Murder Ink by Lorraine Bartlett with Gayle Leeson is the sixth book in the “Victoria Square” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Penguin Random House, coming December 31, 2019.
The charm of Victoria Square may prove to be only skin deep when murder follows the arrival of a tattoo parlor in town in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.
A tattoo parlor on Victoria Square? Some of the merchants get hot under the collar at the proposal, but could they be driven to kill to stop it? That’s what the sheriff’s office and Katie Bonner want to know when the building’s owner is electrocuted with his own saw.
Meanwhile, tensions rise when a hot chef takes over the square’s tea shop. Will Katie have three men vying for her affections, or will her rival take the tea cake?
A new vendor wants to open up a shop, but the others object at the type it would be. When Katie tries to resolve the issue, one dies and her friend Ray becomes the suspect in his murder. Katie looks to solve this puzzling case and upon doing so, discovers some nefarious doings that may impact their business.
This was a well-crafted drama with a solid mystery that kept me intrigued in the possibilities of what was happening on the page. The suspect pool was small, but it was the author’s detail where the few who stood out had better motives and I liked how the more the story moved forward the list narrowed down, until it was clear, with a few surprising twists, who was behind it all.
This was a fast and enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the book in this delightfully engaging series.
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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.