Another excellent read by this author, and perfect to get into the Halloween spirit. Great characters, good plot and plenty of paranormal to keep it interesting.

Murder Outside the Lines is the third installment in the Pen & Ink Mysteries series set in Georgetown and featuring Florrie Fox, manager of Color Me Read, the neighborhood bookstore. It's Halloween and the bookstore is hosting Hilda Rattenhorst, psychic and author for a reading. When Hilda claims to have a vision of a foot sticking out of a rolled up rug in a nearby doorway, Florrie's boyfriend Sergeant Eric Jonquille goes to investigate and finds nothing. But several days later after several people are attacked in their homes and then a body turns up in the neighbor's coffin decoration, people begin to wonder if Hilda was for real or is someone just trying to copy her claims.

A fast paced plot, a fun Halloween setting and for me the best part was the delightful skull named Harry, who seems to have a "mind" of his own. The return of the cast of series regulars will have readers feeling like they just walked back into the bookstore to catch up on gossip and have a cup of coffee, and while some relationships continue to develop, a few surprises are in store for others.

I received an advanced copy of Murder Outside the Lines from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Krista Davis is hands down my favorite author so I am ecstatic that I get to review her book!! As with every single other book she has written, the mystery is entertaining, the characters are fun and the book is fantastic! I cannot say enough good things about this author, she writes the perfect books for me and I highly recommend her to everyone who is looking for a cozy mystery. I will be waiting for her next books and will definitely read anything she writes!!

Bestselling Author Krista Davis weaves a haunting Halloween tale in the long-awaited third installment of the Pen & Ink cozy series. Florrie Fox will need to sharpen her sleuthing skills to solve the murder of an acquaintance of her employer, Professor John Maxwell. The Professor’s friend entrusted him with an odd item for safekeeping, and it seems to have special powers!

The cast of characters is fabulous and the storytelling splendidly spooky. With bodies piling up just before Halloween, Florrie and her beau, Sargeant Eric Jonquille, must work fast to expose this killer before he disposes of Florrie.

Author Davis is a pro at writing a story that immerses one’s attention from beginning to end. There are humorous moments and surprises galore for readers! Delicious recipes included.

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

This latest offering in the series entertained me. I found it challenging at times to keep track of the characters and the resolution of the whodunit left me a bit disappointed.
I would read further books in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I love the cover and the fact that you can color it! Mrs Davis pulls you in immediately with the cover and then ties it to the mystery. This is a fun, well written and overall enjoyable read.
#MurderOutsidetheLines #NetGalley

Newbie to this series, but it wasn’t a problem not having read the previous books. The mystery and characters were delightful and the stories within the stories was quite fun. Our heroine is just curious enough, but not the type to be put herself in danger; so smart! I loved the book shop setting as well, but am a bit confused as to whether this cozy is suppose to focus on her drawings or colouring books.

"Includes A Front and Back Cover for You to Color!

With Halloween just around the corner, the fall colors in Georgetown are brilliant. As manager of the Color Me Read bookstore, coloring book creator Florrie Fox has arranged for psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories. But the celebrity medium arrives for the event in hysterics, insisting she just saw a bare foot sticking out of a rolled-up carpet in a nearby alley. Is someone trying to sweep murder under the rug? Florrie calls in her policeman beau, Sergeant Eric Jonquille, but the carpet corpse has disappeared without a trace.

Then in the middle of her reading, Hilda chillingly declares that she feels the killer's presence in the store. Is this a publicity stunt or a genuine psychic episode? It seems there's no happy medium. When a local bibliophile is soon discovered missing, a strange mystery begins to unroll. Now it's up to Florrie and Jonquille to expose a killer's true colors..."

I just LOVE that this is taking the adult coloring book craze to the next level!

A fun new cozy mystery series that will appeal to many readers, particularly because it combines a quaint and quirky bookstore setting, adult coloring, and a great police officer boyfriend. I look forward to recommending this title.

If you are a cozy mystery fan and you haven’t read anything by Krista Davis, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her many books. She is the author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries, Paws & Claws Mysteries, and Pen & Ink Mysteries. Murder Outside the Lines is the third installment of the Pen & Ink Mysteries, but it can stand alone. It’s a great book to pick up for relaxed autumn reading. There’s Halloween festivities, a celebrity psychic, and of course, a murder in a small town. The body, however, mysteriously disappears without a trace. Get out your hot chocolate or spiced apple cider and enjoy finding out how and why the mysterious corpse goes missing and guess whodunnit!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley # netgalley

I decided to get this series I try. And I have to say I'm glad I took her advice is series is awesome. And very original.

I just love to read anything by Krista Davis. Murder Outside the Lines is the long-awaited third book in Krista Davis's Pen and Ink Mystery series and it does not disappoint. This book takes place on Halloween. The neighborhood is decorated and Color Me Read, the bookstore Florrie Fox manages, is having psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst read from her ghost stories book. At the event, Hilda insists she saw a foot sticking out of a carpet on her way there, and then she feels a killer's presence. The characters are likable and interesting. The mystery has some twists to keep it interesting but I suspected part of the finale but wasn't sure until the end. This is an enjoyable cozy mystery.

fans of the author i am sorry.. i wanted to super love thissss.. it has all my favorite words murder and lines hahaha .. but for me it was presented as a coloring and a mystery book but truly just two "pages aka cover pages" are coloring the rest is pure mystery case and it felt rushed to me and i am so sorry!

Murder Ourside the Lines is the 3rd book in Krista Davis' Pen & Ink Mysteries. I really enjoyed the first two books in this cozy mystery series This book takes place at Halloween. The neighborhood is decorated and Color Me Read, the bookstore Florrie Fox manages, is having psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst read from her ghost stories book. At the event, Hilda insists she saw a foot sticking out of a carpet on her way there and then she feels a killer's presence. Florrie's boyfriend is Police Sergent Eric Jonquille. They have a good relationship despite not spending much time together. Eric goes to check on the foot in the carpet but doesn't find anything. A friend of Florrie's boss is attacked. A skeleton head is delivered to her boss and odd things start happening. Well, it is Halloween! The characters are likable and interesting. The mystery has some twists to keep it interesting but I suspected part of the finale but wasn't sure until the end. This is an enjoyable cozy mystery. #NetGalley #MurderOutsideTheLines #KristaDavis #KensingtonBooks

Get your hot apple cider ready and set down to enjoy this cozy mystery by Krista Davis. I haven't read any books by this author before. This isn't the first book in this series but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great characters and a solid plot line. Definitely recommend this book. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

It took me a few tries to get into this installment of Color Me Read series. I liked the first two very much but had a harder time liking this one. I did read the book and liked the story and characters but it seemed a bit jumbled.

While I love the Pen and Ink series, this is my least favorite to date. I’m not a fan of Halloween or the paranormal (though they do make a good backdrop for a mystery), and I found that this story focused too much on supposed paranormal occurrences. I was throughly mystified as to who the murderer was, but there were so many moving parts that it was hard to keep track of (and inevitably led to a very muddled conclusion).

Halloween is in the air and Georgetown is primed to celebrate the spookiness. Color Me Read is getting into the spirit by hosting an author who speaks to spirits, making for a great time. When strange things start to happen, Florie and the team can’t quite figure out what’s going on. First the professor receives a package containing a human skull and a scrying mirror, odd and freaky, but nothing illegal about it. But when the guest speaker claims to have seen a soot sticking out of a rolled up rug with a body, Florie can’t decide whether the woman truly saw something or is trying to drum up business for her book.

When a regular customer is attacked in his home and Florie creates a diversion that saves his life, she starts thinking more about the human side of the spooks rather than the ethereal ones. Because a ghost is surely not killing people. Now Florie is doodling and trying to figure out who had it in for the people who have been murdered and attacked. She keeps doodling and running things through in her mind hoping something will click soon…before she joins the ghosts in the ethereal form.

Krista Davis has three cozy series that I can’t get enough of. Her writing is witty, on point and her the mysteries have you changing your mind with each new piece of information or red herring that is introduced. LOVE HER! In fact she’s the author who first got me hooked on cozies with her Divas series. Having live in the DC Metro area for years, her books are always like a little bit of a visit home. if only she would write a series based in Williamsburg, then all of my bases would be covered in Virginia.

Murder Outside the Lines is a delightful cozy mystery that grips the reader from the very beginning, taking them on a bizarre roller-coaster ride until the final page.
Florrie Fox is a fun character, there is something truly unique about her, which really makes the story more intriguing.
When Florrie organizes an author reading at Color Me Read, she has no idea that it will set off a series of odd events, including murder.
Krista Davis is an excellent author and I'm always happy to recommend any of her books.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

#MurderOutsidetheLines #NetGalley

What cozies are all about! Love the series and Krista Davis! Spooky prediction about a foot sticking out of a rolled up carpey by medium Hilda Rattenhorst starts a mystery to unravel. The characters are highly loveable, engaging and keeps you entertained. Story plot keeps you intrigued. Krista Davis always delivers a cozy that's binge worthy. Thanks #netgalley and #Keningston for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.