Death as a fine art

The descriptions of the characters are not seamlessly written into the book. Often appearing in as an afterthought or awkwardly placed.

The pacing was rather jumbled. For a murder mystery there was a murder that happened in the first 10% then was almost forgetten even at the 55% mark. For some reason majority of this book feels like it’s about a gingerbread contest, which would have been perfect for a romance book (but it’s not).

The last 30% picked up and had a much better flow. I just felt like some pieces could have been brought out more (mother-daughter dynamic, her partner Phillip, her role as a bartender, etc).

Also why was the bounty hunter killed in the beginning? It didn’t clearly identify who he was hunting down, and why he was wrapped up in the “big art scam”.

Overall not for me, but I appreciate the ARC. Review will not be posted on my Instagram, but only on Goodreads.

Intriguing and Engaging
This mystery unfolds at a bar and hotel where Avalon, the protagonist, finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation. Things quickly escalate with the arrival of her celebrity mother, a gingerbread house competition, and an art heist, adding layers of drama to the story.

What stood out most was the dynamic between Avalon and her mother, Anna. Their complex relationship takes center stage, offering heartfelt moments that complement the mystery. Although Anna’s fame creates challenges for Avalon, their interactions are thought-provoking and show potential for growth in their bond.

While the mystery was engaging and had some unpredictable twists, a few elements felt a bit contrived, and the pacing lagged at times. However, it still managed to keep me guessing the culprit until late in the book, which I appreciated.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I picked it up, but as part of a series, this novel works well as a standalone. Despite some characters being introduced late in the story, the book still makes sense and is easy to follow. The emotional depth and the cleverly woven crime plot make it a worthwhile read. Fans of cozy mysteries with strong character development will enjoy this one.

It’s nearly Thanksgiving and bartender Avalon Nash has her hands full. Her movie star mom is unexpectedly in town, and there seems to be a corpse in the lobby—though Avalon has sworn off involvement with suspicious deaths. Instead, she bartends the soiree of a local painter, not knowing she’s about to be immersed in an art-theft ring worth billions—which is plagued by a killer sent to deliver a deadly message.

As a snowstorm shuts down the mountain town of Tranquility, no one is safe—especially not Avalon and her mom.

Love it. Cannot wait to read more from the author. Will recommend to others.

This was quick (less than 200 hundred pages if I remember correctly) and easy, but I do think there was a missed opportunity here.

This really had such a good premise: trapped in remote cabin, murder, art, drama. That all sounds like so much fun. But I do think that the shortness of this book may have hindered its ability to be as entertaining as it could have been. I think if there was more time to build out the story, this could be amazing. I just felt like I wanted to know more the entire time that I was reading this. I didn't have enough time to care about the characters or really anything that was happening.

I did think that including the cocktail recipes at the end of each chapter that were relevant (in name) to what was going on in the story was really fun. I don't drink though, so I couldn't tell you if they were any good or not. But the idea is very cute.

Overall, I just wanted a bit more from this little mystery/thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

There is a lot going on in this story with so many unique elements and characters that I sometimes felt like I had lost the flow. From bounty hunters to art to gingerbread houses to a young girl alone, there were just so many open threads to unravel. Avalon and her somewhat tough relationship with her mom takes center stage at times as Avalon struggles to deal with a mom who is always center stage. She even goes so far as to not want to introduce Philipp so he is not drawn into her orbit. I struggled with this a little because I have a very different relationship with my mother and can't understand not including her in my life.
This is my first book in the series and I will admit to be curious about some of the past happenings like why are Avalon and the inspector both in a cast. I am just not sure I enjoyed this book enough to go back. The backstory might enhance my understanding and help me enjoy the story but I just did not get invested enough in the characters to go back.
Overall, I would give this book about a 3.25-3.4 and suggest that number might be higher if I read the other books first. I had a hard time investing in or connecting with the characters and that backstory might help.
Thanks to NetGalley and Arundel Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I am sure some will like this cozy mystery. It didn’t measure up to others in the same genre. The murder happened too quick and the characters were flat.

A bartender/amateur detective finds herself in the middle of yet another murder. A gingerbread competition. Art collectors. And a snowstorm. All of these elements collide and there is a mystery to solve.

I haven't read the other 4 books in the series but this one stands alone fine. Overall the book was fine, but I found myself underwhelmed and ready for the book to be over... and it's more of a novella length so that didn't bode well. Avalon has a boyfriend but romance is a very small piece of the story. This mystery element was well-written overall, but I didn't feel a lot of tension or concern for the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Avoiding her famous mother Avalon's plans are upended when Anna Nash turns up in Tranquility. A murder, a blizzard and an art theft ring throw mother and daughter together in an exciting and dangerous way. These books are so enjoyable and I always look forward to the next one. Hopefully Anna will be more present in future books. She is an excellent character.

Death as a Fine Art von Shanon Linnéa ist ein aufregender und fesselnder Thriller, der die Grenzen zwischen Kunst, Mord und der düsteren Seite menschlicher Natur verwischt. Mit einer Mischung aus Spannung, Intrigen und psychologischer Tiefe bietet der Roman eine komplexe und spannende Lektüre, die den Leser sowohl in eine Welt der Kunst als auch in die düstere Realität von Verbrechen und deren Auswirkungen entführt.

Die Geschichte folgt einer Kunsthistorikerin oder Ermittlerin (je nach Perspektive), die in die faszinierende und gefährliche Welt eines Kunstmarktes eintaucht, in dem Tod und Mord als Teil eines komplexen Spiels betrachtet werden. Die Entdeckung eines Mordes, der in direktem Zusammenhang mit einem Kunstwerk steht, stellt sie vor eine Reihe von Fragen, die sowohl berufliche als auch persönliche Konsequenzen haben. Es wird bald klar, dass der Mord nicht einfach ein zufälliges Verbrechen ist, sondern ein sorgfältig geplanter Akt, der tief in die Welt der Kunst und ihre dunklen Geheimnisse eingreift.

Shanon Linnéa gelingt es, das Thema Kunst auf eine interessante Weise mit einem Thriller-Plot zu verbinden. Der Roman verwebt geschickt die Geschichte eines Verbrechens mit den feinen Nuancen und Geheimnissen der Kunstwelt. Dabei nimmt der Leser teil an den Ermittlungen, bei denen es nicht nur um das Aufdecken eines Mordes geht, sondern auch um das Verständnis von Kunst als eine Art von "Selbstmord", der über den Tod hinausgeht. Die psychologischen Dimensionen des Romans – die Manipulation von Wahrnehmung und Wahrheit – sind faszinierend und tragen zu einer dichten Atmosphäre bei.

Die Charaktere, vor allem die Hauptfigur, sind gut entwickelt und wirken authentisch. Ihre inneren Konflikte und die emotionalen Herausforderungen, denen sie sich stellen muss, werden lebendig dargestellt. Besonders spannend ist die Art und Weise, wie Linnéa die Kunstwelt und ihre oft rätselhaften, komplexen Verhaltensweisen beleuchtet. Die Ermittlungen sind nicht nur von außen getrieben, sondern auch von der inneren Reise der Protagonistin, die sich selbst immer mehr mit den Geheimnissen und der dunklen Seite ihrer eigenen Vergangenheit auseinandersetzen muss.

Der Schreibstil von Linnéa ist flüssig und präzise, wobei sie eine fesselnde Atmosphäre schafft, die den Leser von Beginn an in ihren Bann zieht. Die Mischung aus Kunst, Mord und psychologischer Spannung hält den Leser gespannt, während die Geheimnisse und Wendungen im Laufe der Geschichte immer weiter aufgedeckt werden.

Fazit: Death as a Fine Art von Shanon Linnéa ist ein faszinierender Thriller, der die Welten der Kunst und des Verbrechens geschickt miteinander verbindet. Mit einer gut entwickelten Hauptfigur, psychologischer Tiefe und einer gut durchdachten Handlung zieht Linnéa den Leser in ihren Bann. Wer Thriller mit kunsthistorischem Hintergrund, spannungsgeladenen Ermittlungen und psychologisch anspruchsvollen Elementen liebt, wird dieses Buch als äußerst unterhaltsam empfinden.

Captivating
A murder has occurred at the bar and hotel that Avalon works at but things aren’t as simple as they originally appear, what with the appearance of her superstar mum, a gingerbread house decorating contest and an art theft ring
I enjoyed this book, it had a lot of drama and unpredictability but at the heart, the main story was Avalons relationship with her mum Anna. Anna’s fame means that she is the centre of attention everywhere and this is hard work for Avalon but the story bought them both closer together and made me wonder if they could eventually have a good relationship
Whilst there is a crime element, at times it did few a bit forced and not really flowing, it also was quite interesting as a reader and I was unsure of the killer until quite late in the story which I did enjoy
Although part of a series, this book did read well as a stand-alone, although some characters were not properly introduced until a few pages later it still worked and the story did make sense
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a murder mystery with a lot of emotional character development and which will keep you reading

No matter how hard she tries, bartender, Avalon Nash, can’t stay away from murder. And Sharon Linnea’s fifth novel, Death as a Fine Art The Bartender’s Guide to Murder, is no exception. Although, you’d think the town of Tranquility would be, well, tranquil, it’s not the case.
When a guest is murdered in the lobby of MacTavish’s Inn where Avalon works, and her famous TV star mom shows up, things take a dark turn that has Avalon looking into a big art theft ring. With a snowstorm coming, is anyone safe? A great addition to the series with lots of great characters and some of the best cocktails and mocktails in the business. I highly recommend it.
--Cathi Stoler, best-selling author of The Nick Donahue Adventures.

This was a strong fifth book in the Bartenders Guide to Murder series, it had everything that I wanted from the other books in the series. Sharon Linnéa wrote this perfectly and was engaged with everything that was going on. The characters had that charm that I wanted and enjoyed the idea of bartending and murder, it works well.

