It was a really slow start but eventually picked up enough for me to catch my attention during the drive i read it on. It was a perfect book to read between heavy info books since it didnt require much braincells to process what was going on in the story. It took a while but im glad i stuck to it and trusted the book story.

This is the second book in the series, and I have not read the first - yet. However, it was not at all necessary to have read the first book to jump in and enjoy this one. Any references to events from the first book are explained, and there aren’t that many.

The characters

For me, the characters are as important as the plot in my enjoyment of a fiction book, and the author did not disappoint.

The viewpoint character, Maple, builder of dollhouses, is sharp - quick to understand meanings in clues, and also more than a bit critical of people in general. She doesn’t appreciate small talk and can be blunt. This can be a problem in a small town. At first, I wasn’t sure I would like her. But, she won me over with her quick mind, desire to help, and loyalty to the people in her life.

Maple has a strong friend connection with Kenny, the young sheriff with whom she solved the mystery in the first novel. And together, they dive into solving this one. They look out for each other, bounce ideas off of each other, and support one another emotionally.

Naturally, Maple and Kenny do not solve this mystery single-handedly. There is a whole supporting cast of characters - other law enforcement and friends - who help out. Wonderfully, the author made me feel as if I knew all of these people.

The Plot

It’s always difficult to talk about a plot without revealing anything, so I’m just going to say that the mystery was intriguing, and solving it took us down unexpected paths with some surprising revelations. The story was well put together and flowed naturally. Well done!

The Writing

This author is a terrific writer! I never once wondered what she was trying to say. She easily paints pictures in words. I was completely immersed each time I picked up this book.

Will I read more of this author? Absolutely!

4.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC of the book!

This book was genuinely a great read. A cozy murder mystery, with just the right amount of somber feelings and wholesomeness. Totally gonna read the first one!

What I liked:
- Writing: Immersive, well written, and just the perfect amount of words. The emotional scenes, or the wholesome scenes were perfect. Nothing too much or too less.
- The plot: Well Researched and informative actually. I found myself getting curious at times by some of the facts. It was also tied up perfectly which was quite satisfying.
- Relatable: The parts where Maple gets annoyed, or when Kenny taunts her, or when Sheriff Sam gets grumpy were kinda funny. The humour was great.
- Length: It was short and great.
- The vibe between Kenny and Maple was sweet and funny. You can sense the camaraderie.
- The dialogues: Very real! The dialogues themselves were very expressive, it seemed to me that each character had been worked upon!

What I disliked:
- Other than the fact that it was a bit predictable, nothing.


Tl;dr: Well written, sweet length, great read if you’re looking for a short and curious read! Enjoyable!

This book is pretty much everything you could ask for in a murder mystery! I will say I think I correctly guessed the whodunnit of it all about 50% of the way through, which I was hoping I was wrong about. But I still found Maple a great protagonist and enjoyed being in her POV.

BOOKTOK REVIEW: https://www.tiktok.com/@lucy_readss/photo/7493707872430443822?lang=en

GOODREADS REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7491984337?type=review#rating_847856142

I really just don’t think cozy mysteries are for me. I need some scary suspense BEFORE the 80% mark. This was easy to fly through & I liked the dollhouse aspect, which was also the reason I requested this galley in the first place. Neat concept but really not very prominent.

I was interested in because of the connection to Francis Glessner Lee and the author's note at the end points out how some of the plot was inspired by her nutshells. I would have liked to see Maple do more with her nutshells or have it play a bigger part in this book. It took me a bit to warm to Maple but she got better as it went on, and I did like the other characters. Not as much mystery to this, as the suspects and possibilities are limited, but still a good read. I haven't read the first in the series and would like to, plus some alluded to plot points are mentioned here.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an hoese review. I really enjoyed this book, especially after I started, realized it was book 2, then went back and read book 1 - LOL. I like the relationship between Maple and the Sherriff. This was a nice relaxing read on a chilly day.

