Review of Suitable For Framing

Suitable For Framing

Callie Cassidy Mystery, Book 1

Lori Roberts Herbst

5+Stars

Synopsis:

Now that prize-winning photojournalist Callie Cassidy has returned to the mountainside village of her youth, she believes she’s put crime scenes and corpses in her rear view mirror. So why does she end up—once again—focusing her lens on murder?

Callie Cassidy is no stranger to dead bodies. Two decades as a photojournalist on a big-city newspaper landed her face to face with so many of them that her colleagues dubbed her Queen of the Dead. Now, Callie believes her days of hanging out with cadavers are behind her. With her lovable golden retriever Woody in tow, she has returned in disgrace to Rock Creek Village, Colorado, where she licks her wounds in a cabin on her parents’ Rocky Mountain ski resort property. But when her mother persuades her to abandon her fetal position beneath the quilts and take a photography gig at the Snowflake Swirl winter ball, Callie’s foray back into the real world lands her smack in the middle of town drama.

Before the first partygoer arrives, Callie stumbles across a deadly scene. A former classmate, one of the “mean girls” from high school, lies lifeless on her office floor. Another woman from Callie’s past crouches above the body, holding a bloody letter opener. The conclusion is obvious—at least to rookie detective Raul Sanchez. But Callie believes there’s more to the picture. With the help of an adopted stray cat named Carl, whose investigative skills may rival her own, Callie sets out to find the real murderer. Because unless she, her pets, and a quirky group of villagers can solve the mystery, Callie’s photos won’t be the only thing being framed.  (Amazon)

Review:

This is a new author for me and I thought the book was really great.  Sometimes when you read a book something just clicks and that is what happened with this book.  There are amazing characters, an inviting setting and a mystery that will surprise you.  

The characters are well rounded and well developed.  I really enjoyed meeting Callie and learning a little bit about her.  I really liked the fact that she was a photographer and that she used to specialize in crime scenes.  She was dubbed the Queen of the Dead.  But she is now living back at home near her parents, but she is still involved with dead bodies.  When an old schoolmate is murdered, another old schoolmate is accused of killing her.  Neither classmate was very nice and were bullies, but she still did not deserve to die.  Callie will have to try to figure out the culprit before an innocent person is put away for life.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning.  I could picture in my mind’s eye all the things that were happening.  The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.

The mystery was well plotted and well developed.  There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider.  I was very surprised at the actual killer, it was a great twist.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  I cannot wait to read more books by this author and see what the next situation Callie finds herself in.  Do yourself a favor and check this author out.