I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, storyline, and the mystery. I was honored to interview Tracy for my YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r18D7rotFcY

Thanl you to netgally and the publisher forthis free review copy.

I was unable to get into this book, and had to DNF it at 20%.

Hope to try again in the future.

While I normally review romances, or at least books with a pretty heavy romantic element, I’m taking a slight detour here. When I was in college, I absolutely devoured cozy mystery series, especially anything involving cats or crafts. When I saw that Hallmark was releasing a mystery novel, I was extremely curious. I’m glad I took a chance! This is a pretty enjoyable small-town cozy mystery, with a dash of romance on the side.

After a breakup, Savanna’s quit her big city job as a museum art authenticator and moved back to her small Lake Michigan hometown. Surrounded by her parents and sisters and content with her new job as an elementary art teacher, things seem to be going well, until a friend of her honorary grandmother, Caroline, ends up dead. Things aren’t quite adding up, and with the help of a cute doctor, Savanna soon finds herself using her skills to stop the killer before he strikes again.

First off, while this is a mystery, the whole investigation plot took a while to pick up steam. It’s understandable, as Savanna has a lot going between a new job, reacclimating to her hometown, and getting over being dumped by her fiancé. A good portion of the first half of the book revolves around her settling back in with her family and her job, and introducing all the various characters to us. It’s no surprise that she initially waves away her suspicions about the paintings, and the death of Caroline’s elderly friend is sudden, but not so strange for an elderly woman. Once it’s obvious that something is going on, the pacing starts to pick up, and the last quarter of the book was quite engrossing.

One of the book’s strengths is the focus on Savanna’s family. I especially loved her relationships with her sisters, Skylar and Sydney, and her nephew. It was also sweet to see her form relationships with her students, and with one of the students’ parents, in particular. Aidan, the love interest, was interesting, and I liked seeing the beginnings of a relationship between them. The small town setting was charming, and it was nice seeing her pick back up her relationships with Caroline and other people from her past. I liked Savanna, and I empathized with her journey to reinvent her life. Of course, her previous art talents are brought in to help investigate the mystery, and I loved how competent she was at her job. Honestly, while I can see where some of the nitty gritty technical detail about how to tell a forgery from a real painting could turn some readers off, I really enjoyed that portion of the book, and I wished that she would’ve had more opportunities to put those skills to use.

And finally, one quibble. It’s very white, and very upper class. Savanna’s eccentric almost-grandma owns a Monet, for goodness’ sakes, and has a doctor who does house calls. Savanna herself is financially stable enough that she can afford to take a job as an elementary art school teacher (and the school district must be doing well indeed if they still have full time art teachers!). It’s a bit of a silly thing to bring up, as most cozy mysteries have similar demographics, but there were enough eye-rolling moments (oh, Caroline only has TWO pieces from this world famous artist?) that I figured I’d mention it.

Overall, this was a sweet cozy mystery with just enough romance to keep me happy. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author’s future books!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is Hallmarks first mystery novel and did not disappoint. Savanna moves back to town and takes a job as an art teacher. She is commissioned to paint a mural in a family friends home when mysterious things start happening. This is such a quick, fun and cozy read.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This opening mystery of the Shepherd Sister mysteries is great. Savanna, Skylar and Sydney have a great dynamic. The town of Carson sounds like a fun place to live. Savanna was an art authentication expert in Chicago. Now she has returned home and is teaching art at the elementary school. That piece stretches the imagination a bit since I don the know of that position occurring in the western US, but maybe it’s still something in the Midwest.
Savanna interacts with her favorite honorary aunt from her childhood, Caroline Carson. Caroline and her husband Everett had built an extensive art collection. As Savanna sees it now, she notices something off. Caroline is thinning the collection via the art dealer, Felix, her husband had used to acquire the pieces.
Accidents start to happen around the Carson home and Savanna is suspicious.
The mystery is well played out. The sisterly interactions and additional characters are fun as we wonder who to trust in a town where few lock their doors.

OUT OF THE PICTURE is an engaging cozy mystery featuring Savanna Shepherd and her sisters Skylar and Sydney, along with Caroline, a woman who is loved like a grandmother by the sisters as a mystery unfolds in their small hometown.

Savanna has been away from home for a while now and her return home is a welcomed relief after a bad breakup. She’s pulling her life back together again beginning a new job as an art teacher at the local grade school. When asked to paint a mural for a friend she rediscovers the joy of painting once again. What she didn’t expect was to discover that Caroline’s friend has forgeries on her walls or that death will be visiting the mansion soon. Never one to shy away from a puzzle, Savanna begins to do her own investigating on not only those fake paintings but on a death that should never have happened.

I love a good Cozy Mystery with a touch of romance, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in OUT OF THE PICTURE. With a fun group of characters (aside from the bad guy of course) we are front and center as Savanna and her sisters search for answers. Add in the handsome Aidan who is beginning to get Savanna’s romantic interests active again and you have a delightful mystery/romance. I was doing my own guessing along the way, and this time I missed on the bad guy. I actually love when I don’t solve the mystery but must have it revealed to me. If you love a good Cozy Mystery (Hallmark-style) then you’ll want to pick up OUT OF THE PICTURE. I’m hoping that we will soon get Skylar and Sydney’s stories along with developments in Savanna’s romance with Aidan.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This is a book version of what you’d find on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. If you enjoy the movies you find on that channel, you’ll certainly enjoy this book. There’s a suspicious death, art forgery and a little romance. What’s not to like?

This is Hallmark Publishing’s first cozy mystery and they’ve chosen pretty well.

Confession: I’ve only recently started reading cozy mysteries. But I have watched A LOT of Murder, She Wrote and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Does that count for anything? In any case, I told you that so you can know right off the bat that I’m no expert when it comes to cozies, but I have LOVED exploring this style of mystery writing and am always ready to discover both new and established authors in this genre.

Which is why I was so eager to get my hands on a copy of Hallmark Publishing’s first every cozy, Out of the Picture by Tracy Gardner.

Y’all. I had so much fun reading this one and trying to figure it out.

As with many cozies, Out of the Picture is set in a small town, Carson, where everyone knows everyone and everyone’s business. But what sets this story apart for me was Savanna herself. One of three sisters aptly named The Shepherd Sisters, she isn’t the typical baker, bookseller, or cafe owner, but a former Art Authenticator, turned Art Teacher. I found everything about her former career, which plays a large part in her sleuthing skills and the mystery itself, fascinating. The two other sisters, Skylar, a lawyer, and Sydney, owner of a dog grooming salon, were also well-written, but y’all, I can’t lie. I honestly had a hard time keeping the sister’s straight in my head in the first few chapters. It didn’t disrupt my reading of the story, but I had to flip back a couple of times to remind myself. The relationship of these sisters though, trumped my confusion and they were my favorite part of this book. They spoke like actual sisters and y’all, I was laughing out loud at some of their interactions.

The three of them, each with their own set of skills that they can offer, start to question a series of events that occur concerning their long-time family friend, Caroline. It’s because of their relationship with Caroline that the sisters go from gossiping about the strange circumstances during dinner, to a legit investigation as the severity of the events ramps up. In the course of this, they team up with a handsome doctor (aren’t they all) Aidan Gallager, and eventually a no-nonsense detective, Nick Jordan. In one scene, all are involved in a car chase scene that legit had my palms sweaty while reading.

The progression of Savanna from concerned friend to Sleuther was the most refreshing part of this cozy. One of my biggest pet peeves in any type of storytelling is lack of rational character motivation. When a character does or says something that really makes no sense and the reader is like, “WHY would that person do that?” It always feels like it’s just to tick off a box in a list of Things That Need to Happen. For the most part, cozies have to achieve this in a larger scope throughout their stories, because in reality, WHY would a baker investigate crimes in her town? Usually it’s explained away because the victim was someone the main character knew. Or the accused is a friend/family member and they want to help clear their name. In Out of the Picture, there was no Big Moment where Savanna declared that she would Find the Truth. It felt more like, one thing leading to another and then Savanna was like, “WHOOPS, I kinda might be in the middle of some murder plot.”

The mystery itself was well-plotted and while I was expecting one giant OMG, WHAT twist in the final pages, involving a character that I was convinced that did it, I was not disappointed with the way everything played out. In fact, my suspicions about this one character only highlights the author’s ability to write a good red herring.

Overall, this was a great start to the series and I’m looking forward to many more stories of the Shepherd Sisters. And let’s be real here, more of Aidan.

And maybe Jack Carson.

What a delightful romantic suspense from Tracy Gardner and Hallmark Publishing. A bonus recipe for Holy Yum chicken is sure to make your mouth water as your brain is engaged in the mystery, family dynamics and small town drama. This is cozy mystery at its best.

I received a complimentary copy of the book without obligation. This review is my opinion.

Out of the Picture combines an adorable cozy mystery with just the right touch of romance to make a perfect addition to the Hallmark family. I'll look forward to the next book in this series!

Hallmark and NetGalley provided an ARC of Out of the Picture, but I was under no obligation to comment on the book, and this review reflects my honest opinion.

Oh this was so good! True to being a Hallmark product, the characters were amazing, the town was cute and things worked out great in the end with a few conflicts, scares and bumps along the way. I just loved the character of Caroline, a sweet but feisty lady who was getting ready to turn 90. The Shepherd sisters were so cool--anyone would love to be friends with them. And what kid wouldn't love to have Savanna as their art teacher?

I was so sure that I knew who the perp was, but it turned out to be someone completely different. It was a good mystery too and allowed Savanna to use her art authenticator knowledge to help the police. It was so sweet that Savanna and Aidan found each other, and I'm anxious now for the next book to see that progress, as well as see these sisters in detective mode again.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

A former art expert returns home and becomes an elementary school art teacher. She gets hired to work on a mural, which leads to the perfect plot to kick off Hallmark's Cozy Mystery books series. For readers looking for a close-knit family and a touch of romance. Also includes a recipe for Dijon Chicken

Out of the Picture by Tracy Gardner is the first in the new Shepherd Sisters mystery series.
This is an easy to read cozy with plenty of twists and turns that have you guessing until the end. There is family, humor, and a hint of romance. There are artists and paintings sprinkled throughout the story.. .
I was given an ARC by NetGalley for an honest review.

When I first started to read this book, I thought I was reading a mystery but, somehow, it came across as a romance. Then I remembered that it was a book released by Hallmark and the romance part of the mystery made sense.

It is the second in a series of three books. The books are about the Shepherd sisters. In this book, Savanna Shepherd as just moved home after losing her long term relationship when her fiance decided he needed something more.

Because she worked for his family, she felt the need to quit and move back to the small town she grew up in and leave behind her prestigious job as an art authenticator.

Savanna loves being home, her new job and spending time with her neighbor, an much older lady who has a wonderful art collection.

When a series of odd happenings begin to happen to her neighbor, which endanger her, Savanna steps up and starts investigating and sees links to the art collection.

“Out of the Picture” is a solid cozy mystery debut for Tracy Gardner and Hallmark. Former art authenticator Savanna Shepherd is recovering from a broken engagement and moves home to be near her family on the Lake Michigan shore. In a career move that makes her doubt herself, she begins teaching art to elementary schoolers. A beloved old family friend, Caroline Carson, hires her to paint a mural, and Savanna discovers that some of the pieces in Caroline’s supposedly valuable art collection may be forgeries. When a visiting friend dies at Caroline’s house and Caroline herself is the target of burglary and other threats, the stakes rise. Then Savanna and one of her sisters become targets, and clearly, Savanna has stumbled across something that makes someone want her “out of the picture.” A lovely setting, winsome characters, and a hint of romance make this a promising first book in a new series.

Loved this book! The three sisters are awesome! So different in their careers, but always there for each other. I can’t even think about spending so much money on a painting, but there are artists certainly worth their cost. Caroline, wouldn’t you just love to have her be your friend or family? What a wonderful person! She tickled me with her attitude and spunk. I have to know what is to become of Savanna and Aidan, so hopefully there will another book and I can find out. I can’t wait to learn more about these wonderful characters. This is a Hallmark book and I received it from NetGalley. My opinion is my own.

This is the first cozy mystery I read published by Hallmark and I'm more than happy that I got this ARC.
It's a perfect Hallmark book and a very good cozy mystery.
It's really cinematographic: you can easily picture the setting and the characters while you're reading it and I think it'd a very nice movie.
The book is engrossing and entertaining, once I started I couldn't put it down.
I loved the well written cast of characters, the lovely setting, and the entertaining and engrossing plot.
The mystery is good and it kept me guessing.
I don't always agree with the main character fashion choices but I'm Italian so it's just a matter of taste :)
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Out of the Picture by Tracy Gardner is a wonderful, entertaining murder mystery that has the cozy feel is not scary or dark, which is what I particularly enjoy.
The main character, Savanna, is a strong, intelligent, and like able female character.
I enjoyed the smidge of an addition of a romance between Aiden and Savanna and I found myself rooting for their team.

I enjoyed the entire cast of characters, including the suspects. I like how the author created multiple layers and etiologies for the crime to keep the reader guessing till the very end.

I hope there are further installments in this series because I would love to see how this takes off. I most definitely see this as something that could be turned into a Hallmark movie.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

This has been attached to my GR account at the same time of my submission, and will be submitted to my B&N and Amazon accounts as previous Hallmark Publishing books have been at the time of its release date. Thank you again.

This has now been posted to my Amazon, GR, Bookbub, and B&N accounts. Links below.

This is the first book in A Shepherd Sisters mystery series. I thought it was a wonderful read and enjoyable characters. it was a page turner and well written. I enjoyed the story line. i look forward to reading more from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGallery and Hallmark Publishing.

I am thrilled to see this is a new series. I enjoyed getting to know the Shepherd Sisters. A clever mystery and a hint of romance. I look forward to reading more about these ladies.