Review: Etched in Tears by Cheryl Hollon

Posted December 19, 2017 by Lola in Mystery, Review / 6 Comments

LolaReview

Etched in TearsEtched in Tears (A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery #4)
by Cheryl Hollon

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Blurb:
When a famous glass artist is murdered at his own exhibit, deadly secrets are put on display, and it’s up to glass shop owner Savannah Webb to see through a killer’s cover.

Celebrated glass artist Dennis Lansing is returning to St. Petersburg, Florida, for an exhibit at the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum. His unique style of embedding document images in his art is at the vanguard of contemporary glasswork. But as Savannah’s first boyfriend and a former apprentice to her father, Dennis’s return home has her reflecting on the past–a trip down memory lane that takes a dark turn when Dennis is found murdered at the museum with an old reference letter from her father in his pocket. A search through her father’s records sheds new light on Dennis’s history, but it seems his present life wasn’t so transparent either. Now, with a gallery of suspects to consider, it’s up to Savannah to figure out who fits the mold of a murderer.

My Review:
I received a free copy of this book through netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Etched in tears is the fourth book in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery series. I really enjoyed the first 3 books and was eager to dive back into this series. Etched in tears was a great installment in this series. It had a good mystery, we see the familiar characters again and it was just all around a great read.

Etched in Tears starts with an art exhibition that Savannah is attending, not long afterward the artist is found dead. Savannah knew him and because of the art connection she is asked to consult for the police. The mystery was very well done. At first it seemed difficult to really make sure who was a suspect in this case. Then slowly more people became possible suspects. Eventually I decided on who I thought was the suspect and I was happy when my guess turned out to be correct. I liked how the mystery progressed and how everyone was involved in solving it.

We not only get the point of view of Savannah, but also some chapters from the police officers their point of view. I think this really added something and I liked getting to know those characters a bit better as well. It’s fun how Savannah works closely together with the police and it’s obvious the police are also doing their work. They nicely complement each other with Savannah focusing on the art angle and the police doing a lot of the rest. I am really happy the police seem so competent in this series and do their part in the investigation as well.

It’s great to spend some time with all the by now familiar characters again. Jacob, Amanda and Edward all are present again and I liked how they all helped with the mystery. It’s a great group to read about, with each having their own personality and we see them develop a bit as well as the series progresses. There’s also a side plot line about the shop and classes going on as well and it was all nicely woven together. There is enough focus on the mystery, but we also get a feel for how things are going with the store.

The romance between Savannah and Edward also progresses and they hit a bit of struggle in their relationship. While the romance is a pretty minor side plot line, I do like seeing it progress and develop in each book. I felt their struggles and troubles were realistic and I also liked it never got blown up or led to much drama. I liked it when a romance is part of a cozy mystery like this. Edward and Savannah make for a nice couple.

To summarize: all in all this was another great read in this series and I was sad when I reached the end. The mystery was a good one. At first it focused mainly on the investigation and then slowly more and more suspects popped up. I eventually guessed who the murderer was and it turned out I was correct. The mystery progressed in a way that kept you guessing with more clues slowly surfacing. I liked seeing this familiar group of side characters again. The chapters from the police officers their point of view were a nice addition. I also liked how the romance made for a nice side plot line and their struggles felt realistic. It was a great read and this is easily one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I am already looking forward to the next book!

4 Stars

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N
Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

What’s your favorite glass item you own?

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6 responses to “Review: Etched in Tears by Cheryl Hollon

  1. I’ll have to keep this one in mind because I do like that her background with art plays a role in the mysteries, that there is a good group of recurring characters, and I, too, enjoy a low-key romance along with a mystery series. Sounds great!

    Enjoyed your review, Lola!

    • It’s fun how her job and connections with the art community come in handy with the mystery. The main group of characters is a lot of fun to read about and the mysteries ar great. I think a low key romance works great for series like this. I hope you pick it up eventually!

  2. This sounds like an unusual and really interesting backdrop to these murders – no wonder you enjoy the books so much:). I have a lovely piece of glass design mounted on the wall over my office area so I can look at it when I’m writing, which I acquired at St Ives in Cornwall.

    • The glass shop and art community makes for a great backdrop to the murders.

      That sounds like a great piece and that’s nice you can look at it when you’re writing. I have a glass penguin figurine that I really like.

  3. That’s awesome that you figured it out! And that’s is cool that you got police POVs, especially with the contrast they brought against the MC’s POV. I don’t mind when romance is a side plot, sometimes it works better that way!

    I used to have a whole collection of glass figurines, but eventually I kind of tired of it. Not sure what happened to it. Probably in storage somewhere.
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    • I think this is the only cozy mystery I read so far that has the police POV, but it work really well here. And the police actually are likeable and do their job well too. Sometimes the romance works better as a side plot, it depends a bit on the book.

      That’s nice you had a collection of glass figurines. I have a glass penguin, but that’s about it. I did visit some glass shops while on vacation once.

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