Reviews

Kill Them with Canvas by Bailee Abbott

leasummer's review against another edition

3.0

This one has better reviews than the first so I had higher hopes but sadly it wasn’t the good. Izzie is the most annoying side kick and sister, like a real ditz and not in a good way. The whole women’s good wasn’t much better. Would give this series a pass.

amandaj6's review against another edition

5.0

This was a fun cozy mystery. Sisters, small town, and painting parties! It was well written with lots of fun and twists and turns to keep you guessing. I really enjoyed this book. I will be reading the first book and looking out for the next in this series.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~

annarella's review against another edition

4.0

I wasn't a fan of the characters in the first book in this series but I found them more likeable in this one.
An entertaining cozy mystery that kept me guessing and reading.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

akolb51's review

slow-paced

 

Chloe Abbington and her sister, Izzie, are running Paint with a View, their paint party business in the western New York lakeside town of Whisper Cove. Now, their aunt Constance—president of the local chapter of the Chautauqua Sisterhood—has hooked them up with a gig hosting a Halloween painting party. The event seems to be a success, until Chloe overhears an argument between Constance and Viola Finnwinkle, the Sisterhood director, about the fate of the local chapter. The next morning, Viola’s body is discovered floating face down near the town ferryboat dock. Eerily, the image is an exact replica of a painting Chloe and Izzie had discovered at the event the night before. Then, the police find Constance’s purple hat lying on the ground near the crime scene. Constance pleads innocence, saying the hat went missing during the event. Frantic, she begs Chloe and Izzie to help her. The sisters believe in her innocence, and start investigating. 

This was an interesting cozy mystery with characters that are very likeable. I love the main characters’ business and how art plays a role in the story. But this mystery was too long and drawn out. I was getting bored with it, and the slow pace of the story made me want to put it down. The only reason why I wanted to finish it was to see whodunit. And, for once, I wasn’t surprised, I knew who the culprit was from the third chapter. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced reader’s copy. This review is my unbiased opinion. 

hmurff's review

lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Bailee Abbott for letting me read and review this book

I really enjoyed this book and the first book in this series. The characters are well written, and the town is somewhere I would love to live and be a part of. This book is set around Halloween in the small town, where everyone goes all out for decorations and activities for the holiday. I loved seeing the town come together to help each other out. 

The characters are lovable and fun to follow. The mystery is intriguing and will keep you guessing until the end. There are lots of suspects and clues that pop up throughout the book, and it keeps you wondering what will happen until the end of the book. 

This is a great cozy mystery for the fall season. You do not have to read the first book in the series to read this one, but it does help you get to understand the characters and their backgrounds better. Would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants a nice cozy mystery with the small-town vibes.

dollycas's review

lighthearted mysterious

4.0

 

Dollycas’s Thoughts

It’s almost Halloween in Whisper Cove and Chloe and Izzie are making the most of the holiday with several events for their Paint with a View painting party business. The first event is for their Aunt Constance and the local chapter of the Chautauqua Sisterhood. They will be painting a picture of the Lady of Chautauqua Lake who died a hundred years ago and has become a legend who rises every All Hallows Eve from the lake to haunt the small lakeside town.

The sisterhood director, Viola Finnwinkle has decided to attend the painting party and the event is going well until an argument between the director and Aunt Constance, president of the local order erupts after she informs Constance the local chapter will be merging with others. Soon both abruptly leave the event while other guests finish their paintings. The next morning Viola’s body is found floating by the ferryboat dock eerily just like a painting Izzie and Chloe found left behind at the Chautauqua Sisterhood party the night before. A piece of evidence found at the crime scene puts Aunt Constance at the top of the suspect list. Their aunt is not a killer! Chloe and Izzie drop their brushes to prove her innocence but will they find the true killer or will they paint their aunt into a corner?

Izzie was hard for me to like in A Brush with Murder
. In reading this 2nd installment of the Paint by Murder Mystery she has not grown on me and Chloe is faltering in my affection. Chloe came across as downright rude at times. I was so happy to see Willow is back to work for the sisters Abbington because they spend a lot of time out of their shop trying to clear their aunt’s name. Willow is also the one that paints the pictures of the projects in progress to help painters see the pictures they are trying to paint in steps. I assume Chloe painted those while Willow was away. Chloe worrying endlessly over her love life got to be too much for me too. Adding their cousin Spencer to the mix didn’t help either because we see she has a lot of immature traits and thoughts as well. Aunt Constance has some interesting friends, one who is always extremely close literally which was a little creepy but she added an interesting element to the story.  Chloe and Izzie have grown a little since the last book but I hope there is some big development in book three.

The mystery was very nicely plotted with a small group of suspects from members of the Chautauqua Sisterhood, Dewey, the ferry manager, and Aunt Constance. The sisters make a valiant try to solve the mystery but they should be extremely thankful for Max, a fluffy white Maltese poodle mix with and love of sniffing out evidence. He moved the investigation along more than once. Chloe and Izzie’s investigation was very by the seat of their pants impulsively darting from one thing to another but a last-minute plan reveals all. I never truly focused in on the true killer which made the that reveal was super satisfactory for me.

I loved that the story was set during Halloween. The legend of the Lady of Chautauqua Lake was a great theme. I easily pictured the woman from the author’s description and the paintings she was featured in. I would have loved to be part of that painting party.

Kill Them With Canvas was an entertaining cozy mystery marred by some truly over-the-top characters. There were so many good things about the first two books in this series. I think the right character development can make book 3 a Perfect Escape.