Title: Still Knife Painting (A Paint and Shine Mystery #1)
Author: Cheryl Hollon
Published on: 30 June 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
After inheriting her uncle’s homestead in Red River Gorge, Kentucky, Miranda Trent comes up with a perfect business plan – Paint and Shine culture adventure – pairing outdoor painting with sips of moonshine. When her first batch of clients arrive to her place after trekking, Miranda is horrified to see her cook change the menu. The cook, Mrs Childers, is also against Miranda starting her own microbrewery. Minutes later, Mrs Childers is found on the kitchen floor with a knife sticking out of her chest. Any guesses as to who is the main suspect?
Still Knife Painting is the first in the brand new cozy series – Paint and Shine Mysteries.
Miranda Trent, the main character in this series, has inherited her uncle’s homestead. Her mum thinks the idea of paint and shine will not work for long. The people of Red River Gorge aren’t comfortable with Miranda’s idea of starting a microbrewery. Moonshine might be legal but the people of Red River Gorge still hold on to old beliefs and the grief caused by Moonshine. (One of the characters’ brother killed a young mother and her two kids while driving under the influence)
Miranda is not your usual amateur sleuth. Being told her ideas aren’t worthy enough has surely put a dent on her self-esteem. She’s an introvert and has a hard time connecting with people. She has to be on friendly terms with all – including strangers(read clients) so she blurts out a few things that are better kept hidden in one’s mind.
The mystery is good. Why was Mrs Childers killed? The reason has got to do with something more than just Moonshine and gossip. I did not have trouble connecting with the characters; having said that, I wouldn’t say I really liked Miranda. She’s a good sleuth all right but at times I wished she could keep a check on her words. I identified the killer halfway through the story but their reason for killing Mrs Childers wasn’t something I could guess.
A tinge of quirky and strange characters brings about the element of humor in this story. The ending is impressive. Overall, this was a good read. The only niggle I had was with Miranda’s portrayal in the story. I hope to see Miranda in a new light in the next book of this series.
There’s a giveaway for this tour. Giveaway details are here.
Many thanks to Lori Caswell for the blog tour invite.
The Book Decoder 
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