“The Coloring Crook” by Krista Davis It's a charming and enjoyable cozy mystery that combines intriguing puzzles and the therapeutic world of coloring books. The story follows Florrie Fox, a talented coloring book artist, as she becomes entangled in a puzzling art theft. Davis skillfully weaves together a well-crafted plot filled with twists and turns, keeping readers engaged and guessing until the end. The coloring book theme adds a unique and creative touch to the story, allowing readers to immerse themselves in both the mystery and the joy of coloring. Though some of the character development could have been deeper, the overall atmosphere and pacing make for an entertaining read. If you're looking for a cozy mystery with a creative twist, “The Coloring Crook” it's a delightful choice.

This was an odd book, and also one that isn't best suited to egalley format. Still, I think it was fun and would recommend it to people.

The cover of this book was intricate just like the mystery inside. Florrie Fox, Color Me Read book store manager and coloring book artist is the main character and she is delightful. She is a talented artist and has a curious nature. She is also kind and compassionate to those she knows and those that she doesn't. I love the book store setting and the descriptions of the carriage house where she lives. There are also descriptions of food that will make you wish for a snack while you are reading. The story took several unexpected turns and the side story of Flossie and her new love interest kept the story moving at a good pace. I am so glad that there will be more books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Coloring Crook by Krista Davis is the second book in the cozy Pen & Ink Mysteries series. Each book in this series does have it’s own contained mystery to be solved so books may be read out of order if choosing. Of course, is character-building carried overstory to the story though so reading in order is always the best option. In the first book, readers were introduced to Florrie Fox who by day manages the Color Me Read bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C., and in her off time draws for adult coloring books.

The book had a perfect pace and was well-written. The characters were very engaging and developed. The author has taken the core characters in a very pleasing direction. The story was complex with more than one mystery to solve. Ms. Davis did take a few legal sidesteps with no will being produced or read while Dolly’s daughter started disposing of her mother’s belongings and was giving tenants notice because she was selling the house very quickly. The case was still open and one new discovery should have stopped her actions in their tracks. That aside I truly enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next book.

If you're looking for a light, easy ready, need to relax and lounge on the couch all day type of book, this is it. The Coloring Crook is filled with easy, relatable characters and a multi layered mystery. The family secrets will definitely have you hooked and and keep you reading to the very end. This was the first book I've read from Krista Davis and I will definitely be looking for more of her books to read. Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was another fun cozy murder mystery by Krista Davis! I absolutely loved the first book in this series and this one was really good as well. With a large amount of sequels we find it not as exhilarating as the first and this was the case with this novel but I would still recommend this book and am excited to see what the author comes out with next!

Loved this! It has a great cover and even better story line! There is just something extremely relaxing about adult coloring books. The fad just keeps getting bigger and bigger! I love that there is a cozy based on them!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Florrie Fox is happy. She is working a Color Me Read where she has started a coloring book club. She looks over and sees coloring books she has created on the shelves. She is working on one now featuring beautiful gardens. Her relationship with Sergeant Eric Jonquille is entering a new phase, and she has settled in nicely to her boss John Maxwell’s guest house.

In The Coloring Crook, Dolly Cavanaugh, a member of the coloring book group, takes Florrie to an estate sale. Later Dolly comes into the bookstore showing off one of her purchases. A very rare coloring book, which Florrie does her best to authenticate. This book could be worth a fortune. Dolly makes a HUGE mistake by touting her amazing purchase on social media. People start coming out of the woodwork wanting to buy this book, including the woman who sold the book at the estate sale.

Florrie stops by Dolly’s home after work and finds poor Dolly on the floor dead with a piece of a page of the 1760 coloring book in her hand. The rest of the book is missing. The police believe she died of natural causes but Florrie believes it was clearly murder. She feels responsible for not warning Dolly to keep her prize safe and secret until it could be sold through a reputable party. She decides to do a little sleuthing on her own and she makes some surprising discoveries. She also has compiled a good list of suspects. When the police finally get on board she thinks their suspect is being set up. She must be right because now she has a target on her back.

