Welcome to Devereaux's Dime Store and Gift Baskets complete with a 3 stool soda fountain and a glass candy case. The best thing Dev ever did was quit the rat race, move home and buy this store.
Today she is rethinking her big decision as Kansas City Detective Woods arrives before the store is even open to accuse her of murdering her ex-boyfriend's fiancée Joelle Ayers. Just because some items from a gift basket she created were used as murder weapons didn't mean she had anything to do with the woman's death and he surely doesn't have enough evidence to arrest her. He makes a few threats and leaves.
Panicked Dev gets her friends Poppy and Boone to help her investigate. Then, hunky Jake Del Vecchio, a U.S. Deputy Marshall in town recovering from an injury, enters the picture. Seems his uncle and Dev's grandmother are old friends and he has been encouraged to help her clear her name. Only one problem, this guy Jake is hot, and Dev is finding it difficult to concentrate on finding the real killer. If she is not careful to keep her mind on the tasks at hand she may find herself doing time behind bars instead of behind the counter of her five-and-dime.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I keep breaking my own rules. I used to say I couldn't give the first book in a new series 5 stars because it takes time for the characters to develop. However, I started this book and couldn't put it down. The characters, while new, grabbed my heart immediately. The romantic tension was fabulous, a new twist to the typical cozy and I think it is wonderful. Plus the small town setting and the dime store evoke memories of a store from my childhood, a place I adored and drank quite a few cherry cokes.
Denise Swanson has created a marvelous debut for this new series. The mystery is top-notch, with several twists of its own. She has taken a small risk adding a bit of spice to the romance and this reader absolutely loved it. These are characters I am invested in and I can't wait to tag along on their journeys. Bravo Sharon!!
