A jar of sparkly baubles that Cora bought for five bucks from an estate sale reveals what appears to be a family heirloom and she decides to return it to the family because she's sure they'll want it back. Sure enough that she won't take no for an answer and insists on contacting several different family members and dredging up unwanted memories. I didn't love this one. The mystery isn't that compelling and it has which had a small town, Hallmark Movie sort of fee to it, without the fun. Cora is insensitive to anyone else's feelings and feels like a two dimennsional character.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This was a DNF for me. I just couldn't get into the book and it felt quite juvenile and flat.

"Small towns are filled with secrets, and some should just stay hidden."

When Cora finds a pair of wedding rings in a jar of baubles at an estate sale, she becomes determined to return them. However, as she attempts to track down the owner, she stumbles into a seventy-year-old mystery involving the disappearance of a woman.

"Secrets have a weight all their own. Some believe that when a person dies, they lose twenty-one grams—the weight of a human soul. Cora had to believe that secrets weighed much more."

This was a fairly quick and enjoyable read, the kind of book you don’t put much thought into. I enjoyed both female main characters, Cora and Clarity, and they seemed really natural. Their decisions seem in character for the people they are established to be, and they defy traditional categorization. I actually liked the way Cora stayed on the fence about whether she should get involved or not, as this felt realistic for an amateur sleuth who stumbled into such a sensitive case. Maybe Cora’s actions are not always what the reader wants from her, such as her choice to <spoiler> not confront Jack Manchester </spoiler> or her resolving to stay out of the case (and then staying involved anyway), but this felt very natural to me. The dual timeline was very well done, with the two working with instead of against each other. My two issues were pacing and background character development, but neither of these really impacted my enjoyment of the book.

All in all, it was a pretty lovely rainy, or in my case, snowy day read.

4/5 stars
includes: cozy mystery, realistic female characters
song recommendations: Locke & Key Main Titles - Torin Borrowdale, The Art Teacher - Franz Gordon

Cora finds an engagement ring in a jar of buttons and like at an estate sale. The barely legible engraving on the band sends her on a quest to reunite the rings with the descendant of the former owner.

A transplant from Southern California, Cora is still taken aback by the weather of Hickory Falls, a Midwest small town, and doesn’t see the harm in asking questions about former residents, despite being warned that small town residents' secrets should stay secret. But she unearths old jealousies, rumours of witchcraft, unhappy marriages, adultery, and a report about a missing woman.

Despite her fiancé’s warnings, Cora persists, endangering herself as there are people angered and threatened by all she digs up.

I found this book engaging, with Cora's almost obsession with reuniting rings with their proper owner. Author Lilian West gives us a dual timeline story, one where Cora is sleuthing, the other in 1953 when we meet a number of players whose lives become entangled, and violent anger is let loose.

The 1953 story is full of tragedy with a fascinating woman, Clarity, at its heart. Cora is a likeable character, and I did like her persistence, even though it ruffled more than a few individuals in her fiancé's family's circle, as well as the descendants of those involved in 1953. The story is resolved in a satisfying way, despite its terribly sad and a little horrifying revelation.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise for this sounded intriguing, as I enjoy books with multiple timelines - but I found the characters so flat and one-dimensional, and the writing very clunky at times, that I found it hard to keep going. This would have profited from a more stringent editing pass, I could see this really gaining from a bit of tightening up.

Pretty Dead Things by Lillian West, Cora has relocated her life from California and while getting lost in her new town find in estate sale where she buys a jar full of bits and bobbles. at home while searching through her newly bought treasure she finds a wedding ring set with engraving and decides to return it to its owner. The first one up is Bev who tells her just to keep them and looks stricken at the side of them but ultimately tells her to sell them or whatever. before leaving, however Cora insist Bev gives her her sisters information so she can ask if she wants the wedding set. When sister Ruth tells her the story behind the wedding rings Cora is still insistent she give them to someone. When she discusses all of this with her husband to be Elliott, who has grew up in the area, but has vaguely listen to Cora talk about the rings previously finally zeros in on not only what but who she is talking about and sternly warns her to stay away from the Shaw family. Cora is stunned an ask Elliot why, and he proceeds to tell her about the rumors of the woman in the woods, but needless to say this doesn’t stop Cora. Cora continues to investigate and learns that little towns not only have secrets but can be dangerous as well. The story is mainly of Cora, but has chapters threaded through from the early 1950s that ultimately tell all about the wedding set and its owner. I usually love stories like this and really liked the author’s writing style in the great pros. I love her imaginative descriptions, but I did not at all like Cora I found her insufferable I mean, twice she was told to keep the rings and disregarded the family’s wishes by continuing to look into this mystery, which ultimately was none of her business. having said that I still enjoyed the mystery and found it a great satisfying read. With the exception of Cora of course. #NetGalley,#LillianWest, #PrettyDeadThings,#CrookedLaneBooks,

This is a very intriguing mystery set in dual timelines from the 1950's to present day. I enjoyed the writing, the pace of the book and most of all the mystery. Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own work.