Because we share a name, this Dolly immediately had a soft spot for Dolly Cavanaugh. We have a few things in common but I am very close to my children and have one wonderful husband. I do like a good garage sale find and am enjoying the adult coloring book craze. I was sorry she had to be the victim but I loved that story the evolved from her death.

The book had a perfect pace and was well-written. The characters were very engaging and developed. The author has taken the core characters in a very pleasing direction. The story was complex with more than one mystery to solve. Ms. Davis did take a few legal sidesteps with no will being produced or read while Dolly’s daughter started disposing of her mother’s belongings and was giving tenants notice because she was selling the house very quickly. The case was still open and one new discovery should have stopped her actions in their tracks. That aside I truly enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next book.

The author informs readers that the coloring book referenced in her story, The Florist is real and that one of the copies is at the Peter F. Raven Library/Missouri Botanical Gardens. So short of a lengthy road trip I just had to look the book up online and found several pages. You can check out pictures here. I love reading fiction stories where I can learn something too.

This book can be read on its own but I recommend starting with Color Me Murder. Both books have covers ready for you to color.

Krista Davis was one of the first cozy authors I read and remains one of my favorites. This new series is starting to rise to the level of her domestic diva series as the characters become more developed throughout the series. Definitely a new cozy series to keep your eye out for!

Krista Davis can do no wrong!! She always knocks them out of the park and this one was a grand slam!!

This series centers around a book store, Color Me Read. Who doesn't like books about books? In typical Cozy fashion, the protagonist, Florrie Fox, finds a dead body and along with her inner circle, they begin sleuthing to solve the case. What was so amazing about this book, there were several other mysteries to be solved that eventually all tie everything together. Some of the mysteries are a heist, skeletons in the closet (literally), paternity, and a wrongful imprisonment, some dating back almost 30 years.

Krista Davis does a phenomenal job with character development in every book she writes. I can't help but feel like I am a part of these stories and friends with the people in them. I enjoy her Paws and Claws series, but The Domestic Diva series is my all time favorite Cozy series. I expect great things from Pen and Ink and that it will become a very close second to the Diva!

I had a digital copy from NetGalley and the audio version from Hoopla Digital. The narrator, Rebecca Mitchell, is fantastic!

I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Florrie finds herself in the middle of another mystery when a member of the adult coloring club at the bookstore she manages finds an original of the first coloring book ever made. Dolly found the coloring book at an estate sale, and it leads to her murder. Florrie tries to help find the murderer after her friend Zsazsa is brought in for questioning. Add in a skeleton boarded up behind a bookshelf, someone searching for their father, and missing rare art, and she's got a lot on her hands!

Krista Davis writes my favorite cozy Mystey series, the Domestic Diva series, and there are a lot of similarities between the series. The location and the writing feels very familiar. I can't wait to read the next one!

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a stand alone. First I must say I love to color and would love to have a group to do it with. How fun! Entertaining characters come with this book. There is a bit of romance included. This book makes me want to look up old coloring books for the fun of it. Lots of mystery with the murder and where the book in question is. Great read!

Loved the first in this series and the sequel did not disappoint! I cannot wait to share my love for this book with friends and coworkers.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 2 in the series.

I loved Krista Davis' Wagtail series, and I wanted to love this series too, but I am struggling with it.

This book is another in a string of cozy mysteries that has way too much going on/way too many characters. I kept mixing characters up in my head and having to go back and re-read bits. The multiple mysteries fell a bit flat for me as well. There were too many distractions for me to really get in to the story.

I do like Florrie, and the bookstore, though. I will read the next book, and hope that Ms. Davis scales things back a bit and returns to her tight, fun, writing.

As a fan of adult coloring books, I really enjoyed the premise and back story of this book. The characters are lively with lots of mystery to be solved. As the second book in the series, Krista Davis continues her cosy mystery success. There's a little romance and a lot of good old fashioned "who done it" to keep every reader happy. As long as Me Davis keeps writing, I'll keep reading her stories.

