Mollie Cox Bryan

I received an uncorrected, advance reader, e-book copy of "Scrapbook of the Dead" by Mollie Cox Bryan, from Kensington Books publishers via Net Galley for an honest review.

[b: Scrapbook of the Dead|23360000|Scrapbook of the Dead|Mollie Cox Bryan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422215037s/23360000.jpg|42915888] by [a: Mollie Cox Bryan|345378|Mollie Cox Bryan|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1259962115p2/345378.jpg] was a pleasant surprise for me. My vision of scrap-booking used to equal that of cat-herd collecting; a hobby for bored and lonely old ladies. This mystery was a slap in the face to my preconceived notions.

"Scrapbook of the Dead" is a series of stories about an interesting town and various residents of Cumberland Creek. This is fifth in the series, but stands-alone well. This is my first Mollie Cox Bryan book, but will not be my last.

In short stories it is often difficult to have many well developed characters, and Ms. Bryan has done a good job with these characters. It has been a couple of weeks since I read this book, and I still think of the different people who live in Cumberland Creek.

This story was believable and addressed the human rights problem of immigrants being taken advantage of, in order to come to the U.S.A. so that they can have opportunities for a better life. I appreciate the way this topic was smoothly tacked into the story.

As a genealogist, I learned some valuable tips for preserving family history, and will always count it as a bonus that I read [b: Scrapbook of the Dead|23360000|Scrapbook of the Dead|Mollie Cox Bryan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422215037s/23360000.jpg|42915888]… (mais)

Cora and Jane annoyed me with their wishywashyness. They were all over the place, saying one thing and then doing another. Both characters are high strung, weak and judgey. The romance between all the characters was particularly irritating and unnecessary. I liked the idea of a craft retreat and Cora running a craft blog which encourages people to come there, but the execution fell flat. Jane running away annoyed me the most. Who just leaves their kid? If she had of escaped with the kid maybe but it seems like she just abandons the raising of London to Cora as it suits her. And the scene with Cora and the gun seemed particularly stupid. I mean, shouldn't you treat every gun as loaded if you have no idea how to check? The mystery was fairly interesting if not pretty predictable. Overall, 2 stars, on the lower side of 2.… (mais)

This was my first book by Mollie Cox Bryan. It is part of the series, A Cora Crafts Mystery. I had no issue with jumping into the series. Because of that, I believe this book can be read as a stand-alone or out of series order. This was also my first cozy mystery with crafting as a theme.

I really enjoyed this mystery. I liked Cora and the other characters very much. They were people I would enjoy being around. I felt comfortable with them. I was thrilled to see Cora pay attention to gut instinct. I think we all need to listen more when it tries to get our attention. As someone who deals with anxiety and panic, it was interesting to have a major character dealing with it. I was encouraged by Cora.

I was intrigued by the idea of a crafting retreat. I have never been to one. I do enjoy some crafts but am lousy at keeping them up. My crafting level is, at best, self described as kindergarten - first grade level. I do love to do them do and am, frequently, as proud as the best of any kindergarteners. I started this book with a little bit of fear that I would have a difficult time with the crafting part. No worries, though. I was able to not only keep up just fine but also found myself wishing to attend a craft retreat. I believe I could manage to learn something new and fun to do. I was even encouraged enough that I am planning to try the crafts at the back of the book. I’m thinking I could come away with some meditation beads...or maybe just a necklace like is pictured on the cover. There are actually a couple of craft instructions that I want to try.

The mystery was well written. I was kept guessing all the way up to the reveal. There were several secrets and surprises along the way that had me changing my mind about suspects. The big reveal contained the best secret! But I’m not going to give you anything there.

I recommend this cozy mystery book. It was fun and interesting. If you make any of the crafts in the book and post photos on Instagram, please tag me, (Wulfwyn907). I would really like to see what you made. I will be adding the other books in this series to my TBR. Thank you to Kimberlee at the Review Club on Facebook for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my honest thoughts regarding this book.… (mais)