Come for the murder mystery, stay for everything else😂 No, really, off with a strong start, then going a bit back to get some context but Avalon not wanting to get involve and thus turning her back, lest me wanting to know the truth, which kept me glue to the pages, but everything happening around said mystery made this book the best it could be and an enjoyable read for a too calm afternoon. So, my actual thoughts.

First, I'm gonna start with Avalon Nash, Av, our protagonist and narrator. I loved her as a narrator, she's observant, funny and the friend you'd loved to have in a place like Tranquility. I enjoyed her different relationships with all the characters, but specially with actress Anna Nash, her mother. These two have some personal and familiar and being trapped with a murderer in a blizzard where they can't run away from each other is the best time and place to solve them. I really liked how they were able to finally talk about it, be honest with each other and solve the tension between them, rebuilding their relationship in a new one. I wished we saw more of that in other types of books too!

It's hilarious how Avalon is surrounded by all this famous or talented people and she's just so neutral about it

Anyway, other aspects worth mentioning are the gingerbread house contest and how exciting it was to see it develop, the drama around it and who would finally win it, or the way the book treats and talks about art, with all these different characters knowing about it and their relationships to it (painters, buyers, collectors, admirers, even thieves). It helped paint a vivid image of Tranquility while also showing more of the characters through it. In relation to this, there was a small plot point relating to art and a character (Phil) that we never saw resolution to, even though Avalon mentioned it throughout the book, so it wasn't forgotten, but I wanted to know the deal. Anyway, that's on me, that I want to know all details possible.

Another is how the author describe everything, every smell, taste, what Avalon saw and touch so well, that Tranquility came out alive from the page, you could see it like you were there.

Finally, an honor mention to Whistle the dog, just because I loved animals a tad too much

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone that enjoy the so call cozy mysteries, art and resourceable characters

Nestled away in the small town of Tranquility, New York, bartender Avalon Nash is looking for a life away from the fame of her mother, as well as some…well…tranquility. All chances of finding that seem to be destroyed, though, when she gets to work to find that the hotel her bar is attached to is hosting a TV gingerbread building competition and her mom has shown up without warning to discuss an unspecified family issue. Things get more complicated yet when a customer is murdered, seemingly by an assassin who might still be in the building, and when a local art gallery for which Avalon sometimes tends bar for special events suddenly appears to be embroiled in an art theft scheme. As per her promise to her boyfriend, Phillip, Avalon tries to stay out of the intrigue but falls headlong into it trying to keep the ones she loves safe.

Regrettably, I had a difficult time with this cozy mystery and didn’t enjoy it overall.

Let me start by talking about a few things that did work for me, though. I enjoyed the relationship between Avalon and her boyfriend, Phillip. Their kindness and affection for each other were both heartwarming and cute. I also enjoyed the descriptions in this book, which helped me feel more involved in the setting. The deliberate emphasis on inclusion is also worth celebrating; characters of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, etc., are included without being the focus of the story.

Overall, I felt that the elements of the story don’t hang together well, though. The gingerbread competition plot and the art theft plot have different tones that clash somewhat, and left me feeling like I was reading two books at once. At a couple of moments, the book also suggests that a throughline is going to be that Avalon is her mother’s “savage daughter” (a reference to the Sarah Hester Ross song), but I don’t see it at all. Certainly Avalon isn’t like her mother, but being a bartender in a cozy lakeside down in New York is hardly a savage life. More importantly yet, the climactic moment in the mother-daughter-relationship subplot comes out of nowhere. It focuses on new themes and ideas that had never even been hinted about before that point, making the scene feel jarring and the ideas that the mother presents like a lecture from the writer.

Unfortunately, I also struggled to be invested or interested in the story. It was hard to care much about the initial murder because I knew next to nothing about the victim. I didn’t feel I knew the other characters either, so I was emotionally distant from the stakes of the twists and turns of the story until over 60% of the way through. Truth be told, I was bored and had to force myself to read the entire book, even though it was short.

Thanks to the publisher, Arundel Publishing, for providing an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

TW: murder, violence, child abuse, mentions of attempted rape

This is book 5 in “The. Bartenders Guide to Murder,” and my first book in the series. There is something here for everyone~
we have delicious themed cocktails recipes throughout, family reunions of sort, and, of course we have murders.
All in the name of art, of course! This is where it might be a slight disadvantage because I was a little behind in
the dynamics of Avalon and her famous mom, Anna and the interesting facets of their relationship. One thing that
goes without saying is that when life is stake, the family will stick together. Not so much for real estate. I enjoyed
the characters, and the relationships and I adored the little dog, Whistle. I look forward to a springtime installment
featuring the hand at MacTavish’s Inn.
My thanks to Arundel Publishing via NetGalley for the download of this book for review purposes.

The blurb seemed interesting enough but unfortunately this book didn't hit the mark for me. The world wasn't immersive enough and it was taking too long to get to the main plot of the story. I wanted to finish it but I just could not force myself