Color Me Murder is the debut novel in a new series written by Krista Davis. The intriguing mystery is well plotted and the delightful characters well developed. There’s no shortage of suspects and the twists and turns, and red herrings kept me guessing until the reveal. This book moves at a quick pace and there’s a good balance of mystery and daily life.

Florrie Fox is the manager of the Color Me Read bookstore and enjoys creating coloring books. She rents a small apartment in Reston, Virginia and has an adorable tabby cat named Peaches. Professor John Maxwell, an adventurer and Florrie’s boss, offers to let Florrie live in his carriage house on his estate without charge with the stipulation that she must completely move in immediately. When she asks why, he explains that his sister, Liddy Woodley, wants him to allow his nephew, Delbert Woodley, live there and since he despises his odious nephew, he doesn’t want the cottage vacant. She’s excited and enlists the help of her parents, Mike and Linda, and sister, Veronica. Both Professor Maxwell and Florrie are compassionate people and befriended a homeless man, Jim, who sits outside the bookstore in the mornings and each morning she brings him coffee and a pastry. One morning while researching the cost of a book, she discovers a trap door on the third floor landing of Color Me Read and when she opens it, she sees Delbert with a spear in his back lying on the floor of a hidden room. Detective-Sergeant Guy Zielony arrests Professor Maxwell is arrested and the Professor asks Florrie to use her brain cells and artistic talent to help him. She learns Delbert wasn’t well liked and that there are lots of viable suspects.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This is the first in the new Pen and Ink mystery series by one of my favorite authors, Krista Davis. I received an ARC from NetGalley to read.

Florrie Fox manages a bookstore named Color Me Read in Washington DC for her boss, Professor John Maxwell. Florrie has been looking for somewhere to live when her boss offers his carriage house so his annoying nephew can't move in. Florrie moves in ASAP, but when the nephew's body is found shoved in trap door in the store and the Professor arrested for the murder, Florrie feels the need to clear her boss and feel safe in her new home by finding the murderer.

As I mentioned, I love Krista Davis so I was excited to read this new series. This wasn't as good for me as her Domestic Diva mysteries, but I am interested enough to read the next book to see what happens to Florrie. Florrie is a young woman, yet parts of the book sound "old." I don't mean because she is a reader that doesn't go out - that's me in a nutshell! LOL! But some of the things she says makes her sound much older. I enjoyed the characters but didn't fall in love with them. The book was written with little nuggets that I can see turning into additional books, so I am interested to see if I was right about any of them! All in all, a decent book, a low four star on the five star scale.

Loved it! Thrilled to see that is the first of a series. I am eager to read the next one. A delightful cozy mystery. Interesting characters, clever murder, and so much more.

Color Me Murder by Krista Davis is a book you can not put down. It is engaging, and the perfect blend of cozy and mysterious and the tiniest sliver of romance. It was brilliant. Start to finish a readers delight. All the feels and warm feelings at the end. I cannot wait to read the next in series. There is something truly remarkable in the way that Krista Davis writes and just how much I love each and every character she creates. I felt so emotionally involved and invested. Instant book hangover. I loved it! The cover is amazingly reflective of the story and just so much fun. This book is out February 27th and is a Kensington release.

Loved the bookstore setting. Florrie is an interesting character along with the police officer. The secondary characters are also interesting. I look forward to more in the series and seeing the characters grow.

I love anything written by this author and this new series is no different! From the first words on page one I was captured into the story and characters to the point I could not put the book down! What a wonderful story, gripping mystery, and delightful main characters! There supporting cast of characters also added so much to the overall enjoyment of the story! I love the setting of this tale, the author puts magic into every word! I cannot wait for more to this series! One of the best books I have had the privilege of reading!

As I read this book, a quote by Oscar Wilde (by way of Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) kept going through my head: "The suspense is terrible**. I hope it'll last." (**By "terrible," of course, I mean fantastic.) I found myself alternately trying to speed read to find out what would happen next, and slowing down so I wouldn't finish the book too quickly. Because this is a new series, we get to learn a lot about protagonist Florrie, her family, friends, and coworkers, her workplace, and their neighborhood. But this book is more than descriptions, providing not one, but two missing people, some questionable characters, and a few strong suspects. This book moves at a good pace, and has a good balance of mystery and Florrie's regular life. Because Florrie creates beautiful, intricate coloring books, we get a peek into the creative process and descriptions of colors she uses in her sketches.

