This was my first book by this author and unfortunately it just wasn't really for me.

I had a hard time investing in the story and it didn't really keep my attention.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Family is everything to Juni Jessup and her sisters Maggie and Tansy and they are so excited to reopen the family record store now that vinyl records are in demand again. They have now added coffee to the mix and Sip & Spin Records' grand opening is set to be a huge event.

With a food truck out front and records spinning inside it feels like the whole town turned out. The sisters are ready to call the opening a great success until they find a dead body in the supply closet. When their Uncle Calvin is arrested by non-other than Juni's ex, Beau Russell the girls almost spin out but decide to put their new business up as collateral to get him out on bail with plans to prove his innocence as quickly as possible. But then Calvin disappears without a trace. His truck is still in the driveway. He clearly wasn't at home. And Juni's detective ex keeps showing up like a bad penny in hopes she will lead him to her uncle.

Before the coffee stops brewing and the records stop spinning Juni knows she needs to find the real killer and her uncle all while not becoming the killer's next victim.

___

I like the Jessup Family and I think it is so cool that they get to reopen a record shop in the exact same place where their grandparents had it in vinyl's original heyday.

Each member of the family has their own strengths and they came together to get their new venture off to a great success. Juni, Maggie, and Tansy are the ones who are running the shop day to day with their Mom and Uncle Calvin being not-so-silent partners. Tansy knows so much about music and is great at helping customers find what they want. She also had the idea to add the coffee corner. Maggie is "fastidious" and strives to keep everything in the store clean and in its proper place. Juni, a former IT tech, focused on organizing the shop and advertising the grand opening. And of course, now sleuthing out a killer. We also meet Juni's ex, Detective Beau Russell, and her BFF Teddy Garza, a postal worker. There is the start of a romantic triangle here and usually, I don't mind those, but Beau was a real jerk and Teddy is such a nice guy. At the moment for me, it is no contest. All the characters are realistic with a lot of room for growth. I want to get to know them all better.

The mystery was really interesting especially when everyone assumed Juni knew who the victim was when she was found when in fact she didn't and the person turned out to be someone she knew in her past but didn't recognize all grown up. That gave her added motivation to get justice for the deceased. The author gave us plenty of suspects and threw in some really nice twists and turns, the last one was pretty epic because my focus was on another character. I really enjoyed the showdown as the clues literally fell into place for Juni in real time with a feline assist.

Ms. Blacke's cozy theme of a record store/coffee shop feels new and fresh and she has set the series near Austin, Texas. "The live music capital of the world." and "Known as the state’s weird city, Austin is a haven for artists and hippies. It’s famous for its tacos, lakes, and cool festivals." Sounds like a perfect place for a cozy mystery series to take place.

Vinyl Resting Place, the first Record Shop Mystery, was a very entertaining read. I loved all the music references and the unique brews featured. The characters were engaging and the mystery was compelling. The author's use of humor hit all the right notes but I am not sold on the romantic triangle yet.

The next book in the series is already out. I have A Fatal Groove on my Kindle's To-Be-Read shelf and plan to be reading and reviewing it soon.

Loved this book it was so fun. Three sisters own a record shop and coffee nook and on there grand opening night they find a body in a storage closet. The only problem the whole town was at the opening and there are hundreds of suspects. Then her old boyfriend is with the police and working the case and he is still interested but she is still hurt over the break up which was by text. Her Uncle has disappeared so he looks like the major suspect so the Sisters have to solve the case or lose the record store.

I really enjoyed this musical cozy mystery. Juni is a fun character. I love the family love and the small town feel. The mystery was interesting and had me guessing while reading. I cannot wait to read the next in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Vinyl Resting Place has all the elements I enjoy in a cozy:
- Fun setting (Sip & Spin Records, a record shop with a coffee bar!)
- Small town
- Amateur sleuth
- Great characters
- Plenty of suspects!

This was such a fun mystery! Loved the setting and the characters. Looking forward to book 2.

Delightful story of three sisters who resurrect their grandparents' record shop. There might also be a crime and murder involved...along with lots of musical notes. This is a fun one to solve!

The first in the Record Shop mystery series, narrated by Juniper “Juni” Jessup, formerly a developer for a tech startup somewhere in Oregon, who has come back home to small(ish) town, Texas, to start her own version of risky business with her two older sisters: a coffee and music shop that sells actual vinyl records (see footnote 1).

The grand opening of the store goes gangbusters, with hundreds of people showing up, having a grand time, and leaving the place littered with empty plastic cups, taco wrappers, deflated balloons and so on. Which wouldn’t be a problem to clean, except there’s also a dead body in the closet where the sisters keep their cleaning supplies.

When the cops show up, it turns out that the detective in charge is Juni’s ex, Beau Russell–who dumped her at a time when they were discussing moving in together. One would think this would be enough to make him the villain, but no; it’s made clear pretty quickly that he’s one corner of a relationship triangle, with Juni’s longtime friend Teddy, a former financial whizkid turned postal carrier, as the third.

There is quite a bit of page space, aka, Juni’s internal musings, about how she shouldn’t fall for Beau again, since it’s clear that he’s pumping her for information about her missing uncle’s business (let alone the whole, “he dumped her–by text”). There’s also quite a bit about how she never noticed how Teddy has been carrying a torch for her ‘since third grade’ (and how everyone else in her family had noticed).

At any rate, once their uncle becomes the main suspect and goes missing immediately thereafter, the sisters agree to investigate the murder themselves–first, to clear Uncle Calvin, but also because they are all currently at risk of losing their shirts, what with bail bonds and court dates. The sooner they can produce Calvin for the court, and prove he’s not the murderer, the better for the whole family.

In actuality, the only one who does any investigating is Juni, and she goes about it more than a tad haphazardly; her thought processes are illogical and the information she tells her sisters (or indeed, other people), and when she tells them, all give the feeling that she doesn’t really grasp the gravity of the situation. Yet, at the same time, she keeps thinking about how she’s broke, and how if they lose the store it will be a disaster for everyone, and so on.

In other words, a lot of Juni’s actions simply don’t match her internal dialogue.

Eventually, she does start finding things out and putting clues together (including a couple of red herrings), but when the climax happens, it’s basically by accident–though I will give Juni props for quick thinking once she realized what was happening.

Still, more a whimper than a bang, mystery-wise.

As for the writing…

This novel took a long time to get going for me, because it suffers from the same malady many recent releases seem to: excessive description, excessive backstory, several pointless scenes (not red herrings), too many background characters. In other words, too much filler, little substance.

In the first chapter I learned what almost every named character in the novel was wearing, with a little backstory of their relationships with Juni and each other, as well as the layout of the store, and even the design of the logo–none of which have anything to do with the plot.

In every chapter thereafter, all the way to the end, every time one of the Jessup sisters is on page, we learn what she’s wearing, and how it reflects her personality–which means, yes, indeed, that there’s a lot of repetition.

The age difference between the sisters? Mentioned, with increasing detail, three or four times in a three hundred page novel. We get the history of at least three of Juni’s t-shirts–forgive me, ‘old-concert shirts’.

And every time someone at the store wants a drink, we get the cutesy made up music-punny name, the ingredients, musings on how easy or hard it is to make, how well it sells, and so on, even when the only people present are Juni and her sisters.

Part of my brain got that the intention was to get in as many musical references in as humanly possible, because music store; the part of my brain that was reading for the murder mystery not only didn’t care, but started to get aggravated by it.

In lieu of characterization, there is a lot of telling: Juni tells us, four or five times, about how her mother belongs to every committee in town; she tells us about her sister Maggie penchant for organization and cleaning; and she tells us about her other sister obsession with sports and crafts.

It’s not that she’s the narrator, so of course it’s all from her point of view; it’s that Juni doesn’t just say, for example, that Maggie had cleaned the store, she embellishes it with “because she’s the organized sister” or some such–every time.

It’s the same for the setting; I didn’t get a chance to absorb the small town vibe from interactions or even descriptions of different locations alone. Instead, Juni would constantly think to herself how much she loves small towns.

Another thing that got on my nerves was that, for the vast majority of the characters, we get a description, hair to toes. The only time we don’t get descriptions, Juni uses they/them pronouns to think about the characters–not because she knows the person and therefore their preferred pronouns, or because she’s been asked to. There’s no rhyme or reason, she just does it.

Let me repeat: the author has the narrator–the only sister who’s lived anywhere other than Cedar River, Texas too–thinking about people using they/them pronouns randomly.

The last thing I’ll say is that, while there is mention of cops being opportunistic and devious, not above conducting a search without a warrant, there is a strong “but that’s just a few bad apples” undercurrent. Which is a very white thing to say, and having one of the cops under your detective be a Black woman doesn’t change it. (See footnote 2)

I was invited to read the second title in the series, which just came out, but I’m not sure I will–or at least, it won’t be soon; this was my introduction to the authors work, and it fell mostly flat for me.

Vinyl Resting Place gets a 5.50 out of 10

* * * *

1 Why ‘smallish’? Because Cedar River is within the Greater Austin metropolitan area; still a small town with its own version of suburbs, but likely not for much longer.

2 ACAB; not for nothing, but the full saying is, “a few rotten apples spoil the barrel”.

This kick ass new series delivers on plot, character and setting. I was a fan of book one (Vinyl Resting Place), and this sophomore effort from Blacke is just as strong. Set in small town Texas, sisters Junie, Tansy and Maggie run a combo coffee-vinyl record shop, drawing collectors from nearby music capital, Austin. As this book opens, Sip & Spin is manning a booth at the local bluebonnet festival (google an image, Texas bluebonnets are stunning), selling coffee and DJing in between live music sets.

As the morning starts, Juni and her sister Tansy are visited at their booth by the mayor, selling him a cup of coffee. He’s unsatisfied with the plain brew they can supply off site, and when Juni runs back to the store for some missing supplies, she decides to drop by city hall with a cup of the mayor’s favorite brew. Instead, she finds him dead in his office, holding a cup of Sip & Spin coffee, and all eyes turn to Tansy, who poured it for him.

This of course is enough to kick Juni into investigative mode – no way is her sister a killer, and so she starts her gentle investigation of the death, which of course turns out to be murder. The backdrop of the bluebonnet festival is a good one, and one of the events at the festival is a hole digging contest. Back in 1956, bank robbers made off with the town’s payroll, burying it on their way out of town before being killed, and every year there’s a hole digging contest to see if the loot can be found.

As Juni continues to investigate, it becomes clear the mayor was obsessed with the lost treasure, and he’s joined by a few other competitive obsessives, including Juni’s uncle Calvin. Calvin is prone to long civic history lectures at the drop of a hat, but they are there for a reason: the clever Blacke is able to advance her story through Calvin’s words and then have him thrown exasperatedly off stage by one of his nieces. It gives the readers background.

The small town details of high school rivals, now grown, for Juni, old flames, and the loyal relationship between the sisters makes this book an even richer read. Juni has two old flames, both great choices: Teddy, her mailman and former high school buddy, and her ex Beau, the lone detective on the town police force, who broke her heart but is an annoyingly charming good guy with a great smile. It would be hard to choose between them, but luckily that’s not my problem – it’s Juni’s. I’m looking forward to seeing it play out.

The plot in this book was well done and well thought out, revealing the killer at the right moment with good storytelling laying the path for the reveal. There are righteous clues and if some of them are slightly obvious, the reading experience was so pleasant I didn’t care. Juni is a great character and I can’t wait to follow more of her adventures.

Juni Jessup and her two sister, Tansy and Maggie, have gone into business together in their hometown of Cedar River, Texas, opening a combination record store and coffee shop. Vinyl LPs are making a comeback after all, despite critics thinking the medium was dead.
But speaking of 'dead' ... finding a dead body in the supply closet just as they are looking to have a grand opening is not part of the plan.

Juni's life gets more complicated when their uncle, Calvin, already a suspect in the murder, disappears. And the police officer leading the investigation is Juni's EX-boyfriend (who passive-aggressively keeps putting himself back into her life).

Convinced that her uncle would never murder anyone, Juni sets out to prove his innocence - which isn't easy since he's making himself look guilty - because Calvin is family and family is EVERYthing to Juni.

As readers of my blog know, I'm not a big fan of most cozy mysteries, but the setting caught my eye and my interest and so I thought I'd give this a read.

This reads like ... well, like most cozy mysteries. Meaning it's perfectly fine, there's nothing here that should offend a sensitive reader. Our main protagonist is a friendly, bouncy, people-person who doth protest too much about her 'ex' and for whom, solving the mystery comes relatively easily.

This was a quick read and generally enjoyable, but the two things that stood out were not positive moments.

First, I really didn't like that Juni's ex-boyfriend kept referring to her as "Junebug" ... after she asked him not to call her that. He seemed to think it was funny to keep calling her that when she asked him to stop. At first I thought this was just setting him up to really be a jerk and would be the deciding factor in their split. But it continues and she takes it, which then spoke more to the weakness in her character. It wasn't fun, it wasn't cute, it was psychological abuse.

Then, remembering that this is both a record/music store and a coffee shop, the different blends of coffee drinks all have cute little music-themed names (such as "All The Single Lattes" and "Got My Mind Set on Brew" or "Friends in Mocha Places"). At first this was kind of cute, but as got further into the book these drink names felt more and more like the author trying to be clever rather than the Jessup sisters trying to sell drinks.

I typically find cozy mysteries to be lightweight reading. Good if you're looking for something fast and that doesn't take a lot of brain energy to read and this fits the bill. Being in a record shop, I'd like to see records and/or music play more of a role in the story other than having coffee drinks names based on songs. But I would read another in the series when the time comes.

Looking for a good book? Vinyl Resting Place is a cozy mystery by Olivia Blacke. It is slightly above average for a cozy mystery. Take it along with you to the beach or read it on your morning commute.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good first book in the Record Shop cozy mystery series. I enjoyed getting to know Juni, Tansy, and Maggie as they open up the record store/coffee shop in Cedar River, Texas. Great mystery that kept my attention and had me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted eARC of Vinyl Resting Place! All opinions in this review are my own.

Vinyl Resting Place did what I like best about cozy mysteries. It set up a small town with a great cast of characters for future mysteries.

However, I didn't love that the focus of the investigation was on finding the uncle rather than trying to figure out who murdered the woman. I also felt like there weren't enough breakthroughs in the cases to propel the plot forward. Juni just kept visiting her uncle's house hoping to find something new.

I am willing to give the second book in the Record Shop series a try because I think that now the cast of characters and setting are established, the sequel can focus more on the plot. I hope that now Juni has one mystery solved, she can improve on her investigative skills for the next one!

This is such a cute cozy read with lots of mystery and excitement. A family business always offers up an opportunity for some action. I absolutely love the setting and the covers are amazing. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

I was given this book to offer an honest opinion. Well worth the read.

Juni, Tansy and Maggie Jessup decide to open a record store and coffee shop in their small Texas town, and like all good cozy mysteries, a dead body is found. Unfortunately, Uncle Calvin is a suspect, and the girls decide to solve a murder.

I absolutely loved this story! The coffee and music theme was so much fun. Family is definitely a major theme throughout the story. Overall, very enjoyable, and I can't wait to see what Olivia Blacke has in store for Juni and her sisters next.

Love a cozy, and this one set in a record shop is full of hijinks, mystery, and, well, vinyl! Super fun murder mystery.

A great cozy mystery that I’m excited to read how the series evolves. Juni and her sisters own a record shop when someone is killed at the grand opening party. The sisters led by Juni, their family, ex bf/cop Beau and others are trying to solve the mystery while saving Uncle Calvin from being wrongly accused. It’s a fun and easy read with plenty of light moments and potential romances.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the arc.

I've enjoyed all of Olivia Blacke's books so far and this one was just as enjoyable. I enjoyed the story and the characters were fun. I'm looking forward to future books in this series. This is a great choice if you enjoy cozy mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

I really enjoyed the relationship she had with her sisters and mom when she was solving the case. I loved the vibe of them. I loved that that it was a black family who are in business. Iykyk. It was full of black love, black supporting small businesses and I’m here for it!

A clever pun for a title and a story of three sisters coming together to solve mysteries? Sign me up.

The three Jessup sisters, Tansy, Magnolia, and Juniper, have come together to reopen their grandparents’ old record shop. Their grand opening is thrown off when a dead body is found in their supply closet. When their uncle becomes suspect number one, and they place the shop as collateral for his bail, it suddenly becomes their problem to solve the murder and prove their uncle’s innocence.

This was a cute and quick read. We really get a sense of Cedar Rapids and all of the interesting people that live there. And I have to give props to the author for getting me actually invested in a love triangle, if only by making me dislike one of the guys so quickly.

I do wish we had gotten a little more character development with all of the characters, especially with the three sisters. We get a little bit with Juniper because she’s our narrator, and we see a lot of the relationship between the three of them, but I would have loved to see more. And all the side characters we get to meet feel a little flat, but interesting enough that I wanted Juniper to spend more time with everybody.

I was able to predict the murderer, but the motives remained a mystery to me, so I was surprised by the ending. And it was fun to read as the three sisters did their own investigating, but had to keep it secret from their mother, the family lawyer, and the ex boyfriend cop.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc

Vinyl Resting Place is a cozy mystery set in small town Cedar River, Texas, near San Antonio, where the three Jessup sisters decided to open Sip and Spin, a vinyl record shop and coffee bar. The sisters find a dead young woman in the supply closet on opening day and what follows in an amateur sleuth investigation into the murder. Kudos to author Olivia Blacke for setting the cozy mystery in an original setting with likeable characters. The novel has repetitive details about the resurgence of vinyl and the family's history of operating record shops. The novel is also heavy of the descriptive details of the clothing worn by the sisters: twinsets, floral knee-length dresses, and old concert tee-shirts. And keep an eye on Daffy, the stray cat, who readers are told numerous times is shy around strangers. Overall, Vinyl Resting Place, the first book in a new Record Shop Mysteries series, is a good read.