Fun to read mystery set in a bookstore with a coloring group as sleuths

The Coloring Crook (Pen & Ink)

By: Krista Davis

Rating: 5 of 5

I got this book as I enjoy both coloring books and mysteries. I expected the mystery to have a lot of coloring references which didn’t really happen. There were references to drawing and to the group which meets to color but coloring was not the focus of the mystery.

The main sleuth of the story, the manager of Color Me Read, is Florrie Fox who is also a coloring book illustrator and artist. She works through mysteries which her drawing abilities as well as weighing the evidence.

In this book, a friend of the group meets an untimely death after finding a rare item. The story takes off with lots of twists and turns.

I didn’t figure out the ending as there were several that might have worked. It made sense and the clues were there in hindsight.

There are personal relationships which are growing and, while the book can be read stand-alone, I’m inclined to want to read the first in the series so I can understand how the group came together.

I’m looking forward to more in this series primarily as someone who enjoys mysteries. The coloring aspect is fun but would not be what would make me return to the series again. The excellent plot development and writing does that on its own.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.