When art in the parkleads to murder in the dark,the Shepherd sistershave another crime to solve.Savanna Shepherd, an art expert turned elementary art teacher, is planning the Art in the Park festival for her hometown of Carson. But apparently, someone isn’t happy that Carson got to host the event: the beloved statue in the park is destroyed. Not long after, Savanna finds the dead body of one of … statue in the park is destroyed. Not long after, Savanna finds the dead body of one of the people on the planning committee.
Savanna and her sisters are convinced that the arrested murder suspect didn’t do it, despite strong evidence to the contrary. With the help of Dr. Aidan Gallager, Savanna’s new romantic interest, they uncover hidden resentments and intrigue. Several people in Carson had a motive for the murder. Can they find out which one of them is behind the framing of an innocent person?
This intriguing mystery includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Mini Rhubarb Pies.
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Behind the Frame by Tracy Gardner has Savanna Shepherd helping to organize the Art in the Park festival for Carson, Michigan. It appears that someone is not happy that Carson won the event because the statue of Jessamina Carson was defaced. On Sunday, Savanna heads to John Bellamy’s house with more art submissions. She finds John dead in his home after being stabbed with a knife. When Joe Fratelli is arrested for the crime, Savanna and her sisters work to prove the chef’s innocence. Behind the Frame is the 2nd book in A Shepherd Sisters Mystery series. It can be read on its own for those who have not delved into Out of the Picture. I thought Behind the Frame was well-written with developed characters in a charming small Michigan town. The sisters are friendly and relatable. They have caring parents who support their children. I like the close relationship the Shepherd family enjoys. The romance between Savannah and Aidan progresses at a nice slow pace. I like that they are not rushing their relationship and that it did not dominate the story. The mystery of who killed John Bellamy had several suspects who all had motive to harm the councilman. People are questioned and clues are obtained. The whodunit can be solved before the reveal if you paid close attention to the details like Savanna. It is great that she notices that minutiae that others tend to miss. There is a good wrap up where all the loose ends are tied up. There was suspense and action as well. Behind the frame is an engaging character driven cozy mystery. I look forward to the next book in A Shepherd Sisters Mystery series. Behind the Frame is a crafty whodunit with art in the park, a killed councilman, a bloody blade, a dedicated detective, a tire tragedy, a cute canine, and the Shepherd sisters,
The Shepherd Sisters are a group of intelligent, hardworking, creative, pretty young women with middle sister Savannah having a knack for finding discrepancies in things. In this book, a local restaurant owner beloved by the sisters is accused of a crime and the sisters won’t let that stand when they know there is no way that he could have done it. Plot twists and excellent writing keep the entertainment rolling and the reader guessing as they uncover multiple potential suspects. The narrator is outstanding on the audio book and I highly recommend giving this book or rather the series a listen if you are an audio fan!
Behind the Frame is the second installment of A Shepherd Sisters Mystery series, This is a wonderful and thoughtful story. Its well written and has a good storyline. The characters are enjoyable and easy to read. Its a page turner.
I read and and reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are of my own. Thank you NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for letting read this story.
You know you have a good writer when a reader can start a series without reading the first book and feel like you know what is going on and who everyone is to each other. I bought the first book but have not read it. I saw this on NetGalley and was instantly drawn in. I am now going to go back and read the first one while waiting for the next one to be released.
A good clean read for cozy mystery and mystery in general enthusiasts. You of course have your murder scene but nothing too grisly. No foul language and no steamy romance scenes.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Hallmark Publishing, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
An engrossing story in a town on the shores of Lake Michigan. Savanna Shepherd, a local elementary school art teacher, is instrumental in Carson being chosen to host Art in the Park. When a member of the planning committee is found murdered and a local man is accused of the crime, Savanna and her sisters get involved to try to prove his innocence. I loved the interactions between Savanna and her sisters and how close that they are. They work well together to find clues to the mystery and there is no shortage of suspects. This book had all of the things that I love about a cozy mystery, a small town that I would like to visit, characters that I would like to meet and an intriguing mystery. I hope that there will be more books in this series so that I can visit Carson and the Shepherd Sisters again soon.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I enjoyed the characters in this cozy mystery. The three Shepherd sisters are entertaining, and I liked their commitment to being there for each other at all times. The storyline is interesting, and the solution to the mystery wasn’t apparent for the majority of the book. This is a clean story with a little bit of sweet romance as a secondary storyline. I like this series, and hope there will be another book that features these sisters.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Book two doesn’t disappoint with its cast of characters in book two of this mystery series. I enjoyed the relationship of Savanna and Aidan in a charming setting amongst the intrigue of finding out who-done-it. The story had just the right amount of red herrings to be suspenseful.
Behind the Frame by Tracy Gardner is a fast-paced mystery, with lots of family fun and a bit of romance.
Will Savanna and her sister figure out who killed the councilman?
