Review: This was a nice read, but it read more like a cosy mystery than a thriller mystery, but there’s nothing wrong with that.
I found it a slow burn and halfway through it, the pace picked up a bit.
I loved the characters. Dakota was especially relatable and funny. Talking about funny…I liked the humour in the story and I think that’s why it felt more like a cosy mystery.
I enjoyed the scene settings and the look inside of the beauty pageant was nicely done.
If you like a murder mystery with plenty of humour, you should give this one a go.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Storm Publishing for this copy.
Blurb: Stablehand Dakota Green would rather compete in the Hunger Games than Aubergine’s annual beauty pageant. But her late mother's last wish is about to see her trading her muck boots for Jimmy Choos – and uncover a decades-old mystery of a missing beauty queen.
Welcome to Aubergine, Virginia, where the mountains are blue, the air is sweet, and the beauty queens have secrets darker than last year's spray tan.
Armed with more sarcasm than sequins, Dakota reluctantly enters the cutthroat world of sashes and smiles to save her family home. But when the pageant owner vanishes faster than she can shimmy into an evening gown, suspicion lands on Dakota's beloved Aunt DeeDee.
Now Dakota must navigate a minefield of catty contestants, sceptical judges, the infuriatingly handsome new sheriff and the unsolved beauty queen mystery – all while mastering the art of walking in heels without looking like a newborn foal. Can this reluctant pageant star unmask a killer, clear her aunt's name, and claim the crown? Or will she be the next to disappear?
Hilarious and heartfelt, A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem is perfect for fans of small-town mysteries with big laughs.
