A review by murderbydeath
Oak and Dagger by Dorothy St. James
5.0
Excellent read! Fast paced, interesting and with very little 'filler' in the form of internal dialogue or constant review of suspects - this was handled really gracefully with a paragraph here and there throughout the story. I absolutely loved the ending of this book and the plot wrap-up. Ms. James did an excellent job of letting you think you knew the killer only to keep throwing things topsy turvy. And the climax of the "hidden treasure" part of the plot - well, I just thought it was to coolest ending!
With the exception of Lorenzo who is the "jackass" character in this series that's becoming a bit of a cliche in cozies lately, I love these characters, they are likeable, engaging and I find myself wanting to know what comes next for each of them. What could be a cheesy and emotionally manipulative storyline concerning Casey's past is beautifully written - she's got baggage, but she's not a whiny victim. The revelation of secrets kept for ages was sort of predictable, but interesting nevertheless. I love the dynamic between Casey and Jack - lots of potential there and lots of sparks. The addition of his brothers to the cast of characters made for a very light moment in the book - I hope to see a bit more of their comedy relief in future books.
Overall, I can see this being a book I'll pick up again and again - I just genuinely enjoyed 99% of this book cover-to-cover. If you like gardening and cozies, I recommend you give this series a spin.
With the exception of Lorenzo who is the "jackass" character in this series that's becoming a bit of a cliche in cozies lately, I love these characters, they are likeable, engaging and I find myself wanting to know what comes next for each of them. What could be a cheesy and emotionally manipulative storyline concerning Casey's past is beautifully written - she's got baggage, but she's not a whiny victim. The revelation of secrets kept for ages was sort of predictable, but interesting nevertheless. I love the dynamic between Casey and Jack - lots of potential there and lots of sparks. The addition of his brothers to the cast of characters made for a very light moment in the book - I hope to see a bit more of their comedy relief in future books.
Overall, I can see this being a book I'll pick up again and again - I just genuinely enjoyed 99% of this book cover-to-cover. If you like gardening and cozies, I recommend you give this series a spin.