Cora is a bored young wife in a narrow minded small town of a controlling narcissistic dentist husband. Her life is stifling her in many ways. She is new to the small town and does not find it to her liking although she keeps trying. She decides to entertain herself by solving a mystery of the past. She finds two rings from the past in a purchase at a estate sale. Along the way of her investigation she meets many characters that expand her world and interest her in pursuing the mystery . I enjoyed seeing her think beyond her life and solve this mystery from the past. Cora soon is involved in the history of a missing woman from the 1950's.

The characters were delightful. The mystery enjoyable and the writing excellent. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to further reading by the author.

The story is interesting but leisurely, capturing the characters and their moments in time well. I think perhaps there are a few too many perspectives shared, which muddles things a bit, but the ending was surprising and satisfying.

I do love a cold case and am always a fan of digging into secrets. I was completely on board at the beginning when Cora goes to the daughter of the family who had the estate sale. The writing pulled me in with just enough descriptiveness and fairly solid pacing throughout. The mystery also kept me guessing and I wasn't really sure what had happened until the very end.

That said this wasn't a win for me. While I had no problem reading it and went through it fairly quickly I never could really say that I liked it and I definitely wasn't a fan of the characters. I was sympathetic to Cora even though she was frustrating, but I didn't really care for anyone else in the book. Her relationship with her fiancée Elliot definitely not one I was rooting for as he came off as dismissive and didn't really seem interested in her. I think it would have helped if Cora had her own life in Hickory Falls but instead it just seemed until she found the rings Cora was just sitting around waiting for Elliot and his mother to come up with plans.

I didn't dislike this book and I did find the pacing and the writing well done and always kept me reading when I picked it up. My problem was I didn't always want to pick it up and felt no connection to the characters. There were also a few plotlines - especially involving Charity's family and the cemetery - that I would have liked to have seen developed a bit more.

This mystery gripped me and wouldn't let me put the book down until the last page. First off, thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this cozy small town mystery book. The story is told as a dual timeline (present day and late 1950's) which gives the reader a much better depth to the story than if we were just hearing about the present day. The only thing that got to me was the the FMC realllly stuck her nose far into things where it didn't belong, but if she didn't then the story wouldn't exist. It's definitely not a deep book at all where there would be intricate world building or back story or character development, but for what it is (a cozy mystery) it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Cora has only recently moved from big-city California to this sleepy town in middle America because she fell in love with a dental student. Now he has graduated and they decide their future lies here, where he has joined his father's dental practice.

He is busy working and she knows no one in town, except for his family, so she explores the area and one day stumbles across an estate sale where a colorful jar of buttons catches her eye and she impulsively purchases it. But when she dumps out the buttons, she finds a set of wedding rings in the bottom of the jar and her curiosity is immediately piqued. Whose rings are they? And why were they so carelessly tossed away? Well, that is the beginning of an intriguing mystery, and one that the people of this little insular town are not anxious to revisit or solve. Along the way she meets and befriends quite a mixed group of women, all of whom add something to the story. And is her mother-in-law-to-be somehow involved? Or her family?

The book shifts between modern-day Cora and 1950s-era Clarity and the final solution will find most every ready surprised. I know I was!!

Unfortunately, I didn’t finish this book. Domestic drama/mystery is not really for me. I also found the story hard to get into and the writing style isn’t my favorite. Overall, could be great for other readers but isn’t for me.

In 2024,Cora is new to Hickory Falls in the Midwest, where she is engaged to Elliott and his family is from the town. Cora goes to an Estate sale, where she buys a jar of baubles. She opens the jar and finds two rings inside. This leads Cora to investigate to whom the rings belong to and she finds herself going back in time to find the owner. She meets with Beverley, Ruth and Hazel along her journey into the past. She learns of secrets, lies and deceptions run deep and not spoken off. She soon finds out about Clarity Shaw and but how she does fit into the narrative? It's an emotional read and a love story of young love. All the sub plots tie up neatly with a bow to a climatic conclusion.

