps finding herself in the middle of murder cases.

The important thing is that it'd be easy for Blacke to freeze all the characters so that they're who we met in Vinyl Resting Place for the rest of the series. But she doesn't do that—Juni's the most notable example of this, but there are others, too. I'm so glad that Blacke has taken this path, it opens the door up for more changes, more development—and will keep readers like me engaged with the characters and the stories they find themselves in.

In my post about the last book, I said, "I do worry that at some point the residents of Cedar River are going to decide that Juni's the Angel of Death having brought so many murders to town with her." They still might do that—but so far, they've gone in another direction. Particularly the first responders in town. There's a moment involving them and Juni that got me to laugh out loud. And I don't know how to say more about it than that.

JUNI'S DRINKS
Blacke's music pun-inspired coffee drink names are as good here as they've ever been, if not better. Now, I understand why she doesn't give us too many per novel. But I think she could give her fans some supplemental material—bonus tracks, if you will—just give us some of the seasonal menus from the time between books. Just throwing that out there as an idea.

THAT MOMENT
When it comes to a lot of procedurals or other mystery shows on TV there's a moment where the detective sees something or hears something that a friend/coworker says, they get this look in their eye and they dash out of the room, they've got the whole thing solved now. Gregory House was great at these—Temperance Brennan is the other prime example that jumps to mind (but I know there are many others).

It's hard to depict those moments in novels, however. But you can still see them happening—Juni has one of those here. Well, she starts to anyway, and something comes along to take her out of the moment. For most/all readers, we won't get taken out of the moment—if anything, we'll keep going with it and solve the mystery (or at least get a lot closer to it). Blacke really handled that well—a trick I wish she'd teach others.

While commending her for this, her creation got on my nerves because of it. Juni took forever to circle back to that breakthrough moment and finish her thought. I was so relieved when it happened without me having to climb into the book and shake her by her shoulders until she'd focus.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT RHYTHM AND CLUES?
Blacke is really onto something with these books—this is her best yet, and she shows no signs of slowing down (I hope she gets to keep going). The writing was sharp here, the characterizations—particularly of the investors, and the new people Juni encounters during the case—were on point and vivid, the mystery was her best and twistiest yet. The herrings were a bright and lively red—practically vermillion. The resolution was so, so gratifying.

This series is quickly becoming a solid favorite of mine—I'm never going to be a giant cozy mystery fan, but when I read one that works as well as this one does, I want to go find more. It's a very clever and fast read, with some heartfelt emotional moments and it brings a lot of smiles to my face.

I honestly don't know of a better way to put it or a better reason to commend it to your attention. Rhythm and Clues was as satisfying a read as you're going to find. You can jump on here or you can get the first two books in the series and have a good time with them first. Either way, I encourage you to track it down.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley—thanks to both for this.

Another win in The Record Shop Mystery series by Olivia Blacke!! The town of Cedar River, TX that she created feels so true to the real small town Texas life that I have seen. Each unique and charming townsfolk seem true to small town life too. I love spending time with Juni and her sisters in the record shop. When they happen to need to solve a murder, it just makes our time together even better. I feel like I know the town and characters so well, it surprised me to be reminded this is only the third in the series. Seems like I’ve been with the characters much longer than that! As I continue to read more and more cozy mysteries, I’m encountering series and storylines I don’t want to continue. THIS series is one I will keep reading as the author adds to it!

Rhythm and Clues is out March 26th! Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my e-arc!

A great small town who dun it story filled with music, coffee and a cat named Daffodil. It was a great mystery and the person who committed the crime was not who I was expecting. A fun read!

A fun third installment of this series. Juni and her sisters are once again caught up in a murder investigation; this time the victim is an investor who was interested in buying a stake in their family record shop. My favorite part was probably Juni finally making a decision about her love life.

Having read and enjoyed the author's two prior novels in the series, I was looking forward to reading her latest installment. Unfortunately, Ryhthm and Clues turned out to be a disappointment.

Rhythm and Clues started out very well. But what turned me off was the unbelievable murder that occurred. It was too far fetched and beyond imagination that such a homicide could even take place. And that is what blew it for the rest of the novel, besides being too drawn out. Try as I might, I could not get past 33% One star DNF.

I was invited to read a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

I'm not really a music aficionado. Especially since music-wise I'm stuck in the 90s.... Hanson, Chumbawumba, Robbie Williams! However, the Record Store Mysteries are really bringing me out of music shell, especially with all the vinyls the girls at Sip & Spin are spinning! They're also spinning a new mystery.... this one involving a would be investor, who is interested in taking over Sip & Spin. When the investor turns up dead in an car accident, the girls put their talents together to try to solve the crime.

In Rhythm & Clues the mystery takes centre stage, and what a mystery it was. For most of the book I was certain I knew who the killer was, what the motive was.... and I was wrong!!! This doesn't happen a lot and I was completely shocked by the final denouement. It was an absolute edge-of-your-seat mystery, and the perfect one to read for #MysteryMarch!

This is my third visit to Cedar River, and this series gets better with every visit! The Jessops have become one of my favourite fictional families. Sitting around the dinner table, getting to know Maggie, Tansy & Juni... and of course finding out what kind of mischief Uncle Calvin is up to... like when tries to pawn off a Vitrola that belonged to their grandmother!

Whether your new to the genre or a seasoned mystery reader, you need to have the Record Store Mysteries on your reading list. The girls at Sip & Spin will have you wanting to come back again and again for both their crime-solving talents and puny drink names.. like Jagged Latte Pill!!

.... and for fans of this series, I'm totally #TeamTeddy!!

The crime-solving sisters are back! Juni, Tansy and Maggie (Magnolia) Jessup are the proprietors of Sip and Spin, a record shop and cafe in a small town on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. They are operating their business on a shoestring budget and there is a high-pressure investor prowling around, promising them big returns. On a dark and stormy night, he ends up dead, and Juni and her sisters are once again called upon to help figure out what's actually going on.

This is the third installment of Olivia Blacke's series, and like the others, it is full of great musical puns turned into fancy cafe drink names, some familiar small-town characters, the challenge of moving back home after being away, and the challenge of running a business with your family members! Blacke has created a genuinely likeable bunch of key characters, and that makes this a consistently readable series.

I really liked book 2 in the series, because it tackled some heavier issues in the course of the crime-solving. This one backs off that a little bit, but still deals with the difficulties of trying to make a small business work. There are some fun red herrings in here, and I did not figure out who the "villain" was until the end. This is a solidly plotted, tidily written cozy, and I look forward to more.

Major props to Olivia Blacke for avoiding the "Stephanie Plum trap" that was a possibility in this series, and having Juni make up her mind between the two men she's been dating. Excellent move going forward (for this reader anyway).

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for the e-arc.