Cozy Mystery Book Review: Axe Me No Questions

Axe Me No Questions

Axe Me No Questions is a good mystery with small-town suspense and super cozy vibes.

• Series: Hometown Hardware Mystery (Book 2)

• Written by: Paula Charles

• Publication date: January 28, 2025

• Mystery type: Cozy mystery

Autumn in Pine Bluff means it’s time for the annual Timber Festival. The chili is on, the air is thick with the smell of pumpkin spice, and people are buzzing about the Lumberjack and Lumberjill contests.

Dawna is reveling in the season until the fun gets cut short. She finds a lumberjack with an axe buried in his chest. The town quickly goes from tickled to turmoil, and Dawna has a new hometown mystery to solve.

Dawna is an amateur sleuth, so she isn’t in charge of the investigation, but when the sheriff asks her to keep her ears open, she takes it as a direct order to sleuth her heart out.

Dawna owns a local hometown hardware store and knows nearly everyone in Pine Bluff. This is handy when she starts snooping, pinpointing suspects, and asking questions.

Her sidekick is her adult daughter, April. They have a heartwarming relationship filled with love, humor, and good-natured ribbing.

The small-town cozy vibes are a good juxtaposition to the suspenseful mystery, which is fair for the reader but not too easy to solve. A touch of paranormal also makes the mystery extra exciting; Dawna believes her late husband (and a few other ghosts) may still be hanging around Pine Bluff.

I loved Axe Me No Questions. It was just as good as the first book in the Hometown Hardware Mystery Series, Hammers and Homicide.

This series has so much going for it. The setting is charming, the community is endearing, and the sleuth is fantastic. Dawna is a bright and lively senior. She is funny, kind, and a delight to spend time with.

Author Paula Charles really brings the characters to life. She is an excellent writer who does an amazing job of describing the people and environment of Pine Bluff.

I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and small town suspense.

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