It's the late 1940's and Maple Bishop is living in a small town in Vermont.  Her husband died during WWII and now she is alone.  To earn extra money, Maple creates miniature houses that are very realistic and sells them at one of the local stores. In this case, a young firefighter dies when his house goes up in flames but it doesn't seem to be an accident. Maple uses her past training to help support the local police chief in solving crimes by mocking up miniature crime scenes.

It was a good idea for a story, but I found the pace slow, some parts a bit meandering, and overall, I didn't really catch on with the characters.  However, that may just be me. Other readers might love it. I will say that the cover of this book is beautiful.

"Murder in Miniature" by Katie Tietjen.

The story is set in post-World War II Vermont and follows Maple Bishop, a WWII widow and a dollhouse maker who becomes involved in solving a local murder by recreating the crime scene in miniature form. (How cool is that, and it's inspired by the real-life figure Frances Glessner Lee, known as the mother of forensic science)

The narrative combines elements of cozy mystery with historical fiction, offering readers an engaging and unique perspective on crime-solving through the art of miniatures.

If you are an Agatha Christie fan or you liked high potential, you'll enjoy this one. Also I didn't know this was the second book in a series when I requested this, but I could get along just fine, but I'm definitely reading the first one"Death in the Details," after this.

I feel this book and author is definitely going places so a 4⭐/5

I got an ARC in exchange for an honest review,all opinions are my own

This book was such a cozy surprise—with a dark little twist. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but Maple Bishop totally won me over. She builds dollhouses for a living (yes, really) but also helps the local sheriff’s office by recreating crime scenes in miniature. It sounds quirky, but it actually works so well in the story.

Set in post-WWII Vermont, the atmosphere is quiet and nostalgic, but there’s a simmering sadness under it all, especially with Maple still grieving her husband. The mystery kicks off when a cabin fire leaves someone dead, and the more Maple and Kenny dig, the more things stop adding up.

The miniature recreation angle is super creative—it’s like watching her piece together the truth inch by inch, literally. There’s a good mix of emotional depth, clever sleuthing, and just enough danger to keep things tense. I also loved the subtle chemistry between Maple and Kenny—nothing forced, just something there.

My only small complaint is that a couple parts slowed down more than I wanted, especially when it dipped into Maple’s past. But overall, it’s a really unique, heartfelt mystery with just the right amount of charm and grit. I’d totally read more in this series.

I really did not enjoy this book. I did not realize it was the second book and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first. I did not connect with any of the characters or the plot. The dollhouse component of the book was almost nonexistent and didn’t really play a role in anything.

Inspired by Frances Glessner Lee's miniature replicas of crime scenes, Maple Bishop finds herself replicating a real crime scene from her hometown. When a young firefighter's body is found amid the smoldering remains of his cabin, Maple feels obligated to solve the crime. Creating the miniatures in tiny size replicas is time consuming but very fulfilling as Maple solves the crime and learns something about her past. Very enjoyable. and I look forward to others in this series.

Mystery readers looking for something more than a cozy and less than hardcore police procedural will fully appreciate this offering from Katie Tietjen. With main character Maple based on the “mother of forensic science,” it would be hard to go astray. Maple will appeal to many readers, as her attention to detail in constructing her miniature dollhouses and in her approach to solving a gruesome murder is pretty brilliant. (I admit, though, the miniatures reminded me of the CSI Las Vegas story thread that featured a serial killer who made miniatures of their death scenes.) Maple is reminiscent of an American Maisie Dobbs, and fans of that series will certainly enjoy this one. There is also a fairly overt suggestion that Maple may have some sensory issues, which again will appeal to some readers as they are handled with sensitivity.

Overall, this is a solid mystery and a series I will definitely read again.,

A clean novel with a strong female character who has overcome loss and is finding success as a single widow. She is using her talents and quick mind to help the sheriff solve crimes and works well with others. I also like the book cover..

