A Sprinkling of Murder

May 1, 2020
When the owner of a nearby shop is killed in Courtney Kelly's fairy garden store, she must join forces with her fairy friend to solve the crime. Courtney, the proprietor of the Open Your Imagination fairy garden store, doesn't just believe that fairies are real; she has proof to share. Her store is home to Fiona, a mischievous fairy who's in a sort of remedial fairy-in-training program to get her adult wings. Apparently her propensity for pranks in fairy school has obliged her to demonstrate to the queen fairy that she's serious about her do-gooding duties. When Courtney becomes a suspect in the murder of Mick Watkins, the owner of the Wizard of Paws grooming salon, it seems like the perfect time for Fiona to give Courtney an assist that the queen fairy will notice. If Courtney's innocent, though, who's to blame? When Courtney and Fiona begin to investigate, they find many too many suspects, from Mick's wife, Emily, who's angry about his recent affair, to Mick and Courtney's landlord, who wanted Mick's business out. In this old-fashioned cozy, the whos and whys won't be a surprise. Nor will the 25 pages of appended recipes, which complement the fairy focus of the story with some serious calories. Fairies flutter throughout the first in this by-the-book series.

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May 15, 2020
Carmel-by-the-Sea is known for its shops and galleries, fairy-tale cottages, liberal dog policies, and absence of fast-food chains. Courtney Kelly, a landscape architect and native to the town, runs a fairy garden shop, Open Your Imagination, which even has a resident fairy, Fiona, visible only to those who believe. Alerted by Fiona, Courtney goes to her shop early one morning, finding the body of the owner of the dog-grooming shop across the courtyard. She is the initial suspect. Though Courtney wants to clear her name, the local police?and her retired police-officer father?tell her to stay out of it. She doesn't, of course, using a city-council meeting, a book group, and various fairy-garden classes to ferret out the intricate connections that reveal the killer. Likable characters, including several who should continue to play roles in future investigations, and an entertaining but not-too-intrusive fairy connection make this a winner. There is a useful list of characters and recipes. Fans of Laura Childs' work will enjoy Gerber's new series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2020
At the start of this enchanting series launch from Agatha Award winner Gerber (the French Bistro mysteries), Courtney Kelly, the owner of Open Your Imagination, a fairy garden and tea shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., directs a five-year-old customer’s attention to a planter on the shop’s patio where she hopes the girl will see a fairy named Fiona. The girl does see Fiona. Courtney considers it part of her mission to encourage young and old to see and enjoy fairies, though only believers can do so. When Mick Watkins, the owner of the neighboring dog grooming salon, is found murdered inside Courtney’s shop, feisty Fiona joins Courtney and friends in giving Det. Dylan Summers of the Carmel PD some unwanted help in solving the crime. Issues with Courtney and Mick’s landlord, the victim’s open affair with a prominent councilwoman, his wife’s understandable jealousy, and his mysterious manuscript based on a decades-old local tragedy provide the sleuths plenty to investigate. Gerber makes what could have been unbearably cute convincing. Cozy fans will wish upon a star for more. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency.