Not bad! I don't read many cozy mysteries, so that could account for why some parts of the plot didn't quite work for me. On the plus side, I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes glimpses into the workings of a major urban department store, and I also enjoyed the many representations of strong, independent women in a day and age when it wasn't considered correct or even feminine to be so. Yet it took longer than I liked for the mystery part of the story to get going, and when it did, I felt the resolution was fairly obvious (and I was proved correct). The various personalities of the women felt a bit cliche at times, and there were some themes I also felt the author was trying to touch on (segregation being the most important!), but didn't quite get there. Even so, I was compelled to keep reading, and enjoyed the overall journey! I would read more from this author!

The Women of Wynton's is a delightful read. The pace is generally slow, although it gains momentum as we approach the climax, but it seems to fit the time and place: a small town in Florida in the 1950s. The period is lovingly brought to life via the life of a department store and the women who work there. The clothes of that time, the attitudes (particularly about women and race), the life styles of that time are strongly depicted. (I especially enjoyed the details lavished on the clothes but interior decor--and Tupperware parties--are also brought to life.

Audrey Penault is a former high fashion model who left town over a decade before the story begins to become a world famous model who left that glamorous world to go to college and get a degree in business. Now she's back, working with her late father's closest friend, Mr. Wynton (owner of the book's title--the Wynton store).

Smart, opinionated, independent, sophisticated--all of which add up to make Audrey unpopular in her hometown. There are many nasty rumors circulating about her--many of them started by Mr. Wynton's son, John, and his wife (Cissy).

The story features a group of strong, spirited women. There's Mary Jo, a wife and mother forced into the workforce when her husband is severely injured. She agonizes over becoming a working woman and not a stay at home mom to her two little girls. And there are certainly those who judge her for that. Then there's Gigi, a working class woman with a hard past, attractive and smart but with little self-esteem. There's Miss Vivien, who is the designer for Wynton's famed bridal shop, a feisty older woman accompanied by her just as feisty long time friend and assistant, Mirette.

There are men of course as well but they definitely take a back seat to the women driving this story.

I forgot this was a mystery until bodies started appearing. Mr. Wynton and his store are both in danger. Audrey does her best to save them but things aren't looking good for her either. So unlikely alliances are formed.

I enjoyed the characters and the setting at least as much as the mystery itself which for me actually took a back seat.

I also enjoyed Mumma's afterward (which I'll leave it up to you to read for yourself).

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read a bo0k that I otherwise would probably missed.

This is the first cozy mystery I've ever read. I liked how clearly Mumma indicated which of the four women each chapter's perspective was going to highlight as I went along, and the different character points of view did not detract from moving the story forward. I rooted for Audrey, who becomes more deeply embroiled in the nefarious situation at the department store where she works. Her kindness to Mary Jo and Gigi made me doubt all along the reasons why someone was framing her for murder. This is not an overly Christian novel, although there are some mentions of God and prayer, I love how the four women band together to help Audrey clear her name and ultimately save the store. I had sneaking suspicions who the killer might have been as the plot progressed, and I am so glad the friendships that are borne of necessity for Audrey, Mary Jo, Miss Vivian, and Gigi seem to deepen as the story moves forward. The friendship between Miss Vivian and Mirette is sweet and hilarious! Also, I may never think about perfume the same way again. Some of the best quotes I highlighted deal with being a Southern woman and 1950s culture, such as "Sometimes a girl just needs to cry. Then she wipes her face, throws back her shoulders, and gets to work."

This book draws the reader into the backdrops of women's power, privilege, education, and interactions.

It explores how women see each other: threat, burden, helper, or friend? How do they boost each other or keep other women from thriving?

Those themes unfold in this wonderful story of structure, intuition, and intentions. Though the settings are old-fashioned, the observations ring true and are satisfying in scope and resolution.

I recommend this for feminists and traditional thinkers, male and female. Mumma understands women's hearts and abilities as they're lived out at home and under external power structures. She pictures the need for accountability, mentors, and people who make the way for anyone viewed as less privileged.

And in the process, she encourages the reader to seize the day for themselves. A book that enthralled me at times and reminded me of the push and pull of relationships within our assumptions of who someone else is. You'll cheer for the characters as you close the book. And maybe, just maybe, you'll try something you've resisted and been afraid to tackle. Maybe you'll have the courage to approach someone you thought was beyond you - up or down in your hierarchies and webs of connections.

If you are of a “certain age” you may remember going with your Mom, perhaps by bus, all the way downtown to the large and imposing Department Store! You would spend the day following your Mom from the cosmetics counter, to purses, shoes, ladies dresses, with time to enjoy chicken pot pie for lunch at the store’s “tea room.” You probably wore your best dress and saddle shoes.

Author Donna Mumma brings all these memories to life in this cozy mystery that features “Wynton’s Department” store in sunny Florida. Reliving the memories of the big department store experience made this a charming read for me. Remember the Christmas display windows, and the Christmas parade? In addition to the charm of bygone years, this book also features a fun mystery and characters readers will love. Miss Audrey, you rock!

Another part of the book that meant a lot to me, was that the author presented the troubling parts of the 1950’s, too. In a loving way, she highlighted the problems of race, and women.

