Murder on the Toy Town Express: A Vintage Toyshop Mystery
by Barbara Early
Murder on the Toy Town Express: A Vintage Toyshop Mystery
Cozy Mysterry
2nd in Series
Setting – New York
Crooked Lane Books (October 10, 2017)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683313090
E-Book ASIN: B06XWDQYJW
Liz McCall has come to love running her father’s vintage toyshop back home in East Aurora, NY, so when the Train and Toy Show comes to town, she’s all aboard for a fun toy-filled weekend. The only hitch is that her childhood bully Craig McFadden, now local business rival, has set up a booth next to hers. But the fun and games are over when Craig falls from the ceiling in a publicity stunt gone wrong.
What was initially thought to be a fatal accident proves much more sinister. Pulled into the case by her feelings for both Ken, the police chief, and Jack, her high school sweetheart whose brother is one the prime suspects, Liz dives headfirst into the investigation. But as she digs deeper, she’s shocked to learn her father may have been the intended target.
The trouble train is barreling down and Liz may have just bought herself a first class ticket in Murder on the Toy Town Express, Barbara Early’s delightful second installment in her Vintage Toyshop mysteries
Review –
Liz Mcall is busy running her father’s vintage toy store. She signs up for a weekend at the toy and train show. She runs into her old school bully, Craig McFadden. Things go awry when Craig falls from the rafters of the show in a publicity stunt gone wrong. As more facts come to light it seems like Craig was drugged by a drug that makes the person take suggestions. It gets even more sinister when Craig who survives dies mysteriously in his hospital room. Much to the dismay of her friend who might be something more police chief Liz investigates.
In an Oyster Shell – A good mystery with too much telling rather than showing.
The Pearls – I love the concept of a mystery surrounding a vintage toy store. I loved how Liz was a game fanatic and I got to know some new games. I liked the descriptions of the toys it made the narrative more vibrant. I also liked that along with the toys they had candies. It was a delicious addition.
The characters were well defined and developed. There was a whole cast of characters that added depth to the story. There was a little bit of a love triangle that added some pizzaz. I liked Liz’s sister in law Cathy she was pregnant and had some quirks that were fun.
The mystery was well done and multi-faceted. It was intriguing that the victim didn’t die at first. It looked like an accident than it turned to murder. It prolonged the story and kept me engaged.
The Sand- There was a lot of telling rather than showing. It made the story a bit dull and frustrating to read.
3.5 Pearls
About The Author
Barbara Early earned an engineering degree, but after four years of doing nothing but math, developed a sudden allergy to the subject and decided to choose another occupation. Before she settled on murdering fictional people, she was a secretary, a school teacher, a pastor’s wife, and an amateur puppeteer. After several years living elsewhere, she and her husband moved back to her native Western New York State, where she enjoys cooking, crafts, classic movies and campy seventies television, board games, and posting pictures of her four cats on Facebook. She writes the Vintage Toyshop series
Author Links
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraEarly/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1671291.Barbara_Early
Author Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cUh3Wn
Cozy Café: https://www.facebook.com/CozyCafeMysteries/
Killer Characters: http://www.killercharacters.com/search/label/Barbara%20Early
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