Photo Finished by Christin Brecher
Series Name: Snapshot of NYC Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: October 25, 2022
The first in Christin Brecher’s new cozy mystery promises photo taking fun—and satisfying sleuthing—set in New York City, featuring Liv Spyer, a millennial sleuth sure to charm readers who are young and young at heart.
Liv Spyers’ greatest joy is taking photographs of people and the world around them . . . until a shocking murder forces Liv to develop investigative skills using her keen eye . . .
While some people escape into books or music, Liv Spyers escapes through her camera’s lens, which inspires her to jump into things she might otherwise have no business tackling—like moving to New York City. Hustling to make her dreams come true as a portrait photographer, she runs a pocket-sized studio below her grandparents’ West Village brownstone and key shop, where she also lives and works part-time. All of which still has her down to the end of her savings as the holidays approach. Everything changes in a flash, however, when elite events photographer, Regina Montague, invites Liv to shoot with her at New York City’s most exclusive socialite event of the year—the Holiday Debutante Ball!
Liv snaps at the opportunity, convinced that a job with Regina will launch her career. But when her fabulous new gig ends with the murder of billionaire Charlie Archibald, her dream job may never develop with Regina framed for murder. Once Liv begins to focus on her photos from the ball, she’s convinced they reveal Charlie Archibald’s real killer. Now, between cracking the world of high society—and the attentions of a handsome stranger—Liv must hustle once again to expose the killer . . . before she gets cropped from the picture!
Dru’s Short Musing:
I love books, especially cozies that are set in the urban jungle that is New York City.
In this new series, we meet Liv, a struggling photographer who suddenly finds herself investigating a murder when her boss is the main suspect. Using her observation skills, she is able to ferret out the true killer. This was a fun book to read with an eclectic and quirky cast of characters and a whodunit that had all the elements to make this an enticing read. From the suspects to snapshots of clues, the author created a warm story with a comfortable tone making it easy to follow along. With visually descriptive narrative, engaging and witty dialogue, I was able to put myself in the middle of all that was happening. There were a few plot twists that had me changing directions that would eventually point towards the killer and watching it all play out was key to the telling of this fast-paced and action-packed drama. A great start to this new series and I look forward to more adventures with Liv and her friends.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher.