Running from Scissors

3/5

Short review:
Some parts work for me with the charm of cozy mystery. Some, however, just 'meh'. It picked up the suspense towards the end, but the revelation was just. too. damn. slow.

Lacy, a 40-something divorcee, took up running as a hoby and soon got tangled in a murder mystery. Accompanied by Stax, her old friend, and Ruby, her new friend (who also a writer), she tried to solve the mystery and maybe not getting killed while solving it.

Running From Scissor has a clever title, clever women (huzza for the Lacy-Stax-Ruby trio), and a cozy vibe. I dislike how Ruby dragged her explanations of whodunit. It was like watching a screenplay of 1985 Clue, but in a bad way.

An intelligent cozy mystery. Lots of red herrings scattered around, and good fun too. These small towns in America amaze me with the variety of people who live in them and the shops they contain.

A good story well told.

Wonderful Cozy Who Dunnit
This is the first book written by this author that I have read. I won't be the last! This is a modern and cozy version of a classic Who Dunnit. There are plenty of suspects and motives. The final reveal is better than any Perry Mason. I will be looking for more of this author's work. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.

Hoping this author has written more! Stories containing running, and murder are usually not my type of thing, but the blurb pulled me in, and I enjoyed the book tremendously! Lacy is pretty new to town, and befriends the town's oddballs. When a local is murdered with a pair of scissors, together they attempt to solve the murder. Throw in a few unexpected plot twists, and a dishy detective, and you've got yourself a humourous detective story which definitely deserves to make the cut.

It was a quick read that I honestly enjoyed! The only thing I had actual problems with is the occasional mixture of present and past tense. That was irritating, but not so frequent that it would take away from the enjoyment and appreciating of the novel.

This book is a healthy mixture of a classic crime story's slow flow and modern fiction's easy going. The author took the recipe of those clever stories of simple times, of mysteries of the Golden Age, and put it all in a modern small town setting. At first I thought this is a weird concept but it worked so good! As a huge fan of those classics, I was certainly pleased with the way this story was written. The unfolding of the mystery, the happenings, the long revealing towards the ending, the atmosphere, everything felt a bit like in an old British suspense, yet it didn't feel off for being set in today's America. It was about thinking and being smart, like in the old days when there was time for things like this. I found it great!

I loved the characters! I have to admit I'm far from a runner (in fact that is probably the only kind of movement that I would NEVER EVER be persuaded to do...and believe me, that's something. I'm quite lazy when it comes to not-mental work), and I thought I wouldn't be able to appreciate all this 'runner society' in this book, but I found myself falling in love with all these quirky characters, and I could relate way more than I thought I would. I loved the main character, Lacy, her friend Stax, and don't get me started on the old lady who's kind of a mixture of Miss Marple and her creator, Agatha Christie! The others were great as well, even those that we didn't get to see a lot were ones that I thought I would want to know more about.

I know objectively this book is probably not a full 5-star one (though since it's a debut fiction novel, and only the first of a series, I'm sure this can change in the future), but hey, I felt like it was! I found myself intrigued and invested. So... 4.5 stars from me!

Started reading this book last night and finished it today. Loved the characters and plot, together with the references to the classic crime writing style of authors like Agatha Christie.

The style of writing is unusual, we meet Lacy Purdy six months after she has moved to a small town and are quickly introduced to her friends Stax and Ruby Maplethorpe. Although they work as a team to solve the crime, Lacy almost takes on a 'Dr Watson' style role, recounting what happens as they go along.

Possibly the only (slight) niggle is that the story ends very suddenly.

Very enjoyable.

What a charming cozy mystery! The story starts on a slow note, with Lacy reminiscing her past (the life before her husband divorced her) and her new-found love - running. The story picks up pace when Marlene, a fellow runner, disappears in the middle of a run. Marlene is pretty 'famous' and is well-known for her tiff with Lacy. So when Marlene disappears, Lacy suspects foul play.


Stax aka Juanita is Lacy's best friend. Ruby is a senior citizen who used to write novels - Inspector Butterwell mysteries - under the pseudonym Pearl Oakley. Ruby reminded me of Miss Marple. Nosy but smart and intelligent old lady. There was also a slight tinge of Poirot hidden somewhere in Ruby - she knows the identity of the perp but chooses to reveal it all in the very end! In the end, like Lacy, even I was curious to know the identity of the perp and I just wanted Ruby to hurry up with her explanations!


