Helpful Score: 3
This fantastic story that has Katie running in circles and eating way too much pizza but by the time I finished reading the book I was craving cinnamon rolls.
The characters in this series are so much fun, even if one or two of them may be murderers. Katie has faced so much already losing her husband, then her business partner is murdered and she finds herself the sole owner of Artisans Alley putting here dreams of owning a B&B firmly out of reach. She has grown into the job wonderfully, handling the vendors with a caring touch but firmly enough so they know whos is charge. Her relationship with Andy continues to evolve. They just need to figure out to spend more time together. We also get to know Edie, Rose and Vance better in this installment. I love that Vances son has a part to play in this multifaceted story.
Bartlett is an expert at telling a cozy mystery. A true shining star!! She breathes life into every character and pens a mystery full of twists and turns in a beautiful setting that keeps us engrossed from the first word until the last. Definitely another bestseller!!!!
The characters in this series are so much fun, even if one or two of them may be murderers. Katie has faced so much already losing her husband, then her business partner is murdered and she finds herself the sole owner of Artisans Alley putting here dreams of owning a B&B firmly out of reach. She has grown into the job wonderfully, handling the vendors with a caring touch but firmly enough so they know whos is charge. Her relationship with Andy continues to evolve. They just need to figure out to spend more time together. We also get to know Edie, Rose and Vance better in this installment. I love that Vances son has a part to play in this multifaceted story.
Bartlett is an expert at telling a cozy mystery. A true shining star!! She breathes life into every character and pens a mystery full of twists and turns in a beautiful setting that keeps us engrossed from the first word until the last. Definitely another bestseller!!!!
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 2
First Line: Steam seeped through the airholes in the Angelo's pizza box, along with the aroma of melted mozzarella, pepperoni, sauce, and spices.
Having a boyfriend who owns a pizza place has its perks, although Katie Bonner is secretly getting rather tired of pepperoni. And whenever she walks into Artisans Alley and looks across the square to the old Webster mansion, she feels a twinge. If her late husband hadn't invested all their savings in the craft mall, the Webster mansion would have been hers to restore lovingly and turn into a bed and breakfast.
Now her dream has become Janice and Toby's, but the new owners have barely started demolition when a skeleton is discovered sealed in the walls of one of the rooms. The bones are identified as those of Heather Winston, a young woman who's been missing for over twenty years. Heather's aunt, Rose Nash, works at Artisans Alley and asks her friend Katie to help her find Heather's killer. The two women soon find out that the killer is very much alive and really wants past secrets to remain buried... at all costs.
This second book in the Victoria Square cozy mystery series continues with a setting and a cast of characters that I greatly enjoyed in the first book, A Crafty Killing. The setting allows for an interesting mix of characters with all the artisans and crafts people renting space in Artisans Alley. Through Katie we can also learn about merchandising, advertising, and being a member of the Merchants Association. There's much more meat on the bone in this series than just a mystery to solve.
Although I deduced the killer's identity rather early on, I settled in to watch how Katie put the clues together. Spending time with Katie and her friends on Victoria Square is a very pleasurable way to spend a few hours, and I intend to keep on doing it.
Having a boyfriend who owns a pizza place has its perks, although Katie Bonner is secretly getting rather tired of pepperoni. And whenever she walks into Artisans Alley and looks across the square to the old Webster mansion, she feels a twinge. If her late husband hadn't invested all their savings in the craft mall, the Webster mansion would have been hers to restore lovingly and turn into a bed and breakfast.
Now her dream has become Janice and Toby's, but the new owners have barely started demolition when a skeleton is discovered sealed in the walls of one of the rooms. The bones are identified as those of Heather Winston, a young woman who's been missing for over twenty years. Heather's aunt, Rose Nash, works at Artisans Alley and asks her friend Katie to help her find Heather's killer. The two women soon find out that the killer is very much alive and really wants past secrets to remain buried... at all costs.
This second book in the Victoria Square cozy mystery series continues with a setting and a cast of characters that I greatly enjoyed in the first book, A Crafty Killing. The setting allows for an interesting mix of characters with all the artisans and crafts people renting space in Artisans Alley. Through Katie we can also learn about merchandising, advertising, and being a member of the Merchants Association. There's much more meat on the bone in this series than just a mystery to solve.
Although I deduced the killer's identity rather early on, I settled in to watch how Katie put the clues together. Spending time with Katie and her friends on Victoria Square is a very pleasurable way to spend a few hours, and I intend to keep on doing it.
Cheryl C. (moondance120) reviewed The Walled Flower (Victoria Square, Bk 2) on + 422 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A very addition to the Victoria Square Mystery series. Katie discovers the bones of a missing person in the walls of the mansion she wanted to turn into a bed and breakfast before her husband invested in the Artisan's Alley. Shoplifting, dueling vendors, a rushed wedding and cinnamon rolls make for a fun fast read. 3.5 stars
Linda R. (wolfie123) - , reviewed The Walled Flower (Victoria Square, Bk 2) on + 419 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Katie Bonner is once again embroiled in murder(s)....this time a skeleton is found in the walls of the Victorian house that she wished were hers to convert into a B&B....alas it has been bought by a young couple who are going to fulfill her dream in her dream house! The body is that of Heather Winston, the niece of her friend Rose. The girl disappeared twenty years prior and was believed to have gone to New York. Her then boyfriend is now in town and is a prime suspect in her murder, as is her then best friend, Barbie....In addition, Katie has to find a new place to live and she also has been "volunteered" to arrange a bridal shower and serve a maid of honor for Gilda, another of the gals in Victoria Square. Her relationship with boyfriend Andy is developing nicely as well....A good read
