A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett – Review

A Crafty Killing on February 2, 2011
Pages: 296
Format: Paperback
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Murder is right up her alley...

The last thing Katie Bonner wanted was to become the manager of Artisans Alley. But when her business partner, Ezra Hilton, is found lying at the bottom of a staircase, bludgeoned to death, she has no other choice. A collection of booths for artisans and craft sellers in a renovated apple warehouse, Artisans Alley is the main attraction in the quaint Victoria Square shopping area. But business under Ezra had been faltering--enough to provoke someone to murder?

Katie has had more than her share of death--her late husband (and Ezra's former partner), Chad, died in a car accident six months ago. But as she digs deeper into Ezra's murder, her husband's death starts to look suspicious. While the cops are proceeding by the book, Katie is investigating by the booths--for the answer to the killer's identity lies in the hidden secrets of Artisans Alley itself.

A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett is the first book in the Victoria Square cozy mystery series. Katie Bonner has recently lost her husband. She’s stuck in a dead end job that she hates. Just when she thinks things couldn’t be worse, Ezra Hilton dies. Ezra was her late husband’s business partner at Artisans Alley. Much to Katie’s surprise, she is a beneficiary in Ezra’s will, and has inherited half of his assets. The assets are split between Katie and Ezra’s nephew, Gerald.

I liked much of this story. It was interesting to see Katie trying to rebuild Artisans Alley. Victoria Square and the town of McKinlay Mills were charming and I found myself wishing I could pop in for a visit. Katie took a while to grow on me. She has some annoying character traits, but by the end of the book, I did like her. And of course, I loved her cat, Mason, and her newly acquired kitty (from Ezra), Della. The mystery was written well and I was unsure who the suspect was until close to the end of the story. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

I purchased this book to read just for fun and my opinion was not influenced in any way.

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