Thank you Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for an eARC 😍

The story's about Cora, a newcomer to the charming town of Hickory Falls, who stumbles upon an old mystery while poking around an estate sale.
As Cora digs deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets and lies surrounding the disappearance of Clarity Shaw, a free-spirited woman who vanished years ago. I loved watching Cora's curiosity and determination unfold as she works to uncover the truth.
Lilian West’s writing is super engaging, and the small-town setting is so vividly described that I felt like I was right there with Cora, sipping coffee at the local café.
The mystery itself is cleverly plotted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. And the best part? The underlying love story that threads its way throughout the narrative. It's a beautiful reminder of the power of love to transcend time.
All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, easygoing mystery to enjoy on a lazy afternoon. ♥️

What happened to Clarity 60 years ago? That's what Cora is determined to discover after she finds two wedding rings in a jar at a jumble sale. This is a dual time line dual POV novel that's much more interesting in the past than in the present. Cora's role is to serve as a catalyst for Clarity's story, the story of a woman who fell in love with a married man. This has good small town atmospherics and a mystery that's just twisty enough to keep you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Lilian Wests Pretty dead things is an interesting cosy mystery perfect for those who love estate sales and vintage stores.

I love a good cozy mystery and so I was hoping to have this be a gripping read for me. These types of books usually suck me in and I have a blast!

However, this one just felt like it was lacking something. I did like the fact that we go between timelines and the idea was unique and intriguing, however the execution was just not quite right for me.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for my arc copy!

Pretty Dead Things is a cozy mystery set in the small town of Hickory Falls. In present day, Cora (who is engaged) finds some wedding rings at an estate sale. When she tries to return them to the original owner, she discovers the disappearance of Clarity Grey in 1953.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries. I also love estate sales and vintage jewelry and found the storyline intriguing.

This was an enjoyable read. I really liked the dual timeline, and especially was interested in the 1950's story. The small town setting was also appealing.

I recommend Pretty Dead Things for other fans of cozy mysteries. I will look for Lilian West's books in the future!

When Cora, new to the small Midwestern town of Hickory Falls, attends an estate sale and buys an old jar of junk, she doesn’t expect to find anything valuable inside, much less a wedding ring set. Determined to reunite them with the owner’s family, she inadvertently reopens a cold case involving a long-missing woman, about whom rumors swirled back before she mysteriously vanished without a trace. Though Cora tries to heed the warnings to stay out of it, she can’t seem to forget the mystery that has landed at her feet and is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to the free-spirited woman she suddenly feels so close to before she finds herself in too deep.

This is a wonderful cozy mystery that flashes back and forth between the present day (from Cora’s POV) and the past (from multiple POVs, leading up to the disappearance of Clarity Shaw).

I loved this book from the very beginning because it was a great blend of quaint and cozy, along with a powerful and creepy mystery. Cora and Juliet made a great team, and I loved them taking on the “old guard” of the small town. Having grown up in a small town, I completely understand how a)everyone knows everything about everyone and b)no one wants to talk about certain things. The portrayal there was spot on.

I also loved how there were several creepy, uneasy leads throughout the book. The author could have taken this in a couple different directions, and the flues were all there. It was great to see where it all ended up, and I was frantically turning pages by the end waiting to see where it was going. And it was on my list, but not my first guess - that’s the beauty of the red herring! Bravo!

Also, at its heart, this is a beautiful love story. It’s a testament to the power of love and its lasting impact. I enjoyed that.

This is the perfect book for a nice night in. It’s got a fun story and atmosphere with a good mystery. Highly recommended.

"A bride-to-be's discovery of long-lost wedding rings at an estate sale reveals the key to a decades-old cold case in a small-town mystery perfect for fans of Louise Penny.

2024. Recently-engaged city girl Cora is new to the small town of Hickory Falls. Still adjusting to the change in pace, she's delighted when she stumbles upon a quaint estate sale. Drawn in by the knickknacks, she buys a jar of colorful baubles and is surprised to find two rings at the bottom of the jar. When she innocently sets out to find the original owner of the rings, she instead stumbles upon a decades-old mystery.

1953. Clarity Grey should've known better than to get involved with a married man, but their connection went too deep to ignore. When he divorces his wife for her, they marry, and she gets the family life she's always dreamed of, with a new stepdaughter and a child of her own. But just as suddenly, her new life slips out of her hands when she simply vanishes, never to be seen or heard of again.

Clarity is labeled as flakey and a homewrecker, so nobody in town takes her disappearance seriously - until Cora, seventy years later.

Told in dual timelines, this engrossing novel exposes one family's secrets and the twisted lies that are hidden in small towns."

Jumble sales to the rescue of cold cases!