The second book in the Stationery Shop Mystery Series from Vivian Conroy! When a killer strikes, it becomes clear that this murder mystery has more dimensions than Delta Douglas and her Paper Posse could have ever imagined…This new crafting cozy mystery release is:For fans of Lauren Elliot and Essie LangFor readers of cozy mysteries and small-town fictionThe scissors are sharpened and the … cardstock stacked for Delta Douglas’ latest workshop: a 3D cardmaking event at socialite Lena Laroy’s birthday extravaganza. As co-owner of Wanted, the local stationery shop, Delta is ready to wow her guests with her one of a kind crafts. But, at this party, paper isn’t the only thing bent out of shape. When a threatening present is unwrapped and the guest of honor’s sister-in-law is discovered dead by the trees, Delta realizes another killer is loose in her small town.Before the cake is even cut, suspects appear from the folds, and Delta and her Paper Posse must analyze the evidence to track the culprit down. But, with Lena’s list of enemies a mile long, Delta soon discovers this case has more dimensions than she bargained for.In this new cozy mystery from Vivian Conroy, Delta and her team will have to get creative to catch a killer!
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4.5 stars
For Letter or Worse is the second book in Vivian Conroy’s Stationery Shop Mystery series. Delta Douglas and her best friend Hazel are co-owners of a stationery shop in Tundish, Montana. They have been hired to do a 3D cardmaking workshop at the birthday party of former model and celebrity, Lena Laroy. During the party, Lena finds a threatening message on one of the gifts. Shortly after that, her sister-in-law is found dead outside. Delta can’t help herself, and with the help of her friend Jonas, decides to do some sleuthing.
This was an enjoyable mystery, with lots of twists and turns and several suspects to keep you guessing. The descriptions of the store and town were charming and rich in detail. Most of the characters are developing nicely and I feel like I’m really starting to get to know them better, particularly Delta, Hazel, Jonas, and Ray. However, I cannot say the same for the Paper Posse ladies. They still feel very one dimensional to me, which is such a shame because I think they would add so much more to the story if they were more fleshed out. I’m hoping to see more character development for them in the third book.
All in all, I thought this was a wonderful addition to the Stationery Shop Mystery series. I look forward to the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read 9.24.2020This is a solid, 3 star cozy mystery. There are quite a few fun elements in this story [though not nearly enough about the store “Wanted” in this one – I want MUCH more of the stationary store and all its goodies. And yes, it is because I have a serious “problem” in the stationary department! LOL], but unfortunately, there are some issues as well. And that is what kept it from being a 4 star read for me.
1. NO ONE who has a job [meaning Delta in this book, but a lot of MC’s in other books] seems to have to actually WORK at said job. Hazel is a much nicer and much more accommodating boss and friend than I have ever had in my entire working life. Jonas is both able to do several jobs AND sleuth, so it is possible. Delta needs to learn that and stop leaving her friend in the lurch. She might as well have stayed in Cheyenne since she is not really going to be in at the business she bought into. I do hope this changes in the next book.
2. It is ICED TEA, not ice tea. I was hoping this was just a simple mistype, but it is in the book + times, so I believe it is the author. One can hope that they caught that before publishing the book.
[Yes, I know that this seems trivial, but in reality it isn’t. If you are going to write books, you need to use proper spelling, pronunciation, and idioms of language].
3. They were doing a lot of “diving” into places; the car, a shop, the shower. Apparently, “diving” is the new “ran into” or “got into quickly” etc. There were times it seemed rather dangerous to be “diving in”, and I wonder at the overuse of the word [also see “springing into action”] [Again, I realize this seems nitpicky, but if it is affecting the reading of the book, it becomes important. When it is said over and over and the reader starts rolling their eyes at every mention of said word and how it is being used, it absolutely becomes important].
4. Is it just me, or are the criminals in cozies becoming easier to disarm and capture? Where is the former excitement of the reveal? It used to be, you’d get to 80% and your pulse would start racing and you’d be on the edge of your seat, wondering who it was and would everyone be safe.
Now it is just boomboomboom and everyone is caught and there is no drama at all. It is all rather tepid to be honest.
**When I wrote this note while I was reading it, I didn’t realize it was really a faux reveal [to throw us off I guess. The real reveal was later, and unfortunately, this was also rather tepid, as I had guessed who the killer was early on, so this was anticlimactic to me]. It was still very fast, and very tepid.
5. (view spoiler)
6. Why are pantsuits “crisp”? <--This isn't a complaint. I am genuinely interesting in knowing why they are referred this way. Overall, this was a decent read. And the things that bugged me are not enough to make me NOT want to read another one. I like Hazel very much and I like all of the other side characters. and the introduction of Gran [Delta's grandmother] and the adorable historian [who's name escapes me at this moment], both whom I hope become regulars in this series. I even like Delta for the most part. She is creative and effusive and seems like a nice person, aside from that whole "I own a business that I don't really need to work in" business. This is a pretty decent series and I am glad to have read this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I gave the first book in the Stationery Shop Mysteries, Last Pen Standing, five stars, but I feel like Vivian Conroy pulled back with book two, For Letter or Worse. There is so much potential for character development with the Paper Posse and we don’t get as much in book two. And whereas the animals shined in the first book, we barely see any of them in For Letter or Worse.
