Murder of an Open Book by Denise Swanson

Every once in a while I stumble on to the last release of a long lived series and it leaves me wondering how I missed the first parts and scrambling to gather them so I can get caught up! That is exactly how Murder of an Open Book by Denise Swanson left me feeling. 

From the back of the book:

A nasty faculty feud leaves one Scumble River teacher belly-up. . . .

Her honeymoon may have been less than relaxing, but Skye Boyd née Denison is still high on marital bliss with her new husband, Wally. The fact that their family is about to get bigger is even more exciting, even if Skye is dealing with morning sickness—and trying to hide the news from her ever-meddling mother, May.

But Skye quickly comes crashing down from cloud nine when the body of one of her coworkers, science teacher and volleyball coach Blair Hucksford, is found in the school swimming pool. The troublesome trainer was on the bad side of almost everyone on staff and many of the girls on her team, leaving Skye to sort through a huge roster of suspects. Now she must figure out which wronged party was mad enough to kill, and quickly—before someone else in town gets bumped off. . . 

My thoughts:

I first have to mention that the chapter titles cracked me up! I seriously love when authors take time for special touches like that. This was such a fun, well plotted mystery. I loved the challenge of thinking about who it could have been and I really loved that I was close at being right. They were on my short list. 

As I mentioned, this is just one part of a long series but I am happy to say that you don't need to read them all to jump right in. I was not lost, and found it easy to sink into the compelling story with all of the wonderful characters and suspects! While murder mysteries do have a dark element, murder, this one managed to throw in some humor in just the right amount. 

This is a story and series that is sure to delight cozy lovers, like it did me! The only hard part will be waiting for the next part!

Take some time to browse the other great mysteries available from Berkley Prime Crime. While you are there, you can sign up for the newsletter so you never miss a new release. I must warn you though, after browsing my wish list is longer than I could probably read. You can also connect with them on Twitter where you can happen across a fun giveaway as well. 

Disclosure: I may receive products in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be good for my readers.