Sunday, August 7, 2022

Cozy Mystery Book Review ~ Three Shots to the Wind (Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery #3) by Sherry Harris @SHarrisAuthor #CozyMystery #Review

 


The third installment in Sherry Harris’s Agatha Award-nominated series finds former Chicago librarian Chloe Jackson loving her new life as a bartender in Florida…until a surprise visit from her Windy City ex-fiancé ends with him blown away in the Panhandle!

DEAD EXES TELL NO TALES

About the Book:

Saloon owner Chloe Jackson appears to have a secret admirer. She’s pouring drinks at the Sea Glass Saloon in Emerald Cove when an airplane flies by above the beach with a banner reading I LOVE YOU CHLOE JACKSON. She immediately rules out Rip Barnett. They are in the early stages of dating and no one has said the L word. Then a bouquet of lilacs—her favorite flower—is delivered to the bar, followed by an expensive bottle of her favorite sparkling wine. It couldn’t be…

Sure enough, her ex-fiancé from Chicago has flown down to Florida for an accountants’ convention. But is he trying to mix business with pleasure and win her back? Unfortunately he’s not in a hotel conference room, he’s floating facedown in the lake next to her house, clutching a photo of Chloe. Who murders an accountant on a business trip—it just doesn’t add up. When Rip becomes the prime suspect, Chloe is determined to find the secret murderer. But if she isn’t careful, it may be closing time and lights out for her…


ASIN ‏ : ‎ B098KLTMZX
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Cozies
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 29, 2022
Print length ‏ : ‎ 274 pages

My Review:

Three Shots to the Wind is the third book in the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery series. I love this series and enjoy all of the time I get to spend to Chloe in Emerald Cove. Chloe is everything I need in a cozy mystery heroine. She is likable (always important), realistic, imperfect - but the perfect person for this series, a little clueless, fiercely protective, and someone I would love to be my best friend. 

The story is not, however, all grins and giggles as Chloe discovers she has a secret admirer who just happens to know some of her favorites....flowers, wine. The discovery of her ex-fiancé's body on the beach near her house has her completely rattled. Why now, after a year-and-a-half did Perry come back to woo her, and who wanted him dead?

Chloe has settled in quite nicely in Emerald Cove. She's still an outsider to most but she has a select few who consider her family. I love how she has integrated herself into the town. The emergence of Perry into her new life would have complicated things, especially since she's in a relationship, but his death is a down-right catastrophe. Chloe, unsatisfied with the speed of law enforcement, begins her own sleuthing and her discoveries are shocking.

Three Shots to the Wind is a fast-paced and engaging novel. The author is such a wonderful writer and I love her ability to instill true emotional reactions in her readers, and not just shock, awe, and humor. This book has other themes threaded through it, making the story realistic. Realism - that's where it's at for me in any book.

Three Shots to the Wind is another fantastic book in this series. I love the continued character development and introduction of an assortment of secondary characters. Chloe considers several of the characters to be suspects, giving the reader several viable murderers. Her process of elimination leads to a twist I didn't see coming. The story is original, and I was able to visualize each scene as they played out. A fantastic story, a love interest, and a capable and competent main character make this 5 stars for me. The author has another hit series on her hands!

I was provided a copy of this book to read #NetGalley

My Rating:



No comments:

Post a Comment