Florrie Fox manages Color Me Read bookshop in Georgetown and everything seems to be working pretty well, including a new relationship with Eric, a policeman. That is, until Dolly, one of her favorite patrons turns up dead. Excellent traditional mystery dealing with art theft and missing family. Tricky plot and engaging characters.

Florrie Fox, manager of the Georgetown book store Color Me Read, is startled by one of her regular customers with a copy of a 1700s Adult Coloring Book titled The Florist. Florrie tells her customer, Dolly, that it appears to be an original and could be worth a great deal of money. Dolly got it at a yard sale so this would be a huge windfall for her. Dolly posts on Social media about her huge find and that's when trouble starts. Florrie is accosted by several people trying to purchase The Florist and Dolly is found dead that evening. When it's discovered that she was murdered, Florrie is even more concerned because of a break-in at the bookstore. Did the burgular think she had The Florist? Was it one of her customers that killed Dolly, or was it someone else?

This mystery was cleverly woven around numerous characters that may have been behind any of the crimes or all of them.
Loads of fun! I think I'll get my coloring books out!

First off, thanks to #NetGalley and #Kensington books for the chance to read this one. I am woefully behind in getting my thought posted! I may have mentioned in other venues that Ms. Davis is probably my very favorite cozy writer...this book did nothing to change that opinion. This is her 3rd ongoing series and has also become a favorite with just 2 books, so far. Florrie is a delightful character. She truly feels for others, especially her friends and family. In this one her friend, Dolly, who has a love of thrift shops and estate sales, finally comes across a real treasure. The copy of The Florist, the first known coloring book, that she finds is worth a fortune. Unfortunately, she can't keep her find a secret and pays for it with her life. Florrie is sure the scrap of paper found in Dolly's hand is from the book. So, whodunnit? People start to come out of the woodwork, including an estranged daughter. Great story with some yummy sounding recipes at the end! HIGHLY Recommended!

The Coloring Cook, the second in the Pen and Ink series by Krista Davis, is a really entertaining read. The mystery starts with an estate sale where Florrie's friend, Dolly, discovers a rare book from the 1700s. The Florist was the first coloring book ever published and a lot of people want to get their hands on a copy. Not long after her discovery, Dolly is found dead with a scrap of paper in her hand that Florrie is sure came from the book, which is nowhere to be found.

In addition to working at Color me Read, a bookstore, Florrie illustrates adult coloring books. As she contemplates the events of her day, she draws. The way she thinks about the other characters while sketching them really helped the elements of the mystery pull together. There's a whole lot going on in this book and it all weaves together into a single engrossing plot.

I had some reservations after reading the first book of the series but after this one I'm definitely hooked for good and I'll be watching for the next one.

Book 2 in a series that I'm starting out of order because - I missed book 1. I didn't catch any spoilers from the first book.

The Good: Krista Davis writes amazing characters that you can't help but get attached to and she's not afraid to kill them off. You feel the loss, the devastation, and the confusion right along with the rest of the characters. I didn't put all the pieces together very early and there was an abundance of misdirects to keep you guessing. There were actually two mysteries in the book. The secondary mystery, I thought was pretty open and shut but I was pleasantly surprised. It was so in-your-face obvious that you almost groaned only to find out you had the smallest piece of the puzzle figured out and there was a lot more to it than you thought. The primary mystery, I was positive I had figured out. I was wrong though. I like being wrong when it comes to guessing "whodunnit" and realizing later the various misdirects.

The Bad: If you have a priceless book or a book worth a significant sum of money, you explain to the police that it is a rare book and the value. Then, police look at things differently and take a theft seriously. The whole "oh, it's just a book, whatever" attitude was highly overdone and that bothered me. Granted, there are those who value books a great deal and those who don't see the value in them at all. I feel that both were represented but there is a character throughout the book that was portrayed as such a bumbling idiot I couldn't see how they stayed in business.

The Summary: I highly recommend this book. I'll be going back to read Book 1 at some point and certainly look forward to more in the series.

Thank you to Krista Davis, NetGalley, and Kensington Books for giving me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.