A Crime of Poison - Cozy Mystery Review

A Crime of Poison (A Silver Six Mystery) by Nancy Haddock (Amazon Link)

Rating: Very Good
Source: Publisher

Description: The Silver Six are known for their arts and crafts—but they’re about to be tested in the art of catching a crafty killer.
It’s early October, time for the Fall Folk Art Festival and Bake Sale in Lilyvale, Arkansas. Every business along the town square will benefit from the event, including the craft store run by Leslee Stanton Nix—aka Nixy—and the Silver Six, a group of retirees. In charge of making the festival go smoothly, Nixy is confident that it will be a success.

But things become knotty when local troublemaker Cornell Lewis is found dead with a plate of Snickerdoodles from the bake sale. Two members of the Silver Six are accused of cooking up a murder plot, but Nixy knows that the cookies weren’t literally to die for. With time running out, Nixy and company must catch the actual killer...before the Silver Six find their number permanently reduced

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I didn't know much about this series but murder by Snickerdoodle sounded pretty good.

My Impression:  While this is the 3rd book in the Silver Six mystery this is the 1st one I have read.  The blurb caught my eye and so I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did!  Really the only disappointment is that Lilyvale isn't a real place because I would love to visit the Fall Folk Art Festival and Bake Sale.

Nixy is a great main character.  She's only been back in Lilyvale after living in Houston for a short time and so almost has an outsider's eye while still being deeply rooted in the community.  The relationship between the six is a lot of fun as they're all very different with different backgrounds but the friendships all feel very authentic.  I also loved Nixy's interaction with NCIS-obsessed Bernice Gilroy.  She knows everything about everyone despite never leaving her house but only shares the information if you bring food - preferably white cake with chocolate icing.  Nixy is also dating local detective Erich Shoar which provides a little conflict in the book.  He's not always able to tell her what Nixy feels like she needs to know nor is he able to protect them from the new detective in town - Cynthia Vogelman - who has taken charge of this case.  While he's clearly torn between his loyalty to Nixy and his responsibility as a police officer he also comes off just as a really nice guy.  It was definitely a relationship that was easy to root for even when I understood Nixy's irritation with him.

The mystery was entertaining and definitely a whodunnit.  Potential suspects abound but true motive and opportunity are harder to come by and just how he was killed is providing some problems as well.  I enjoyed Nixy's work with the Silver Six to try and pin down rumors from a number of years ago.  The conclusion did seem a little rushed and I would have liked a little more detail though I cant' say more without spoiling it.  However, this is definitely a series I want to catch back up on.  I'm glad I have 2 previous books to catch up on while I wait for book #4!

This is a fun cozy mystery with a fantastic cast of characters.  While the mystery wasn't as tight as I would have preferred it was an enjoyable reading experience from start to finish.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I would!  I'm looking forward to reading the previous books in the series and will be on the lookout for the 4th.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozy mysteries I think you should give this series a try.  The cast of characters is really fun.