Marlene, as a victim and probably a perp in her earlier days, played a good role in the story. Her dark past chose to haunt her years later and finally killed her. I really liked Stax - the woman does have a funny/quirky side in her! And finally, Lacy - a murder suspect to solving the mystery (almost), I liked her too. Detective Bentley and Lacy - woohoo! That was something! A slight tinge of romance brewing in the deep corner of Lacy's heart... or was it Bentley's heart?


Scissors as a murder weapon and a tool for blackmail was a brilliant idea. Hats off to the author for that. The trio - Stax, Lacy, and Ruby make a wonderful team. Their meetings and not to forget Ruby's delicious recipes was like a cozy detective club in the making!


The author's writing style is unique, and although I took some time to get used to the writing (especially the use of brackets to describe an emotion or a plot), I must say that I liked it.

The ending was pretty good and unexpected. The perp was in the suspects' list so that was a tad bit disappointing. I wanted the perp to be someone who was not on the list - someone who was too good to be a criminal! But this doesn't change my opinion in any way. Running with Scissors is one of the best stories that I have read. Unique and engaging Cozy mystery with an even unique murder weapon.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Delightful, character driven mystery which made for a good, relaxing and easy read. The plot is clever, it's nicely written and characters are credible. A small town feel for a clever whodunit. Recommended for those who enjoy a brightly written mystery with some strong characterisation.

Running From Scissors (A Running Store Mystery #1) by T.C. Westcott

How could I possibly pass up this Advanced Reader’s Copy with my blog name, Blunt Scissors Book Reviews, and my Instagram handle, @thatgirlrunswithbluntscissors ?

I’m also a runner so a murder mystery that takes place in running group based out of a local running store was really appealing. Add to that, Staxx, the best friend of the protagonist, Lacy, owns a local bookstore that she and her brother inherited from their parents.

Scissors – check
Running – check
Books – check
I’m in!

Lacy, recently divorced, starts her life over in a small Oklahoma town. As part of her fresh start she takes up running. Her local running store hosts group runs on the weekends as well as during the week for all levels of runners.

There are the usual group dynamics that are a part of any group including the queen bee and her friends. Marlene is not well liked outside her own little group of friends and even that is a bit questionable. Lacy has made her dislike of Marlene quite clear but remains a part of the group.

Someone starts sending Marlene messages in the form of barber scissors; most notably a pair stabbed in her car tire. This is obviously troubling to Marlene and but life continues on.

Then on a long trail race, Marlene never crosses the finish line.

The whodunit commences here with a cast of characters from the running group and store all being examined for their motives.

Ruby, one of the group’s older and slower runners, was a best-selling mystery author in her former life. She still has her mystery solving skills and ropes Lacy and Staxx and running a parallel investigation to the police investigation.

From there, suspects are brought up, then eliminated, and brought back again once Marlene’s body is found and this missing person investigation intensifies into a murder investigation.

This was my first exposure to the “modern cozy mystery”. If you’re unfamiliar with the genre, it’s basically a murder mystery without the gory details of violence and mystery solving using detective skills rather than the latest and greatest forensic testing.

Ruby added an Agatha Christie flair to the plot which I enjoyed immensely as a life long Christie reader.

This was a quick read with quirky characters in a quirky town. It was a nice change of pace after reading several sad and/or intense books.

What I enjoyed about the book: the return to the cozy crime fighting methods. It was executed well in this book and Ruby was a wonderful character to bridge the gap between the old style and the more modern style of the genre.

What I enjoyed less about this book: this is small because a character is who they are but Staxx, a character intended to be a bit over the top and rough around the edges, irritated me at times. This is small in the grand scheme of things but I did find myself skipping some of her dialogue toward the end because I already knew that whatever she would be saying would be grating to me.

Who would enjoy this book? Anyone who loves running (or not), appreciates the quirks of runners, and like the cozy mystery genre. An Agatha Christie fan would be at the top of my list of someone to recommend this book to.

This was a quick and fun read and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy that I received for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book. The characters, the plot, the writing...everything clicked! I can not wait for the next book in the series and I highly recommend this book!

Enjoyable, quirky cosy murder mystery with a running theme. If this is intended as a series it has promise as there are a few interesting characters but they need room to develop.

I have seen quite a few interesting reviews of this book and I actually picked it up before I read any of this on its own merit. The blurb, the cover and the title are interesting enough and it is always a pleasure to start a new series. In this story, we are introduced to the newest residence of the town in question. The entire town seems to have an abundance of people who like running as a form of exercise and pleasure. This is the focus since all the key characters either bond or have bonded with this shared love. Even the enemies of the piece revolve in the same universe. We have the basic formula of a mean lady who thrives off her feeling of superiority and our main lady Lacy. When the former goes missing and danger is suspected, Lacy thinks she might be held responsible. Her friend Stax and new friend Ruby decide to take a very serious approach to cracking the case. The rest of the tale is how they work it out. There is a bit of humour, a lot of camaraderie and no loose thread left unexplained. It is a pretty solid base to build up a series on and the people are very relatable and/or interesting. I look forward to the next book of the series.

Running from Scissors by T. C. Wescott, a first book in A Running Store Mystery series is a gripping and absorbing tale.

It takes readers deep into the world of running, teaching us of inns and outs of this sport. I never knew it was so complex and how many factors feature in it.

Lacy loves her new town, after her crushing divorce, she loves her running community and her new friends, but she doesn't like Marlene, a fellow runner who is unexplainably mean to her. But when Marlene disappears during a train run, Lacy is the one who literally runs into her dead body.
Lacy is by pure chance joined by a former famous mystery writer and her best friend in solving this puzzle.

I loved that mystery writer gets to solve real life mysteries and how quirky she is.
Situations were realistically presented, amateur sleuths behaved according and there were many scary moments, I liked easy banter between main character and the handsome detective.
Even though I particularly enjoy British style mystery where everyone meets for a killer to be revealed I found in this case it dragged on for a unnecessarily long time and it got quite confusing to follow after some time.

Lacy joins a running club to make new friends in Cedar Mill after her divorce. Why not she likes running. When a member of the running group goes missing Stax and Ruby, Lacy's new best friends, set out to solve the mystery of their missing running mate. I like this book because I like the running group scenario. T.C. author 'Running from Scissors' found a quirky set of characters and made them strange buddies. This book is written with humor. It portrays a running group in a believable way. 'Running from Scissors' is a fun cozy mystery and you will never believe who did it.

Divorcee Lacy Purdy loves her new town of Cedar Mill, Oklahoma and her running group and the local running store, Run For It. But Lacy can't stand Marlene, her group's run leader. Marlene is being tormented by an unknown stalker who leaves behind barber scissors that remind her of the unsolved murder of a young woman at a hair salon she had owned. When Marlene mysteriously disappears in the middle of a trail run, Lacy suspects foul play. With the help of elderly runner Ruby Maplethorpe, who befriends Lacy and her feisty friend Stax, Lacy tries to figure out how Marlene vanished. Ruby uses her investigative skills as classic mystery novelist Pearl Oakley to sort through the various clues and suspects.

This was a fun cozy read and the first book in the Running Store mystery series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Better Mousetrap Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

A great cosy thriller with victims being murdered by a scissor obsessed serial killer....The characters are cute, wacky, vicious, jealous, funny, and bitchy with a fantastic leader of the 'sleuth troup' in retired crime writer Ruby.If you want a light hearted, read with a bit of an edge, this is one for you.

As a runner and cozy mystery lover, I very much enjoyed this book. So many cozy mysteries are set in libraries and bookstores, both of which I obviously love, but running is my other passion, so I was so excited that one of the main settings for this was a running store! I spend a lot of time in my local running store, so I could really picture Run For It. I felt like Lacy was relatable and the story was well done, and I'm hopeful that there will be many more entries in this series.

Running from Scissors is one of the first 'cozy mysteries' I've read, and I really enjoyed the vibe.

I definitely found myself captivated by the mystery aspect of the story; I would be annoyed at the protagonist for not being more suspicious of certain characters, and really felt as though for a time I my world was this small town. The story also does a wonderful job of making you feel simultaneously like you already are a runner in this running club and making you long for the running lifestyle —complete with running club gossip, race day jitters, and sports clothes shopping.

My favourite line is this one: "but melancholy is like a spoiled child —sometimes the only way to get it to go away is so humor it a while."