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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yet Another Enjoyable New Cozy Series!, March 22, 2008
This review is from: A Murderous Glaze (Clay and Crime Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)
Tim Myers, a.k.a. Melissa Glazer, has yet another winning cozy series on his hands with the debut of A Murderous Glaze, featuring pottery shop owner, Carolyn Emerson. The setting is a cozy, small town in Vermont, and the book opens with the murder of Betty Wickline having already taken place inside Carolyn's shop, Fire At Will, the night before. Since Betty was murdered inside Carolyn's shop with one of Carolyn's tools, and since her animosity toward Betty was common knowledge, the town sheriff, John Hodges, considers Carolyn a viable suspect, or is that just to deflect suspicion from himself?
When the entire town starts to treat Carolyn like some sort of pariah and her business dwindles down to nothing, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She enlists the help of an unlikely bunch of investigators - the Firing Squad - a group of artisans from all walks of life (including a reformed crook and a retired judge) who meet regularly at Fire At Will to share their lives and their love of pottery. They waste no time uncovering all sorts of interesting information about Betty and all kinds of motives for plenty of people to have wanted to hasten her demise.
Carolyn is a likable, albeit somewhat abrasive, middle-aged woman with a sweetheart of a husband, Bill. Carolyn's proclivity for sarcastic wit tends to get her into trouble at times and is undoubtedly part of the reason that some of the townsfolk think her capable of murder. But underneath her gruff exterior, Carolyn is actually a bit of a sweetheart herself. She is the kind of friend anyone would be glad to have on their side, and she obviously instills that same fierce loyalty in her own family and friends. Watching them go out on a limb for one another was heartwarming!
The ending was quite interesting, and leaves the reader with a few unanswered questions - undoubtedly in order to keep us anxiously awaiting the next book in the series (which, of course, I've already ordered!).
Carol Ann Hopkins 3/22/2008
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Indian summer that ends with murder, September 16, 2008
This review is from: A Murderous Glaze (Clay and Crime Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)
I find it hilarious how any hobby or occupation can yield a mystery series but sometimes it adds a certain charm. I love arts and crafts, Vermont in the fall, or fall in general is my favorite season and this series embodies all my little favorite things into one. Murderous Glaze was a good effort for beginning of a new series, I have to admit it didn't take my breath away from the beginning, I had to warm up to it, but once I had proper time to sit down and read it I enjoyed it and couldn't wait to finish.
When a charming clay shop called Fire at Will becomes a murder crime scene of Betty Wickline, a woman no one seems to like in Maple Ridge - including the owner, everyone suddenly becomes a suspect. When time passes and clues start to surface Carolyn decides she has to take matters into her own hands of loose her credibility and her shop since everyone seems to think that maybe she did it herself. Personally I don't think someone would commit a crime in their own store but the friends and pesky sales people from nearby shops seemed to think otherwise. Carolyn launches on a crusade to save her business, make some great pots and fall decorations and find the dangerous lunatic who seems to ache for another victim. With the help of her husband, friends and Fire at Will students she tackles a dangerous task with small hope of victory or she will have to face a dark end of her career.
Fun and charming, the cozy atmosphere of chilly fall and various foods, snacks and coffee consumed along with small town gossip make for a relaxing read. I also enjoyed reading about various clay projects and learning a bit about the craft. The only problem I had was that there were a lot of guilty suspect and sometimes their names and characters would get mixed up in my head, but eventually it all got clarified as end came. I'm beginning book two tonight and hopefully the series gets even better.
- Kasia S.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Murderous Glaze, December 19, 2007
This review is from: A Murderous Glaze (Clay and Crime Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)
Maple Ridge, Vermont is a small town where everybody knows everybody's business. Carolyn Emerson is the owner of Fire At Will, a paint-your-own pottery studio. Business is good until the body of Betty Wickline is discovered one night in Carolyn's shop. Hodges, the town sheriff, is not convinced that Carolyn is innocent. Carolyn suspects the other town people might feel the same about her because all of a sudden she couldn't pay anyone to be her customer. She decides to start her own investigation to help clear her name and enlists the help of The Firing Squad, a group of amateur painters and potters that meet routinely at her studio.
I found this story to be quite entertaining. Whether big or small, there was something going on at all times. It never lagged. I did feel the author could have developed the characters a bit more. The book starts right off the morning after the murder. We never get to know the victim, Betty. The author makes it clear that Carolyn did not care for her, but we never really get an explanation of why not, just that one day Betty walked into her shop and generated "instant animosity" in her. I felt the author could have come up with something a bit more substantial than that. There is also the relationship between Carolyn and the sheriff. Every time they had a "conversation" it reminded me of a couple of two-year olds fighting over a favorite toy. It was hard to imagine two grownups acting that way. There is obviously a history between the two, but we are kept in the dark about it. Maybe in future issues we will find out a bit more. There are some delightful characters. Bill, Carolyn's husband, is a gem and I hope her best friend Hannah will play a bigger role in the next book. I also enjoyed Butch, the reformed crook, or is he?
There are plenty of suspects that kept me guessing until the very end, but I did feel the ending was a bit rushed. It lasted a whole page and a half. All in all, it was a decent start to a new series with some room for improvement. I will definitely check out the next in the series.
This book is written in first person.
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