“McRae’s gift for storytelling and witty turn of phrase, combined with rich description and fun, relatable characters, make this cozy a true gem!” USA Today Bestselling Author Kelly Stone Gamble“If you enjoy clean murder mysteries set in a small town, I recommend this one as your next treasure!” Blue Jeans and TeacupsEmma Madison loves junkin’ for old baubles to turn into dazzling new creations, … dazzling new creations, and launching her new career as a jewelry designer in the small town of Roseland, Georgia, is a dream come true. After making out like a bandit at a garage sale one morning, Emma goes to the Silver Squirrel antiques shop to share her fabulous finds with a fellow jewelry lover. She’s shocked to learn that a salesclerk friend, Tina, has just been found murdered.
When the police can’t get any firm leads, Emma decides to use her newspaper reporting experience to assist them. According to the local gossip mill, not everyone in town liked Tina, including her two siblings. Soon, the list of suspects is longer than a strand of opera pearls.
Someone is trying to stop Emma from helping, even going so far as to threaten her new business. While eager to get back to making jewelry, Emma is determined to find the person responsible for Tina’s death, even if that means coming face-to-face with the killer.
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Emeralds and Envy by Angela McRae is a puzzling mystery filled with expressive characters, in a fun-loving small town.
Will Emma find the killer or become the next victim?
Emma, Our Sleuth
Emma Madison is a former newspaper reporter, turned jewelry maker. She has many friends in the community, including artists, business owners, and friends at the newspaper. Emma has a small home and a cat named Miriam. She works from home but spends a lot of time at yard sales, second-hand shops, and craft stores, finding just the right beads and such to make her costume jewelry. Emma also helps as a clerk at the local Gallery. All of that stuff took a back door to find out who killed Tina LeMann in the Silver Squirrel. Emma promised Carleen the owner of the Silver Squirrel she would figure out whodunit.
I like Emma, she has spunk, creativity and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. She is motivated to make her career change work. I could be her friend.
Mystery
As I said above, Emma is trying to find Tina’s killer. As she devels into Tina’s life, Emma discovers that Tina is different from who Emma thought she was. Many things in Tina’s life contradict each other. Tina’s sister and brother aren’t the close family type. Tina was in charge of her mother’s care, which one of her siblings will take over that role? Emma does an excellent job of interviewing suspects and drawing conclusions, but so does the local detective who doesn’t want Emma involved at all.
Four Stars for Emeralds and Envy by Angela McRae
Emeralds and Envy is Ms. McRae’s first cozy mystery. She is off to a great start. I love the small artsy town, with its second-hand stores and art galleries. Oh, and the fantastic convections that are at the local bakery makes my mouth water. I thought the mystery was well played, and the red herrings had me guessing. I will be looking for Emma’s next adventure.
There are also a couple of lovely recipes included. Emma’s Blueberry Tea Bread and Carleen’s Egg-Olive Sandwich Spread.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the author. 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 Emeralds and Envy by Angela McRae.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book on your site.
Until the next time,
~Jen
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If you enjoy a well-drawn cozy mystery–and spending time with a cast of small-town characters you can easily relate to–you’ll love this book! Oh, and the jewelry theme is a great bonus, too!
Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.
Emma Madison used to be a newspaper reporter, but she left that grind behind to start her own business creating new jewelry from old costume jewelry and other things, like buttons. Her designs are really taking off and while she’s not rich, by any means, she’s at least making a profit. Most months anyway. One morning she hits a garage sale jackpot and heads over to show her friend Carleen, owner of the antique shop Silver Squirrel, only to get there and see the shop is a crime scene. Luckily, Carleen is okay. Not so fortunate is her employee, Tina LeMann, who has been murdered. Emma vows to Carleen that she’ll figure out who the murderer is before anyone else gets hurt. Or dead.
There’s a lot to love about this story: an eclectic collection of artists, small town living (and gossip), lots of jewelry descriptions (if you’re into that thing), and a mystery that didn’t have the murder suspect immediately pegged. And then there’s the rest. There is a lot of mundane shit happening that could have been left out. And it’s not just here and there. It infects the entire book. It all leads nowhere and doesn’t advance the plot in any way. As a long time reader, I can tell you I do not need all of a character’s daily details spelled out for me. Including the minutiae only bogs a story down especially when those details have nothing to contribute to the plot. I’m hoping the next book is more streamlined. In addition, Emma is a bit irritating. Just because she was once a reporter, doesn’t mean she can run around town investigating a murder and not suffer consequences. I tolerated her fairly well though except for the scene at the police station where she gets all high and mighty with the detective. I really despised her dumbass attitude in that instance. I mean, seriously? Ugh. However, while this first book isn’t ideal, I’m still interested enough to see what else happens in a Roseland, Georgia sequel.
A nice cozy mystery. Good for a relaxing summer read. Life in a small town where everyone know everyone else’s business. How could someone kill such a sweet well liked person? Or was she? I’m not much into jewelry so that part of the story went over my head but I’d love to see some of the other art and furniture mention in it. The bonus part of the book is no f** bombs and 2 must try recipes!!!
amateur-sleuth, small-business, small-town, art, murder-investigation
Emma left the journalism rat race and began to use her artistic talents by scouting out less expensive cast off jewelry at yard sales and estate sales then crafting them into beautiful bling to sell at a profit. The business is doing well, and the work is rewarding. She has a number of good friends, and one of them is in distress because a friend and coworker has been murdered in her shop. Let the gossip and the sleuthing begin! A comfortable cozy for a lazy day.
I won an Early Reviewer copy in a LibraryThing Giveaway! Lucky me!