Cozy Book Review: Death By Trauma

Death By Trauma

Death by Trauma is a witty whodunit with a well-drawn setting and an entertaining mystery.

• Series: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery (Book 21)

• Written by: Abigail Keam

• Published by: Worker Bee Press

• Publication date: February 17, 2025

• Mystery type: Cozy mystery

Josiah Reynolds is a beekeeper in her mid-fifties She lives on a farm with horses, cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, and her 200-pound mastiff (Baby). She tends to bees right on her property and sells honey at the farmers’ market.

Josiah is no stranger to mystery. She has solved more than a few of them amidst the oak-cured bourbon, antebellum mansions, and Thoroughbred horse farms where she lives. So she is hardly surprised when she goes to a sledding party and finds herself sliding headfirst into another murder mystery.

The Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series is written by Abigail Keam, an award-winning author with more than 50 books under her belt. She is a witty writer. Her snarky sleuth had me laughing out loud multiple times on the first few pages.

I found the mystery entertaining throughout and was easily immersed in the well-drawn setting and cleverly crafted story.

Josiah is a complex character. She is charming and curmudgeonly, sassy and vulnerable, and very easy to root for. The supporting characters are delightfully quirky and add a lot of heart and humor to each scene.

The info on beekeeping, which is woven naturally into the plot, also provides an additional layer of entertainment and enjoyment to the story.

Author Abigail Keam’s experience shows and shines in Death By Trauma. I would recommend this book (and this series) to anyone who enjoys cozies, Southern mysteries, humorous suspense, and stories with strong female protagonists and clever amateur sleuths.

Review disclosure: Cozy Crime Reads received an advanced reader copy of Death by Trauma from Worker Bee Press. This did not influence the review.

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