This book would appeal to any mystery lover who enjoys reading about bookstores, coloring/art, sweet treats, and pets. Readers who are already fans of Krista Davis will appreciate that Florrie, with her love of pets and baking, shares interests with Davis's other protagonists.

I was so excited when I learned I was approved for an advance copy of this book! Krista Davis is one of my favorite authors and this is the first of her series that I was able to start as it debuted. All in all, I loved this book and am really looking forward to reading more about Florrie and her Georgetown world!

I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Color Me Murder by Krista Davis is, I hope, the first in a long running new cozy series. I enjoyed reading every page of this book.

Florrie Fox is the manager of the Color Me Read bookstore and a coloring book artist. I found her to be likable, efficient in her management of the bookstore and a little naive about life. Ms. Davis' descriptive writing made me feel like I was in the bookstore or in her carriage house on Professor Maxwell's estate with Florrie. The secondary characters were quirky and fun to meet or diabolical and sad. The characters are developing nicely and I hope to know them better as the series progresses (hopefully). The plot was quickly paced and the twists kept me guessing until the reveal. Simply, I was happy reading this book from start to finish and felt like I had found a new "home" to spend time in.

Color Me Murder is an intriguing mystery. The main protagonist, Florrie, is a very likeable and well-developed character. I also liked the several supporting characters that were featured and I'm hoping we get to know more about them in future books in the series - especially Professor Maxwell since he wasn't around much in this first one. He seems like an interesting character, so I really hope he's featured more in the future. The resolution of the murder mystery was satisfying and not at all predictable. The only negative thing I can say about this book is that some of the chapters end in an odd place - almost like they ended in the middle of a thought or paragraph. It could be that I was given access to an uncorrected version of the ebook, so I didn't use this in coming up with my starred-review. I just wanted to mention it in case that's how it is in the final version that's released so maybe the author can fix the way she ends chapters in future books in the series. I do hope there are many more books in this series. I'm already looking forward to seeing what Florrie and her friends get into next.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Color Me Read was a really promising start to a new series. It follows Florrie, who is a young woman living in Georgetown, who manages a bookstore called Color Me Read. When her boss and mentor is accused of murder, it falls to Florrie and her group of friends to prove his innocence. I loved the story, with all its plot twists and attention to detail. The only thing that kept this from being a complete 5 star book was the fact that Florrie was described as a 28 year old, but behaved and seemed like someone at least 10 years older. But overall a very good book.

I. Loved. This. Book! Loved the setting, loved the characters and all their quirks, loved the storyline. Great mystery. Fantastic start to what I know will be an amazing series!

I like Krista Davis’s other great cozy mysteries , but this new series is now my favorite. When Florrie’ boss, Maxwell , owner of the Color Me Read bookstore, asks her to move into his carriage house rent free, she is only too happy to oblige. The catch is Florrie has to move in immediately and look like she’s always been there, so Maxwell’s crooked nephew can’t claim the carriage house as his own. Delbert is odious, hated by many, and when he’s found dead Maxwell is the immediate suspect. It’s an interesting plot that moves quickly along with wonderful characters. I look forward to the next book.

What a delightful, entertaining cozy. I love the idea that you would be able to actually color a paperback version of this book, what a novel idea!

The characters were well-thought-out and richly developed so you got to feel as if you knew them as people. The setting was fun - I love stories set in bookstores. The Author have us characters who loved, and characters you loved to hate. A perfect blend. I want a real Peaches kitty!!

I really hope that Krista Davis plans on making this a series. It was a very enjoyable, quick read and I look forward to reading more from her.

*I'd like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley the ability to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*

I am a big fan of Krista Davis' Domestic Diva and Wagtail series, so when I saw that she was beginning a new one I was very interested. And having read "Color Me Read" I can honestly say that this is my favorite of the three. Florrie Fox is the author and illustrator of an adult coloring book series and she is also the manager of the bookstore Color Me Read, owned by world traveler and adventurer Professor John Maxwell who is one of the last members of a distinguished Georgetown family. Professor Maxwell asks Florrie to move in to the guest house on his property to avoid having his detestable nephew Delbert living there. Florrie does so but soon finds Delbert's body in a secret hiding place in the bookstore and Professor Maxwell is arrested for the crime. As he is being led away by the police the professor asks Florrie to use "her little gray cells" to find the real culprit and, with some help from his elderly butler she proceeds to do just that. Florrie is an intelligent, intrepid heroine and I look forward to this being a long lived series.