The descriptions of Montana, Wanted (the stationery shop), and the estate where the birthday party is held are all done very well, and this seems to be where Conroy really shines. We do get a new character that moves to town who I think will be excellent in future books and will fit in nicely with the Paper Posse. And Delta’s romance is advancing a bit, and we see a potential love match for Hazel. I’m actually a bit more excited for Hazel’s romantic partner, if it actually happens, because I can see a lot of interesting ways he can help with mystery solving in future books.
As for the mystery itself there were a couple of similarities to the first book, with a conversation being overheard but not knowing who was talking, and while the killer wasn’t the same relations to the victims, I felt they still had an interchangeable persona… I would explain more, but I don’t want to give any spoilers. Even with those two similar situations Conroy still gave a lot of red herrings and a couple of characters with really strong potential to be the killer. At one point I was certain I knew who the killer was, but later changed my mind when more information became available.
I’m looking forward to book three, The Glitter End, which comes out at the end of September. I hope Conroy gets more in depth with her character’s personalities and we get to see more of Spud, Nugget, and the new arrival to town!
3.5 stars
Delta Douglas is part owner of a stationary store with her friend, Hazel. Named Wanted, it has a large local following, especially by the Paper Posse Ladies. Paper crafts are their thing with a side of crime investigation as they help Delta and Hazel track down a killer.
What should have been a fun event – a 3D craft themed birthday event for a local celeb – Lena Laroy – turns out to be anything but fun. During the party a threatening note is discovered followed by the very dead body of Lena’s sister-in-law. Not new at sleuthing, Delta, along with Hazel, Jonas and the Paper Posse Ladies start their investigation and the list of suspects gives them a lot to work with. Full of twists, turns and red herrings, this is a well crafted mystery that kept me engaged to the last page.
I will definitely be adding the next in the series to my TBR list.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Wanting to expand their client base, friends and co-owners of Wanted Stationery Shop, Delta, and Hazel agree to host a 3D cardmaking workshop at former model Lena Laroy’s over the top birthday bash. As the guest of honor opens her gifts, one clearly upsets her. The gift is clearly a threat and the police are alerted. Before the threat can even be addressed a scream rings out. Lena’s sister-in-law’s dead body has been found. Not again, the last thing Delta needs is to get caught up in another murder investigation but she agrees to help her friend Jonas Nord, a retired Detective, dig through the suspects and clues to find the killer.
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In this second book of the Stationery Shop Mysteries, we are getting to know these characters better. Delta is emerging as a strong protagonist. She and Jonas make a great team. There are plenty of suspects so they have their work cut out for them. They do get some assistance from The Paper Posse, a group of women that know every little thing that happens in town and if they don’t they know someone who does. They communicate through text messages so readers are mostly in the dark about who they really are. I hope these characters are more fleshed out in future stories. I am also hoping Delta’s grandmother is featured prominently in the next book. She was my favorite this time and we just met her.
I am also getting a better picture of the stationery shop itself. A Wild West Sheriff’s Office complete with the cells and furnishings. Hazel has tried to keep the sheriff’s office intact as much as possible while displaying some artifacts to show the town’s history while also displaying all the goods for sale. It sounds like an interesting place but every time they add new stock or talk about adding specialty items by mind starts to think how crowded the store must be. I just have to expand my imagination and make the shop as large as possible.
The mystery had a nice set of twists and turns. Everyone at the party is a suspect and there is the probability that someone ventured onto the property just to commit murder and left without anyone seeing. This is also not the first murder at this fancy estate and that adds extra intrigue to the story. I did enjoy the way Delta pushed her way into situations and the way mystery was wrapped up.
With characters that continue to evolve and a strong mystery For Letter or Worse is an enjoyable addition to this series. I look forward to book 3.
FOR LETTER OR WORSE by Vivian Conroy is a cozy mystery and the second book in the Stationery Shop series. Delta Douglas was gifted some money by her grandmother which allowed her to quit her job as a graphic designer and pursue her dream job. She invests the money in a partnership business that her college friend Hazel runs in Tundish, Montana. The business is a stationery shop and Delta plans to create a line of products for the store using designs from sketches she has done. While Delta will focus on the creative side of the business, she also needs to learn a lot about the running of a business from Hazel. This book takes place about one month after book one in the series. Delta and Hazel have been asked to do a 3-D card-making workshop at a birthday party at one of the wealthy estates on Lake Geneva. When a threatening present is opened and a body is found at the edge of the grounds, Delta can’t help getting involved trying to solve the cases.
Delta is a likeable character who is definitely someone you can root for. The main secondary characters enhanced the story but their depth is still lacking. Hopefully, this will improve with the next book in the series. The world-building enhanced the setting and gave me a clear sense of place. There were plenty of twists and turns and several potential suspects. Themes include murder, greed, family relationships, secrets, friendship and much more.
Overall, this was an enjoyable mystery, but the intensity that I expected wasn’t there. There are some unusual plot twists. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, then you may want to check this one out. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series as well as checking out other books by this author.
Poisoned Pen Press and Vivian Conroy provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review and opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.