Monday, July 15, 2013

Cropped to Death by Christina Freeburn ~ review

Cropped to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery, #1)


  • Paperback: 290 pages
    • Publisher: Henery Press; First edition (November 20, 2012)
    • Language: English
    • ISBN-10: 1938383060
    • ISBN-13: 978-1938383069




    Former US Army JAG specialist, Faith Hunter, returns to her West Virginia home to work in her grandmothers' scrapbooking store determined to lead an unassuming life after her adventure abroad turned disaster. But her quiet life unravels when her friend is charged with murder – and Faith inadvertently supplied the evidence. 

    So Faith decides to cut through the scrap and piece together what really happened. With a sexy prosecutor, a determined homicide detective, a handful of sticky suspects and a crop contest gone bad, Faith quickly realizes if she’s not careful, she’ll be the next one cropped.

    My take on this book:
     "Cropped to Death" Christina Freeburn creates a cozy mystery that left me itching to learn the art of scrapbooking!  The author transports the reader to  the tiny town of Eden, WV where  everything comes down to family, and no one gave it a second thought when Faith Hunter left her career in JAG, the US Army's special forces group, to return home to help her grandmothers Hope and Cheryl run their scrapbooking store called Scrap This. Something happened though that sent Faith home to the hills of WV, and she is determined to keep that something a secret! When Marilyn Kane, a store employee and friend, is accused of murdering her cheating husband she asks Faith to help prove her innocence, after all it was Faith's statement to the police that sort of pointed the finger at Marilyn. As Faith tries to figure out Who-dun-It she realizes that the secrets she has guarded might come to light, but soon exposed secrets are the least of her worries, because her snooping just might cause her to be the next victim!

    I love well written cozy mysteries, and when they are set in my home state of WV they then become a must read for me. With "Cropped to Death" we know from the beginning that we are dealing with a cheating husband, and soon he winds up dead. Thing is in addition to the murder we get hints of  Faith's past that left me wondering what secrets she was holding. The hunky next door neighbor Steve is an assistant prosecuting attorney, and Faith's grandmothers have high hopes for that he and Faith might strike up a relationship. In addition to the slow embers that are threatening to spark between Faith and Steve the interactions between Detective Roget and Faith kept me guessing about a relationship between the two. Hope and Cheryl, the two grandmothers were often funny, and they along with several other supporting characters really added depth to the story. I loved the small town feel of the story,and the shop was a great setting for meeting some of the townsfolk. I loved the scrapbooking aspects of the story, it really seemed as if the author knew quite a bit about the hobby. Overall, a very well written story where the plot flows well, the characters are really likeable, and a mystery that isn't easy to solve made this a great little cozy read, that left me anxious to read the next book in the series!

    Reviewed for Readersfavorite.com

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