HEMS & HOMICIDE by Elizabeth Penney is a well-written cozy mystery. It is book one in the Apron Shop series.
This story takes place in and around Blueberry Cove, Maine. Iris Buckley moved back to her home town when her grandfather was ill. With his death, she decides to stay home and she and her grandmother Anne decide to open a local store Ruffles and Bows to complement Iris’ online retail endeavor. She sells hand-made aprons and they are adding hand-made and vintage linens to the inventory for the store. While starting the retail space renovation a skeleton is found in the basement. Anne recognizes a scarf on the skeleton that belonged to an old friend. When a second body shows up in the store, Anne becomes a prime suspect.

Iris and Anne are both likeable characters and the secondary characters enhance the story and add depth to the story. The author did a great job in depicting the small town atmosphere without making the situations feel contrived. There are plenty of red herrings in the story line along with a fast pace. It was certainly an entertaining read. This book contains plenty of themes ranging from murder, family relationships, romantic relationships, small towns, business start-ups, friendship, and much more.

I recommend this book to those that enjoy cozy mysteries with a hint of romance. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I also want to check out this author’s other series.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Elizabeth Penney for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I enjoyed the characters, the setting and the mysteries. I look forward to the developing relationships between the characters and also look forward to the success of the shop. Iris is a kind, caring and somewhat nosy character so makes for an interesting read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hems & Homicide is a winner! Author Penney has created a cozy, believable story that makes you want to live there alongside Grammie and Iris and visit the apron store in Maine.

I was provided this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Well, I have to tell you as cozy mysteries go this is a must read. Iris amateur sleuthing is fun to follow and the characters are well written. The ending was surprising and that is always a treat.

Highly recommend this book, can't wait for the next and the next novel...hopefully there will be many more to come. This is definitely the kind of book you will want to keep and read over and over again.

Iris Buckley and her Grammie are opening a brick and mortar shop to complement Iris' online apron business. But when they find a dead body in the basement that dates back to the 1970s and Grammie recognizes the body, everything may turn sideways. The body of Star Moonshine brings back memories for Grammie and other locals from their free love hippie days where Star was a much beloved figure for a time as she passed through town. Several men are potential suspects in the murder and when one of those men turns up dead in the shop with one of Iris' aprons tied around his neck, Grammie becomes the primary suspect.

Iris vows to clear Grammie's name and find justice for Star, but at what cost to Iris? When Iris shares that a potential suitor had a key to the shop and drives a truck that matches the description of one that hit and ran Madison's car, she may even lose her shot at love, just like Star had.

A new series set in Maine with great promise. A solid whodunit with quite a few red herrings as you work your way through the list of suspects along with their motives. I particularly enjoyed the view of young life and love for Grammie as well as Iris and their friends, showing that we all have been young at some point in our lives.

The idea of an apron shop intrigued me, and with it's charming small town setting, wonderful family characters and a skeleton in the basement that opens a Pandora's box. Well crafted and enjoyable, looking forward to more from this author.

cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, family-dynamics, friendship, small-business, small-town, Maine, murder, law-enforcement

How have I missed this very good author? !
If you like reading about vintage clothing, interactions between family and friends, and small towns, you'll really like this book. But if you want a well done cozy mystery you'll be over the moon with this one! The landlord for the building Iris and Grammie are fixing up for their new small business is a lawsuit waiting to happen and few people like or trust him, but he's not the first body. The first body is a skeleton of a woman murdered and concealed in a basement wall in 1972! Excellent easily believable characters and situations make this well plotted whodunit with enough suspects to please all of us. LOVED it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Very good first book in the series by a new to me author. The ending was really fun and full of surprises. Looking forward to the next one!

It's always a treat to find the first in a new cozy series. The Apron Shop Mystery is a unique setting with a cast of delightful characters. The vintage clothing and linen descriptions were rich with detail. The mystery was full of characters, which meant some record-keeping, but there were enough clues to figure out who-dun-it. It's a solid start to a new series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

#NetGalley
#HemsHomicide

Hems and Homicide by Elizabeth Penney is an entertaining new entry into the cozy mystery genre. Ms. Penney has developed a lovely small town setting in Blueberry Cove, Maine and a new venue by setting this mystery around a apron and vintage linens shop.

Iris Buckley and her grandmother, Anne Buckley, are very likable characters and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the story. The secondary characters were also likable and helped to develop Iris more for the reader. The plot is quickly paced and well crafted as the clues and red herrings kept me on my toes trying to piece together if the two murders were connected. I was thrown off a couple of times while reading when there was a change of scene that was not clearly defined; but this could have been a formatting error. All in all this was a lovely afternoon read and I look forward to more in this series.

Hems and Homicide is a well developed story. Elizabeth Penney provides her readers with a book including support of family and friends and a mystery too. The plot is fast-paced and will keep your attention. Iris Buckley and her grandmother, Anne Buckley, have a bond that we all would love to have with our grandmother. This bond is even stronger since the death of Anne's husband and Iris's grandfather. Iris has returned to Blueberry Cove to help her grand mother. She has a business established on-line selling vintage linens and with support of her Grandmother, plans to open a store front, Hems and Bows, that will also sell vintage linens. While refurbishing the store-front the electric goes out requiring a trip to the basement to check out the fuse box. Iris walks into a spider web causing her to fall the rest of the way down the steps. A skull. is found buried behind the wall. You will feel the small town appeal and also family and friend relationship with a touch of budding romances.

I absolutely loved this book! I felt an immediate connection with Iris and Anne, as well as the other characters in Hems & Homicides.
I love the idea of an apron shop and it was very interesting to see how they acquired their stock.
Of course, as with any cozy mystery, the preparations for their grand opening are delayed when a skeleton is found in the basement of their shop.
When the remains are identified, a Pandora's box is opened and secrets from long ago resurface.

I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading more in this new series

A fast-paced, fun new mystery that had me hooked from the first page all the way through to the end. It's filled with an intriguing mystery, interesting characters and a lovely small town Maine setting. Iris Buckley has returned home to Blueberry Cove, Maine to open Ribbons and Bows, a linen and apron store along with her grandmother Anne. Iris has met with hunky contractor Ian to discuss renovating the building when she falls down the basement stairs and finds herself staring at a skull- the result of a 40 year old murder of her grandmother's friend Star. When Iris and Anne are threatened, run into by another car, and when yet another murder takes place in their store - that of their landlord Elliott, with whom Anne had recently had a loud argument, Iris feels she needs to investigate to clear her grandmother and get their store cleared for opening. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to share more adventures with Iris and her crew in the future.

Iris Buckley decides to stay on in Maine after the death of her grandfather and help her grandmother, Anne with her online apron business. It’s Iris’s hope that they can open a brick and mortar store in Blueberry Cove to sell the aprons to tourists. The shop will also sell clothing and offer sewing classes. The problems begin when they find a skeleton in the shop basement, followed shortly by the much fresher corpse of their sleazy landlord. He and Anne have been enemies for years, so Anne becomes the prime suspect. It’s up to Iris and pal Madison to find the real killer and clear Anne’s name. This book will be a huge hit with fans to Laura Childs’ series