Rating: Very Good
Source: NetGalley
Description: Maddie Kosloski is no fan of San Benedetto's Christmas Cow, a thirty-foot straw bovine that graces the town square every December. For one thing, the cow displaces her paranormal museum as the number one tourist attraction. Plus, every year, despite around-the-clock surveillance, the cow goes up in flames.
But this year, there's more than just a fire blazing in Maddie's wine-country hometown. One of the Christmas Cow guards has been found with an arrow in his chest, and Maddie's new haunted cowbell exhibit is fueling a panic. Are the spirits in her museum getting too hot to handle? If Maddie can't stop the hysteria—and the murderous archer—her holiday plans might not be the only thing full of holes.
Genre: Mystery - Cozy
Why I Picked This Book: I've enjoyed the previous books in the series and there was no way I could resist this one with that title!
My Impression: This series is completely bonkers in the best possible of ways. I mean for starters the setting is just amazing and I really enjoyed the running argument on whether or not the cow bells were actually cursed. I've heard a lot about the Christmas Cow and it's annual destruction in the previous two books so I was excited to see it front and center. And the destruction was definitely on the epic side with flaming arrows shot by lovable Christmas characters.
I really liked seeing more of Maddie's mother and their dynamic and I did like more of a focus on GD Cat. There was a lot going on with murder, cow destruction, misbehaving cats, cursed cow bells, and a bit of Maddie's personal life. It all wrapped up nicely and while there is a note of chaos it really worked with the bright bubbly slightly crazy style of the book itself.
This is a fun quirky mystery series that doesn't stray into slapstick as some quirky mysteries do. I like that Maddie is intelligent and self aware and I think that give the series a little bit of balance. And how can I not love a book with this title?
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I'm already looking forward to book #4!
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy a good cozy or are looking for a light read that's different from anything else you've read this is a good choice. If you're new to the series you should be able to jump in here with no problem though the previous two books are also a lot of fun.
I might just jump in at this entry. We shall see. I've got a bunch of books on my 'soon' list right now.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun series. I moved it up for this year.
ReplyDeleteOh my does sound a little different and what a clever title, such fun.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like great fun - thank you for an informative, well written review:).
ReplyDeleteI love the title. This sounds like a good cozy mystery, great review.
ReplyDeleteI need to get caught up with this series. I read and enjoyed the first one but still need to read the second book and this one. I am glad to hear that this book is as good as that first was.
ReplyDeleteOh. My. Gosh. That title. I neeeed it just for that. lol It does sound fun. I love when they get quirky just right :)
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