Deadly Crush (Cece Barton Mystery #2)
by Maddie Day
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
It’s the beginning of a new year, and for widowed single mom and recent L.A. transplant to California wine country, Cece Barton, that means green hillsides, flowing streams from winter rains, pruned vineyards—and a murder to solve . . .After a mostly stress-free Christmas with her college-age daughter, and despite enjoying a current budding romance with fellow newcomer, Benjamin Cohen, it’s time for Cece to focus on Vino y Vida, the Colinas wine bar she manages. Electrical work and an outdoor security camera are needed, and she’s hired local electrician Karl Meier to do the job, along with the help of his nephew Ian. But she regrets her choice when she witnesses Karl needlessy berating Ian in her presence. On top of that, Karl leers at her, then presents her with an inflated bill before the work is complete. Still, she’s shocked when she gets a call from Karl’s ex-wife, Josie, that she’s found Karl . . . crushed to death beneath the lift in her automotive shop.
Cece convinces Josie to call the police, even though Josie is terrified. After all, Karl was an abusive husband, was threatening her, and she has no alibi. With Josie’s future on the line, and maybe her own, Cece starts her own investigation. From the customers Karl cheated to the other women he harassed, she finds there’s no lack of suspects—other than the shelter kittens to whom he was an uncharacteristically sweet volunteer. With a bouquet of motives and unanswered questions, Cece is going to need the help of her twin, Allie, who owns a nearby B & B, as she dives into Karl’s past—before the killer catches up with her, and the lights go out for good . . .
My Review
I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was so happy when I got approved for this on Netgalley and started it right away. Deadly Crush follows Cece as she solves another mystery. I like the blend of daily life and mystery solving scenes and enjoyed both aspects. It also is fun to read a cozy set in California wine country, it has quite the different vibe from most cozies due to the setting.
The mystery one kept me guessing and there were plenty of suspects. It slowly comes together with more hints and clues. The mystery had a sense of progress, even though no suspects get ruled out until the reveal of the murderer. I liked how Cece is usually smart about how she investigates. The reveal made sense, although I would’ve liked it if Cece figured it out before the murderer confronts her. I had a few questions remaining about the how, but the why was clear as the murderer explains that.
I like the way this author writes the daily life scenes, it all feels so cozy. It was interesting reading about Cece’s house, her friends, family and neighbors as well as her work at the wine bar. There is some change in her relationship with her daughter. And we see a bit more of the romance as well as they’re together now. I really liked reading about Cece’s personally life, she also grows a bit in confidence and gets the hang of investigating.
It did bother me how the main character referred to her father and his behavior in a very negative way, her father sounds like an ADHD’er. I am hoping the main character will grow in her opinion about neurodivergence as she can be a bit harsh on herself as well, but for now it bothered me.
To summarize: I really liked this book and reading more about Cece as she solves another mystery. I like the blend of daily life scenes and mystery solving scenes and enjoyed both aspects. There is a great group of friends, family and a neighbor around Cece and I liked reading about them and seeing them interact with Cece. This book really has that cozy vibe and I liked reading about Cece. The mystery kept me guessing and I appreciated how Cece is smart about investigating. All in all I am really enjoying this series so far and look forward to the next one!
I really enjoy when a mystery is good, but the lives of the characters are also well developed. Hopefully, Cece will continue to grow.
Same here, it’s awesome when a cozy mystery has the mystery and daily lives parts be equally interesting. I look forward to see were the series goes and how Cece will grow.