The Shepherd Sisters
Skylar, Savanna, and Sydney are the Shepherd sister. Skylar, the oldest, is married with a little boy, and she is an attorney. Sydney, the youngest, is single and owes Fancy Tails & Treats, a dog grooming, and treats business downtown. Savanna, the middle child, is also single. She recently moved home after breaking up with the fiancee. Savanna is an elementary art teacher and our sleuth.
All of the sisters are involved in the investigation. However, they are doing to assist Skylar in proving that their friend Chef Joe isn’t a killer. I enjoyed being in Savanna’s head, and she keeps the story going. Oh, and her dog Fonzie is so adorable.
The Mystery
Savanna finds the councilman, John Bellamy, dead when she arrives at his house for a meeting. This murder, following some vandalism at the local park, makes Savanna worried about the town’s upcoming Art in the Park Festival. As the sisters poke around, John’s assistant is pushed down her basement stairs at home. Let’s say that I didn’t figure out what was going on until Savanna did. I was caught up in one of the red herrings.
Four Stars
The story is well written, the characters are developed nicely, and the Michigan setting is scenic. I love a great midwest, small town. A lot is going on as the sisters have busy lives. I enjoyed the book, and therefore my rating for Behind the Frame by Tracy Gardner is four stars. It would be nice if Hallmark picked up this series as one of the Original Mysteries.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Behind the Frame by Tracy Gardner.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove.
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
This cozy mystery has all the Hallmarks of a good read (see what I did there? LOL) – a small town, a family that gets along and loves each other, and a mystery that keeps the pages turning! It was fun to catch up with the Shepherd sisters and I’m looking forward to the next book! If you’re a fan of the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel, you’ll enjoy this book!
Savanah Shepherd has returned to her hometown of Carson, Michigan, working as an elementary school art teacher and serving as the head of the prestigious Art in the Park festival for its first year in Carson. When she discovers serious damage to the statue of the town’s favorite ancestor and then stumbles across the body of one of the members of the city council, mayoral candidate John Bellamy, she’s drawn into the jealousy, deception, and fraud of a small town.
This is the second Shepherd Sisters mystery and part of the Hallmark Publishing Cozy Mystery series, but it stands on its own with only minor references to events in the first Shepherd Sisters mystery. There are several red herrings, interesting characters who aren’t necessarily who they seem and a dash of romance with the new doctor in town. I found the book a quick read but not simplistic. Just enjoyable.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, but the opinion is my own.
Cozy Hallmark Mystery on the Shores of Lake Michigan
This is a wonderful cozy mystery that is part of the Shepherd Sisters Mysteries. There are so many neat background pieces to this story! There 3 sisters that are separated by 2 years each. The oldest is an attorney who is married with a child. The middle sister is an elementary school art teacher. The youngest runs a dog grooming salon. Their parents also live in this small beachside town. A murder brings out all things crazy. And, without revealing anything important, this is a great mystery! I always enjoy a cozy mystery that does not go overboard describing every meal, every bottle of wine, and/or every outfit of clothing ad nauseam. I loved the first book in the series and this one may be better. I want to read everything that this author writes. I truly hope that this series becomes Hallmark mystery movies. In reading the book, one can easily envision the scene as played out on the screen. The story is sweet and clean with a great deal of humor. There is no on-screen violence or intimacy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, clean mystery with a good and surprising ending. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Savanna moves back to her hometown along Lake Michigan and is now near her sisters again. She takes a job as an art teacher and also starts painting a mural for a family friend. Strange things do occur at her friends mansion all the sisters come together to investigate with a little help from a friend. Will they be able to get the picture and figure out what’s going on? Love Hallmark Mysteries, can’t wait for the next one.
Three sisters all with first names that begin with an S. One sister is a lawyer, one owns a pet bakery and one is an art teacher. The story was a pleasant cozy mystery set in a nice town. The sisters worked together to solve a murder and defend the sister’s client. I liked the interaction of the sisters and the family relationship with the parents. There is romance in the story, but it did not overpower the mystery. I had a difficult time keeping the three sisters separated in my head even though they had very distinctive personalities. I think it was that their names began with an S, but families do sometimes use the same first letter to name their children.
I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book from Hallmark Publishing for an honest review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Repost of my original review at Amazon.com.
The Shepherd sisters are a lot of fun to hang out with on the pages of Gardner’s delightful cozy mysteries. After really enjoying book 1 so much, I was excited to read this book too and it didn’t disappoint! I love that the three sisters have such different jobs from one another & the genuine friendship they have between them. Engaging characters, a plot full of twists, and a dash of swoony romance make this a great way to spend a few hours!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
Behind the Frame is the second book in Tracy Gardner’s Shepherd Sisters mystery series. Art authenticator, now art teacher, Savanna Shepherd has been instrumental in gaining their small lakeside town of Carson, Michigan, the prestigious Art in the Park event. Savanna has worked with her good friend and former colleague, Britt Nash, and Councilman John Bellamy to organize this event with a very special banquet for supporters and sponsors. The night after the banquet, when Savanna goes to meet with the Councilman to work on some event details, she sees him through the window sprawled on the floor and immediately calls 911. She fears he has fallen or perhaps had a heart attack, but what the emergency workers discover is that he has been murdered and the knife that did the deed belongs to the chef that had catered the event the night before.
