This is the second book in the newer Paint & Shine series by cozy author Cheryl Hollon who also wrote the Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries. I love the very different idea of a main character artist presenting tours that involve both painting and hiking. I’m neither an artist nor a hiker, but I can pretend through what Miranda’s clients are doing, minus the murder, of course! 😉 Just the descriptions of the Daniel Boone National Forest made me have to see what they looked like, so I researched the Gladie Visitor Center and the Indian Staircase. The staircase looks like a challenging hike, so there’s no danger I’d ever be brave enough, but I sure wouldn’t mind visiting the national forest itself for a short trail.
Be sure and read the author’s extensive and interesting acknowledgements after the story. That’s where she tells about the magic of fiction being able to combine some favorite places of hers. But I really loved finding out that lots of the places were real.
My Goodreads review:
Draw and Order by Cheryl Hollon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the latest book in this newer series. I always thought it was a really unique idea for a main character to be both a hiker and an artist combining both those activities into tours of the Daniel Boone National Forest. I’m not sure I’d be much in favor of the hiking/climbing part or even the painting, but the big Southern meal afterward always sounds so yummy!
Miranda’s a great character and such a good daughter and friend too. I could tell having her mom around this time both annoyed yet helped her. I have a feeling in the long run that her mom’s helpfulness with cooking and just taking care of people in general will win out. I hope she moves there for good. I loved Austin and Doris’s characters before too and was glad to see Miranda and Austin getting even closer. Doris Ann was a good friend and a great source of information when Miranda had to sleuth out a case involving her clients, just like the current case where she was trying to find out who killed her cousin.
At one point in the book, I just didn’t know who of the Risky Business Adventurers could be trusted, but I was leaning toward one in particular for the killer and ended up being right. The showdown/rescue was pretty cool, and everything at the end was explained once everyone was checked out and fine. I saved the preview to savor once I was done with this one, so I’m going to enjoy that a little later. There are recipes before you get to the preview for book 3. The book publishes June 29, 2021.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, an my opinions are my own.
Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery 