Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for an ARC of A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke, the second in the Record Shop cozy mystery series. I haven't read the first book, but the author provided enough background details that I had no trouble enjoying this one as a standalone.
The story is told in first person from the point of view of Juni, the youngest of three sisters who own a vintage record store/coffee shop called the Sip & Spin. It takes place in Cedar River, Texas, a fictional suburb of Austin, during the annual Bluebonnet Festival. But the celebration is marred by the murder of Mayor Bob Bobbert. Juni finds his body, and her oldest sister, Tansy, served him his last cup of coffee, which contains the poison that killed him. The three sisters launch an investigation to clear Tansy's name and save the reputation of their business.
Juni is in a love triangle with police detective Beau Russell and mail carrier Teddy Garza, a childhood friend. Another subplot is an unsolved mystery involving buried treasure; during the 1956 Bluebonnet Festival, four robbers held up a bank and buried the loot, but then were killed in a shootout with police. Every year, as part of the festival, hopeful contestants dig for the treasure. Juni discovers that Mayor Bob was obsessed with the robbery and collects memorabilia from that event. Also, he had a map of the area that might lead to the treasure. After his death, the map went missing—a possible motive for murder.
I grew up in Texas, and my brother went to the University of Texas at Austin, so I spent some time in the region and thus enjoyed the author's portrayal of the setting.
The characters are likable, and the mystery is well done. Recommended for cozy mystery fans.

Another great installment in this series! The characters are developing so nicely and the mysteries are interesting! I only wish there were more books in the series to read now!

I absolutely loved this book about a Record Store and coffee shop run by three sisters. There is a Blue Bonnet Festival in Cedar River Texas and Juni Jessup and her sisters Maggie and Tansy are running the Dj booth and serving coffee to the festival goers the Mayor stops by for a cup of coffee and is in a rush to go to the Courthouse after he receives a phone call. Juni stops by the record store and decides to brew the Mayor a cup of coffee and bring it to him since he was unhappy with the drip brew they brought to the festival. She is surprised when the Courthouse is open since the entire town is at the festival she finds the mayor dead holding onto the cup of coffee her sister brewed at the festival. There is also a cold case of a bank robbery that took place in the town at a Blue Bonnet Festival in the 50's and the Mayor was involved in buying things connected to the robbery like a map and a paperweight with a blue bonnet in it that was a clue from the robbery. This was so fun I enjoyed some laughs at things that happened and following along with Juni and her sisters.

A Fatal Groove is the second book in the record shop series. I was looking forward to going back to Cedar River, TX and spending more time with Juni and her two sisters, Tansy and Maggie and find out what's new at their new store, Sip & Spin.

This is a cozy that I can get into with the concoction of new espresso drinks and the diverse selection of music. This episode takes us to the Bluebonnet Festival. Sip & Spin will have a booth set up as a new business in the community. Mayor Bob stops by with a coffee request that the girls aren't equipped to fill with the limited acc0mm0dations. Juni offers to make his drink at the shop and drop it off at his office. When she arrives at the office, he is nonresponsive and this kicks off a fun whodunit dovetailing with a bank robbery over a hundred years ago with the search for the missing loot. The banter between the characters makes this series a delight to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Another super fun installment in this series from Olivia Blacke! The humor, colorful side characters, and depiction of small town life all shine.

A Fatal Groove is a part of The Record Shop Mysteries by Olivia Blacke. The series centers on the Jessup sisters, Juniper, Magnolia and Tansy. The own a vinyl record/coffee shop in Cedar River Texas. Juni seems to have a habit of finding bodies. And the murders seem to relate somehow to the Jessup sisters. The Bluebonnet Festival is running in Cedar River. After Tansy serves Mayor Bob a cup of coffee at the festival, Juni finds his body in City Hall. And, of course, the lead detective investigating the murder is Juni’s high school boyfriend, Beau. Juni had left town when Beau dumped her so their history is complicated. This is an engaging cozy mystery. It checks off all the boxes. The characters are fun. They mystery is a mystery until the end. It’s a great read.

Quite enjoyed this cozy mystery! Second in the series, the interactions between Junebug and her beaus was more entertaining.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I received a free copy of, A Fatal Groove, by Olivia Blacke, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book 2 of 2 in The Record Shop Mystery's. The annual Bluebonnet festival is going on but Juni and her sisters Tansy and Maggie are not celebrating, the mayor has been poisoned by their coffee. I enjoyed reading to see who really killed the mayor. A really good read.

I am loving this musical cozy mystery series. I love the mysteries. There are so many things to follow and guess. I am still not sure which guy I want out MC with. Normally I have a favorite but both of these guys are pretty great. I just love Junie and her sisters. Their relationship is wonderful. 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.

When the mayor is found dead after drinking a coffee from Sip & Spin Records Juni is determined to get her sister Tansy off both the suspect list and town gossip line. With help from friendly Teddy and clashing with detective Beau Juni uncovers a link to a bank robbery and stolen treasure from the past clues start to make sense. Can Juni help Tansy from being arrested and find the actual killer?

This is a wonderful second installment of this new cozy mystery series that is becoming an automatic read for me. Music and coffee lovers rejoice, this Texas small town mystery is for you!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. A Fatal Groove is the second book in the Record Shop Mystery series, a great follow-up to A Vinyl Resting Place. This time, aside from running the record and coffee shop, Juni and her sisters take part in their town's festival, serving coffee and DJing. Juni once again stumbles upon a dead body, only this time, she finds the mayor dead, holding a coffee cup from her shop. Of course, this means that Juni and her sisters are going to investigate in order to clear their name and find the real culprit.

The characters are fun, and the mystery is well written. I really like that the setting combines two things that I enjoy, namely coffee and music. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This is the second in the Record Shop Series and it's well crafted, well plotted, has a well developed sense of place, and well drawn characters. The story drew me in immediately. Excellent cozy mystery and no sophomore slump here.

3.5 stars

Texas sisters Tansy, Maggie and Juni are back with another adventure featuring their vintage vinyl record store/coffee shop. The sisters are nicely fleshed out characters -- they are different in every way. They don't dress the same, think the same, have the same priorities, or react to events similarly, but they always have each other's back.

Their small town life and family and neighbors make for a fun combination. They are at a local bluebonnet festival when the mayor dies after drinking a cup of their coffee. Once again, Juni must solve a mystery when her family falls under suspicion.

June's ex bad-boy boyfriend, now a police detective, still makes her heart beat fast even though she is spending time with a new love interest who is nicer and much more considerate. She can't make up her mind. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It's the day of the Bluebonnet Festival in Cedar River. Maggie, Tansy, and Juni, as owners of Sip 'n Spin, are tasked with manning the DJ booth and serving coffee. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day in the park where the bluebonnets flowers are in full bloom. Unfortunately, Juni's attempt at a good deed ends with her finding a dead body. And to make things worse, he's holding a Sip 'n Spin coffee cup. Can Juni find the killer before the family business is ruined?

A Fatal Groove is the second book in the Olivia Blacke's Record Shop Mysteries series. I read book 1, Vinyl Resting Place (read my review), but you don't have to read it first. There are plenty of details about the characters in this book that you won't feel lost.

The murder mystery is steeped in a town bank heist mystery from the 1950s. So you really get 2 mysteries in 1 book. It was fun learning the history of the bank heist, the town, and the bluebonnets.

The characters are enjoyable though they sometimes border on being a bit cliche. I don't know if there is a such a thing as a family cozy, but I like how Juni's sisters help her solve the mysteries. It is kind of like the way Hannah's sisters help her in Joanne Fluke's series. The family dynamics add another layer to the story that is different than when it is just friends. Another similarity to Joanne Fluke's series is the love triangle. I sure hope it isn't dragged out as long as Hannah's love triangle.

One thing that I found kind of disconcerting was when the characters were described. When a character first walked on the page they were always described a white woman or a white man. One, I prefer there to be a more generic description so that I can picture the characters how I want to. Plus, I usually find specific descriptions to mean something important to the story. But that wasn't what I found disconcerting. It was the fact everyone was white. There there was the description of the mayor's home - white on white on white. It kind of made me feel uncomfortable. Is a town outside of Austin, TX really that white?

If you are a fan of coffee, I'm sure you will enjoy the descriptions of coffee drinks. I don't drink coffee but some of them didn't sound too bad and I liked the sound of the tea served at the craft night. I think a recipe for a coffee or tea drink would be a good addition to the story like you get with the culinary cozies.

I think fans of the Hannah Swensen series would like this series too. It is different enough to add variety to your cozy mystery reading, but the vibe will be familiar.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/07/a-fatal-groove-by-olivia-blacke-review.html

This was a fun second installment in the Record Shop Mysteries series. I was happy to return to Cedar Cove to see what trouble Juni, Tansy and Maggie were going to get into this time.

This time, town major Bob Bobbert is found dead while holding a cup of coffee from the Sip & Spin. It's the second body that Juni has discovered in two months (the first having been the focus of Book One). So, she's just barely recovered from her last experience with a dead body when this one shows up. And, unfortunately, there's no lack of suspects, including Juni's sister Maggie and their mother's new boyfriend!

Determined to clear her sister's name, Juni inserts herself into the investigation again, and it's just as enjoyable as the last time, although I think this book works perfectly fine as a standalone too.

Thank you to Olivia Blacke, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

The second book in The Record Shop Mysteries series this follows the escapades of Juni and her sisters as they attempt to solve the murder of the town's beloved mayor. This would work well as a stand alone as the author introduces the main characters and gives a little bit of their history. Of course those of us who have read "Vinyl Resting Place" feel that we already know them quite well. This is a wonderful cozy mystery to relax with on a quiet afternoon.
#AFatalGroove#NetGalley#StMartinsPress

In the second book in Olivia Blacke's record shop mystery series, we see Juni discover yet another dead body--this time the body of the town mayor, who is unfortunately clutching a coffee cup from their shop! Desperate to clear her sister's name (Tansy, the one who poured the coffee), Juni starts poking her nose into the death, which seems to be tied to a bank heist from decades prior. Despite seeming to have made a living off of never upsetting anyone, Mayor Bob seems to have made a lot of enemies... and Juni is torn between rekindling things with her ex-boyfriend, cop Beau, or starting something new with hot mailman Teddy. If only we all had these choices!

Blacke's record shop mystery series is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy series. It came out swinging with book one, and book two was a stellar follow-up! I love to see a millennial heroine but in a classic small-town setting, and it's fun to see Juni's relationship with her sisters. The mystery flowed nicely, and I thought the ending was interesting. It has the much-maligned cozy love triangle, but I suspect Juni may make a choice soon... I'm personally rooting for Teddy! Beau doesn't need a second chance. Overall, this book was extremely solid, hitting all the checkpoints, and I imagine any cozy mystery fan would enjoy it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This is the second installment of Olivia Blacke's Record Shop Mystery series, and I think I enjoyed it more than the first. Juni and her sisters are getting into the groove of owning their own record/coffee shop. Business is great until another unexpected murder is tied to their shop. Poor Mayor Bob! The story follows Juni, Maggie, and Tansi as they set out to solve the mystery and clear their good name!

The little love triangle between Juni, Beau, and Theo makes for a great side story. Plus, the music-themed coffee drinks are a great touch!

I can't wait to read the next story in this series!

I love these three sisters, Maggie, Tansy, and Juni. So different but so there for each other. This was a very interesting story line with some twists and turns. I enjoyed both the story and the characters. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

I’m still warming up to this cozy mystery series. Juni Jessup and her two sisters are African American and run Sip & Spin Records. It is a record shop and coffee house in Cedar River, a small town near Austin, TX. When the local mayor is found dead with one of their coffee cups in his hands suspicion turns to Tansy who served him. The sisters investigate to clear her name. There are twist and turns, red herrings, a treasure hunt and even a cow. I don’t enjoy love triangles. Juni has interest in Beau her ex boyfriend who is a police detective and her childhood friend Teddy. But I imagine that is going to get drawn out for several books. They are both decent guys. This is for cozy mystery fans who like small towns where everyone knows everyone and what they are doing. This is the second adventure in the Record Shop series. (3.5 Stars)