When Savanna’s sister Skylar becomes the Chef’s attorney, Savanna and Sydney sign on to help their sister however they can. Once again Ms. Gardner has woven an intriguing tale of the victim’s family secrets and political hijinks of opponents as it twists such that the reader is still following clues when all is revealed. Along with a wonderfully spun mystery, this series is also a well done story of the Shepherd family and those in their lives. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!
Savanna Shepherd, an art expert turned elementary art teacher, is planning the Art in the Park festival for her hometown of Carson. But apparently, someone isn’t happy that Carson got to host the event: the beloved statue in the park is destroyed. Not long after, Savanna finds the dead body of one of the people on the planning committee.
Savanna and her sisters are convinced that the arrested murder suspect didn’t do it, despite strong evidence to the contrary. With the help of Dr. Aidan Gallager, Savanna’s new romantic interest, they uncover hidden resentments and intrigue. Several people in Carson had a motive for the murder. Can they find out which one of them is behind the framing of an innocent person?
This is a good book to take to the beach or set in front of a fire. There is a mystery involved in the book as well as the beginning of a romance between Aidan and Savanna. All Savanna wants to do is hold Art in the Park. Little did she know that she would be investigating a beheaded statue, vandalism to her car, and to top it off a murder. Who would what to kill one of the planning committee members. The more she digs into the background of the victim the more suspects she finds.
I was given this book by Hallmark Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
Behind the Frame is definitely Hallmark worthy. It’s got charm, great characters, a beautiful setting, and a puzzling mystery. I love that though Savanna Shepherd is the main character, her sisters Skylar and Sydney play major roles in the book. The Shepherds give the book a warm feeling of family closeness. Their parents, as well as Skylar’s husband and little boy, enjoy spending time together. My family is still like this, but I know it’s become a rarity. It’s nice to read books where family is important and honored.
Savanna’s growing closeness to Dr. Aiden Gallagher gives Behind the Frame its romantic charm. I think it’s so cute that they go on several dates before they even kiss goodnight; that could be due to the fact that someone always has bad timing and shows up at exactly the right (wrong!) time.
Being from Ohio, it’s hard for me to say good stuff about Michigan. If you know anything about college football, you know that OSU and UM are major rivals. During the week that they play each other (okay, maybe more often than that), we here in Ohio call them TSUN (that state up north). But I must say, it is a beautiful state. Carson, the town in which Behind the Frame takes place, seems like a beautiful town on Lake Michigan. Like most of the towns in cozy mystery books (or Hallmark movies!), I wouldn’t mind living there myself! It’s no surprise that Carson was chosen to host the Art in the Park festival. However, that doesn’t make their rival, the town that’s held the festival for three years running, very happy.
But, does the vandalism of Carson’s beloved statue of Jessamine Carson have anything to do with the murder of a prominent townsperson? That does seem pretty far fetched! When a beloved member of the community is arrested for the murder, Savanna knows that person couldn’t be guilty! In true cozy mystery form, Savanna (and her sisters) gets involved in solving the crime. I love following the clues right along with the characters and trying to figure out whodunit before the reveal.
I definitely recommend Behind the Frame by Tracy Gardner. It’s a real page-turner!
As soon as I finished this delightful mystery I had to get a copy of the first in the series that I had missed. This one works fine as a standalone. The first thing to catch my interest was the art theme. Savanna is an art expert turned elementary school art teacher. Her life turned upside town and she returned to her family in Carson, Michigan. She and her sisters make a great team investigating murders.
The town has been active getting ready for Art in the Park and it looks like smooth sailing until somebody starts vandalizing the event and one of the committee members is found murdered. When a friend of Savanna becomes the prime suspect she and her sisters set out to find the true killer. Turns out that the victim had more than a few enemies and the twists, turns and red herring kept me guessing to the very end.
If you are a fan of the Hallmark Mysteries as I am, I’m sure you will enjoy this series. The puzzle is satisfying, the setting is cozy and the relationships between family and friends is great. There is even the right amount of romance. The perfect stress relieving escape reading.
My thanks to the publisher Dreamscape Media and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
A Hallmark movies and mysteries in book form. This now cozy mystery series delights. Read to escape.
This is a very enjoyable cozy mystery and a stand-alone in a fun series. This story flows so well that it sucks you in to the mystery and you will find yourself wanting to help the Shepherd sisters solve the murder while turning page after page to see who dunnit.