Cozy Mystery Book Review
Hammers and Homicide
A Hometown Hardware Mystery (Book One)
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Hammers and Homicide
Series: A Hometown Hardware Mystery (Book One)
Written by: Paula Charles
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication date: January 16, 2024
Mystery type: Cozy mystery
Dawna Carpenter is a sixty-something widow with a hardware store in Pine Bluff, Oregon. When Dawna finds a body and a framing hammer in the hardware bathroom, she pairs up with her adult daughter, April, and sets out to nail a killer.
I listened to the audiobook version of Hammers and Homicide and really enjoyed it. Petrea Burchard narrated the audiobook, which was published by Dreamscape Media. It is 7 hours and 26 minutes long. Petrea did a great job of bringing the characters to life.
The theme, setting, and characters were my favorite parts of Hammers and Homicide.
The hardware store angle was unique and worked really well. The store is located in a fun community with lots of small-town charm. But the aspect that really made Hammers and Homicide stand out to me was the amateur sleuth, Dawna.
Dawna is such a lovely character. She is kind, funny, smart, and down to earth—everything I like in a sleuth. I also enjoyed the fact that she is of a certain age.
I did some sleuthing myself before I began reading and learned from the author's website that Dawna was inspired by the author's grandmother, who also ran a hardware store. I think this real-life connection may have helped the character shine extra bright. It certainly added an extra layer of enjoyment for me because I think it is really sweet to write a character inspired by your grandma.
To top everything off, the writing in Hammers and Homicide is just plain good. Paula Charles writes meticulously crafted descriptions and authentic dialogue. They ring true and help make the setting and characters more believable.
Hammers and Homicide was one of the best cozy debuts I’ve read. I liked this book so much that I selected it as a suggested mystery for the 12-month cozy mystery reading challenge and as one of the best new cozy mystery series of 2024. Hammers and Homicide was also a Woman's World Book Club pick.
One final thing: Thanks to a scene in this book, I learned how to properly choose a good watermelon in the grocery store. So that's a fun bonus!
