This is a historical cosy mystery. I found it just okay. I didn't really engage with the characters this may be because I have not read the first book in the series. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow at first, but I got hooked! There were so many twists that I never expected to come! The idea of building miniatures to solve crimes is just, chef's kiss! I do think that a few of the characters in this book were just fluffer. However, each and every one of them were so fun, with all of their different personalities.

The ending, I would have never seen coming! It was so crazy how one thing lead to another!

I would absolutely reccomend this book, and share this with my friends!

Murder in Miniature is a lovely second intallment in Katie Tietjen's Maple Bishop series -- I'd definitely recommend it to fans of cozy historical mystery authors like Rhys Bowen and Anna Lee Huber. I hope this series will be equally long-running, and I look forward to future installments.

This book stands strong even if you haven’t read the first in the series. Maple Bishop is a fascinating character, and her ties to real-life forensic science pioneer Frances Glessner Lee add depth. Fans of atmospheric mysteries will definitely enjoy this one!

This was a fun read with several fun and interesting twists. I will definitely read more from this author. It wasn't complex so it was an easy and light-hearted read.

This was a good book with an interesting storyline, however I didn't connect to it as much as I thought I would. Although this may have been due to the fact that it was a book which was a part of a series and I had not realised this at the time of requesting it! Having said this, the style of writing was really engaging, and the protagonist, Maple Bishop, was likeable and I liked the way she was characterised a lot. But as I've said, on the fault of me, I probably would have connected with her and the story more had I read the first book in the series!

The second installment in the Maple Bishop historical mysteries is set in Vermont not long after the first world war. I have not read the first book, so several references in this book meant nothing to me and probably it is best to read the first book in the series, to have this foreknowledge and as an introduction to Maple, who is complex.

Maple is an amateur sleuth in a small town that seems to have its far share of murders. She is based on Frances Glessner Lee, who also built extremely detailed miniatures, called nutshells, in the cause of forensic science. Offering readers an introduction to the art of miniatures used in crime solving....of which I didn't know even existed, "Murder in Miniature" is a cozy mystery with historical fiction built it. Touching on racial tensions of the era, Detective Francis is based on a task force officer of the time, and showed how successful they were against the odds of discrimination by race. Katie's Tietjen also incorporates the Boston mob underworld for a dark element in the gruesome death of Daniel.
I especially enjoyed the link back to Maple's brother and the tying up of lose ends of his death years before, as well as opening of a whole new family dynamic, that may make Maple a happier person. I found her irritating, but I guess her pedantic nature helps her get results in the murder solving game.
I wasn't suprised at all by the culprit. And found the last chapter weird and not necessary, but again sets Maple up for stories ahead where she has an eagle eye view of the world.
A nice mix of history, intrigue and action. Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Katie Tietjen for my copy.

|:: Murder In miniature
By Katie Tietjen
Chapter 18 Page 117
4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

{ A light snow was falling as they made their way back to the car. “I'll drive.”
Kenny beckoned for Maple to hand him the keys, which she did.
“First snow of the season.”
He used the arm of his coat to brush the dusting of snow off their windshield. Maple slid into the passenger seat, her mind spinning with everything she’d just learned. She shivered and pulled her coat tighter around herself.
Kenny hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. He rubbed his hands together to warm them.
“Why don't you have gloves?” Maple asked.
Kenny gave her a look.
“That's what you're worried about right now?” }

Maple has been through a whole new change in her life in a previous book i never had a chance to read before this one, but it didn't take anything away from me being able to read this one first, we are treated to regular background easter eggs throughout the story and it was so lovely to see a good, wholesome book around friends who come family and family who become strangers.

There were so many twists and turns in this masterpiece that I found it hard not to be impressed with the creativity of it all.

Maple was a delight to follow and learn about, I also loved Kenny, I feel like every girl needs a Kenny in their life. The Chief, I had to warm up to him, but Maple's brother, the whole events surrounding it, made me cry. First with sadness and then sheer joy. I really hope there is a next one. I am dying to see what mischief Maple can come up with next.

I found this beautiful little story rather enchanting. I know there is a new boom around miniature-making these days, so incorporating it into a murder story was pretty impressive. Even more so when I learned the book is actually based on a real-life person!

A huge thank you to Katie Tietjen, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback. ::|

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

This book was a cozy murder mystery, just a bit predictable but thoroughly enjoyable!
The writing style was immersive, relatable, with real character dialogue, and you can feel the camaraderie between Maple and the Sheriff.

I read book 1 right before diving into book 2 and while I'm glad that I read both, I don't think it's necessary to read book 1 before getting into this one.

I really enjoyed the FMC, Maple Bishop, and I enjoyed her even more after finding out that she's based on a real woman named Frances Glessner Lee. I'll be honest, I haven't done research yet on Frances but this book definitely inspired a desire to learn more about her. We learn a little bit about her from this book and learn a bit about her strong contribution to forensic science.

Maple Bishop, was an interesting character. I thought she was strongly written, compelling, and intelligent. The sleuthing and time period of this book and book 1 were both very satisfying to me. It felt atmospheric and I was really able to immerse myself in the story. I'm not sure if this is only meant to be a duology or if more books are coming, but if this series is going to continue, I'll definitely keep reading.

I think if you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes, this story might resonate with you. It had similar vibes in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I would highly recommend this book. There is a murder mystery involved with a fire.. Maple is consulting with the sheriff to figure out what happened.

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