I enjoyed this Christian Fiction book Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

The Women of Wynton's by Donna Mumma is a cozy mystery set in the 1950’s in a widely popular Florida department store. The historical and suspense element drew me into wanting to read this story. Mumm crafts a historically, what I believe, accurate view of the time period. She placed women in the workforce who struggled with leaving their families, colored women, educated women, beautiful women, and an older lady. It is a unique, colorful cast of characters. I loved seeing them interact and develop into reliable, trustworthy friends. Because of the suspense element, it took a while for Mumm to dive into each individual instance to make the mystery occur. Also, the mystery had a little bit of distrust woven in. Gossip. Rumors. Evidence against one of the characters. Not really much spirituality in the novel. I don’t even think it was important to the characters. This would be categorized as a clean read for the general market. Safe. Mystery. Hints of real life in the 1950’s. Overall, The Women of Wyntons by Donna Mumm was a fun historical mystery to read.

I received a complimentary copy of The Women of Wynton's by Donna Mumma from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

This book had a fairly fun vintage feel to it, but it felt a little unfocused and long, and the episodes of peril, arson, and off-scene murder sat a little strangely next to all the little interpersonal dramas. I didn't love the office politics at the heart of it, and I lost patience with how easily everyone was swayed to dislike Audrey, the totally put-together and competent assistant to the department store owner who has never actually caused anyone harm, as opposed to the obvious baddie in the story... who everyone adores for no reason. That all felt rather contrived to me. Still, I was interested enough in the story to want to know the conclusion.

This was a slow burn cozy mystery but in the best way possible! The time frame of the book was unique and made it more plausible. At times I was against some characters and then it would change after a few chapters. I felt such a strong connection to the characters that I felt sad, happy, and mad for them. It was amazing how the women’s relationships evolved through the book and it came together in such a natural way. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A wonderful story with such a strong line showing that friends are so important. And that we need to find the truth in all situations. An encouragement.

Get a start on summer reading with this delicious mystery set in a 1950s department store. Where there's glamor, there's gossip. And where there's money and power, there's murder!

This story examines the destructive power of gossip. It gets a little muddled with minor characters dying left and right, but the stories of the core, four heroines show the power of character, courage, and truth.

If you're looking for a fun but substantive clean summer read, this would be a great diversion for your book club or church women's group. For me, personally, Donna Mumma's tale reminded me that actions speak louder than gleeful whispers, especially in the workplace.

**** out of 5

This is a cute cozy mystery story that I like partly because it is different! In my opinion, we need "different" right now in Christian Fiction!! The different characters are great because they each bring something that the others can't to the story. It's also set in a different time period in history, and in a different US state than most books are set these days, at least with books that I personally have read. It's a fairly quick, but enjoyable read!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

In this cozy mytery set in the 1950's four women who couldn't be more different band together to protect their boss from harm and save their place of work: Wynton's department store.

Miss Vivien, Mary Jo and Gigi all work in different departments in Wynton's department store. When Mr. Wynton, their kindhearted boss, takes ill, his secretary Audrey suspects foul play and starts snooping around. Soon she realizes she can't solve the mystery alone and asks for help. The four women have to navigate a net of sapotage, lies and murder to safe Mr. Wynton and their jobs.

I really enjoyed this book and read most of it in one sitting.

The book is written in multiple POV - one for each of our main women. I'm usually not the biggest fan of multiple POV, but this was very well done! I also really enjoyed each chapter header, showing a gorgeous 50's style portrait of the woman whose POV it was.

I also really liked how diverse and complex the characters were. Their ages are never explicetly stated, but I would guess the women are in the range of 25-50 years.

The end felt a little bit rushed, but all in all this is a 4,5 stars read for me and I would have liked to read more about the future lives of Audrey, Vivien, Gigi and Mary Jo.

I had no expectations for this book. Overall, I found it delightful. It was light and frothy and fun but still well-done with an interesting plot. It was a quick read, but I definitely would recommend to anyone who enjoys the 1950s time or mysteries in general.

Cozy mystery readers will want to add this one to their to-be-read stacks! Full of nostalgia from the 1950's, the women of Wynton's store become a band of sleuths as they work together to solve the crime wave targeting their manager.

Well-written with plenty of clues along the way, the mystery grows in complexity. It had emotional tension, especially from one character whose husband was a wounded war veteran, and showed the plight of working women with families, unique for the time period.
The nods to all things 1950's was fun, from fashions to cars, and even Tupperware parties. I enjoyed the interactions of the older women Vivian and Mirette. Audrey also was a complex character who gained my sympathy as the storyline surrounded her situation.
Overall an enjoyable, fast paced read.
Recommend! 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Even though I figured out who the culprits were in the story early on, it was a fun read to see how everything worked out. The setting of the story was unique and. the characters were well developed.

This was such an interesting book, unlike anything I’ve read before! I really enjoyed it. There are multiple povs which I personally love. The characters stories were interesting, their friendships. I just loved it! And the cover is so cool!

The Women of Wynton's is a delightful, entertaining read. Join four women employed at a Florida department store during the 1950s. These women come from different backgrounds and often distrust each other, but have the same mission: find out who wants Mr. Wynton harmed before it's too late.

While I normally have trouble following more than two points-of-view, Donna Mumma does a fantastic job making each POV distinct enough to be able to clearly follow the storyline. She paints a vibrant picture of department stores in the 1950s, including socioeconomic and racial tensions that occurred back then. I loved how she didn't write the desire to be a stay-at-home mom in a negative light like many novels do now, and yet still presents strong, thoughtful, and smart women. You'll want to add this to your TBR as your next light read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.