MURDER BUYS A T-SHIRT by Christy Fifield

Publisher:  Berkley

Date published:   March 6, 2012
ISBN 978-0425246665
Genre:   Cozy Mystery
Book format: Paperback
Obtained via:  Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

Three

Along about fifteen years ago Glory Martine inherited the majority ownership of Southern Treasures Antique shop from her Uncle Louis along with his parrot Bluebeard. The other 45% of the ownership went to her cousin Peter. For the most part the past fifteen years have been pretty peaceful, sales steady and Glory’s life has been pretty settled. She has some good friends who she gets together with for Thursday night dinners where lately they are trying out some fun traditional Southern dishes. Yup, life is pretty darn nice. While out checking out some new material for Southern Treasures she and her friend Karen hear sirens heading into town. As a reporter Karen does not by pass the chance to be first on scene. When they arrive the scene they are saddened when the victim is revealed.

Dead way too soon is star quarterback, the hope of Keyhole Bay’s sports fans, Kevin Stanley. For all appearances the teen had been out drinking with his team and friends before climbing into his way too powerful muscle car and crashing it. Saddened but unable to do anything to help Kevin, Karen and Glory head home. Upon her arrival though Glory is greeted by a shop in total disarray and an agitated Bluebeard who declares in a voice interestingly very much like her Uncle Louis’s, that “it wasn’t an accident.” Does Bluebeard mean the mess in the shop…or the accident that took Kevin’s life?

Christy Fifield’s MURDER BUYS A T-SHIRT is one of those fun cozies that has quirky characters, a mystery the reader wants to dig in and uncover and the kind of town you wouldn’t mind finding yourself living in—as long as you aren’t the next victim. Ms. Fifield has some wonderful characters in her new Haunted Souvenir Shop mystery beginning with Bluebeard, the parrot. I know, I known…he’s a parrot…but he definitely does his part of uncovering the killer! Or does he?

Karen and Glory’s other friends are the kind of friends we should all have—there for us in good times as well as bad. The town of Keyhole Bay is a quaint little place and has some fun places from what we see of it. The story is very much character driven and doesn’t rely on the venue to tell the story.

There are some gaps in the story including that aside from Bluebeard declaring Kevin’s car accident wasn’t an accident there doesn’t seem to be any reason for Glory to start investigating. The reason why Uncle Louis waited fifteen years to appear as it were to Glory isn’t explained and I for one would have liked to have known why.

There are characters you start to love to hate such as Glory’s cousin Peter and Mr. Fowler.  You have to wonder will they shortly become victims or suspects in their own right. 

I am looking forward to the next story in this series. 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.