Murder With a Hint of Pumpkin Spice: Whisper Hollow Mysteries Book 1

A charming autumn town, an inherited bookstore, a mysterious murder, and a black cat. Murder With a Hint of Pumpkin Spice by Laura M. Drake is set up to be a delightful cozy mystery. Unfortunately, the finished product left me craving something with a little more substance. Harper Coleman arrives in Whisper Hollow hoping to rebuild her life after discovering her fiancé's infidelity. Her plans to revive her late grandmother's struggling bookstore take a deadly turn after her landlord is found murdered among the shelves. Harper suddenly finds herself the prime suspect. Now she has a missing inheritance to locate and a killer to uncover. Cozy mysteries often rely on lovable and eccentric characters to make their small town settings feel like home. Drake attempts to establish that warmth through Harper's relationships with the townspeople, but I struggled to connect with anyone. The characters lacked the personality needed to make them memorable. Without personable characters, Whisper Hollow felt more like a charming backdrop than a community I wanted to settle down with to solve a mystery. The murder investigation was disappointing. The clues and twists unfolded with a mechanical predictability. Almost as though the plot were following a checklist of cozy mystery requirements. I identified the likely resolution almost immediately which left me with very little suspense or patience as Harper worked through the investigation. A cozy mystery doesn't need shocking twists to succeed, but it should offer an entertaining puzzle to solve. The romantic subplot was another missed opportunity. The conversations between Harper and Logan were so saturated with therapy language that their attempts at vulnerability felt rehearsed rather than authentic. I appreciate healthy communication in romance, but these exchanges came across as cringeworthy and unnatural. Pick up Murder With a Hint of Pumpkin Spice if you are looking for the familiar comforts of its genre complete with autumn charm, a bookshop, and a feline companion.

The author sounds very familiar tho I do believe this is a first for me from her and I loved it! Super quick, easy read that is filled with so many twists and turns. She doesn’t hold back right at the beginning and keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Loved it!