A review by mhinnen
Death as a Fine Art by Sharon Linnéa

5.0

When the weather outside is frightful, embrace a spirit of hiraeth, settle in by the fire with a tray of gingerbread cookies and your favorite libation, and dive into the latest Bartender’s Guide to Murder.

In Death as a Fine Art, Avalon’s tranquility is threatened when her workplace becomes the set of a TV gingerbread bake-off, her boundary-pushing mom makes a surprise visit, a storm looms, and—oh yes—a man is shot and killed on the settee in the lobby. Despite her best efforts to avoid getting involved, Avalon is drawn into solving the murder, which appears linked to an art-related crime ring.

Avalon also is concerned with keeping her mom safe. Amid the chaos, the two navigate their complicated relationship, leaning into each other’s strengths to outsmart an unknown assassin. Their teamwork was a heartwarming highlight for me especially when the blizzard hits.

Once again, Linnea delivers vivid, diverse characters (though I missed Avalon’s friend, Hannah, who is out of town in this book). She enriches the story with layers of historical detail including spotlighting forgotten women artists. Avalon is a multidimensional young woman —conscientious, compassionate, independent, and undeniably badass while figuring out her life and growing as part of the Tranquility community.

And, of course, the cocktail recipes at the end of each chapter are a special treat. I especially loved the ones that incorporated cookie crumbs.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!