Book #2 of Maple Bishop's series:

You can read the second book as a standalone. I haven't read the first book as well but it wasn't difficult at all to get into the book.

Cozy mystery & a strong female lead: I really enjoyed reading it.

The characters are really well-written. Maple's character is just so unique & astounding. It's inspired by Frances Glessner Lee, a woman known as the mother of forensic science. Lee used to built extremely detailed miniatures of crime scenes that she used to help train police investigators across the country.

Even though some of the plot twists were easy to guess but it was really engaging. I wasn't bored at all while reading it.

I recognized the "burnt cabin" scenario at once and was interested to see what Tietjen would do with it. How she blended several narrative threads gave a nice complexity to a seemingly simple scene. I loved the way the dollhouses were used to consider several options. Th reading is smooth, like a cozy, but there's also a seriousness about the crime that cozies often lack. Well done.

Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for supplying this ARC for an honest review.

This was the first cozy mystery I’ve read in quite some time, and I’m so glad this one was my introduction back into the genre.

While a few twists were a bit predictable, I found myself fully engaged in the story and invested in Maple’s journey. The subplot involving her brother was also intriguing, and I’d love to see how that storyline develops in a potential third book.

This is the second installment in the Maple Bishop Mystery series. Although I haven’t read the first book yet, it was easy to jump into this one without feeling lost—though I’m definitely planning to read the first book now!

Tietjen’s writing in Murder in Miniature really highlights their storytelling talent, and they’ve created a cast of characters that I thoroughly enjoyed.

WWII widow, Maple Bishop's doll house business has expanded. She recreates murder scenes in miniature to help solve murders. She is now a consultant to the police in her small Vermont town. In this case a young firefighted has died in a cabin fire. There are questions, was it arson, murder, an accident. Her miniature reconstructions can help discover the truth.

Murder in Miniature, the second book in the Maple Bishop series, captivated me with its unique premise based on the real-life female investigator, Frances Glessner Lee, who helped develop forensic science. Maple Bishop, a widow in the small town of Elderberry, uses her dollhouses—“nutshells”—to recreate crime scenes and solve mysteries. In this book, she’s called to investigate a firefighter's death in a suspicious house fire.

Though this can be read as a standalone, I found myself diving into the first book out of curiosity, and it added depth to the characters. Maple’s role as a consultant to the local sheriff, along with her evolving friendship with Kenny, adds layers to the story. The pacing is quick in the beginning and end, keeping the mystery engaging, though the middle dragged a bit with some unnecessary stretches.

Despite a few predictable twists, the story kept me hooked. The clean, cozy mystery with hints of romance and forensics worked well, and the new characters introduced show promise for future books. The emotional depth, particularly in Maple’s personal journey, added richness to the narrative.

Overall, Murder in Miniature is a clever, enjoyable read, and I’ll definitely continue with the series.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Murder in Miniature! This classic whodunit mystery featured a strong female lead and a well-developed cast of secondary characters who enriched the story. While I could tell early on who the killer was—perhaps due to reading so many cozy mysteries—the journey was still highly enjoyable.

One of the standout aspects of this book was its historical setting. Taking place just after World War II, it offers a refreshing change from the more common contemporary or Victorian-era cozies. The post-war atmosphere adds depth to the mystery, particularly in how society was shifting and opportunities for women were evolving.

What truly made this novel special was that the main character was inspired by a real person—Frances Glessner Lee. Known as the “mother of forensic science,” Lee pioneered crime scene investigation with her intricate miniature crime scene dioramas, which helped train detectives in the art of solving murders. Tietjen does a fantastic job weaving elements of Lee’s groundbreaking work into the story, making it all the more compelling for readers who enjoy historical mysteries with real-life influences.

Overall, Murder in Miniature is a solid and engaging read, perfect for fans of historical cozies and strong female sleuths.