Model Suspect
Book One of the Backyard Model Mysteries
by TK Sheffield
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Pub Date Nov 14 2023 | Archive Date Feb 01 2024
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Description
Penny-pinching fashionista Melanie Tower is done with the drama of New York City and returns to her Wisconsin hometown to open a craft mall--but is the drama done with her? At the start of the holiday season--her jewelers', bakers', and crafters' busiest time--a social media influencer is found dead in Mel's mall, pinned under a vintage door.
Mel immediately becomes a suspect in the holiday mystery. The victim had been committing a crafty crime. She'd been recruiting Mel's customers to open a competing store!
Her life becomes twisted as macramé. To find the killer "poser" and prove her innocence, she must attend a week of holiday parties in her quaint village, a town that resembles the Cotswolds. Mel embraces her inner Midwesterner while polka-ing at the Cheese Ball, judging entries in the Devils vs. Angels bake-off, and staring in a wacky reader's theater event at Midwinter's Night at the Library.
Model Suspect is The Devil Wears Prada meets a Wisconsin supper club. It's a Midwest whodunnit, a holiday cozy, a humorous small-town mystery served with a brandy old-fashioned sweet and a side of cheese curds.
Includes a recipe for holiday shortbread cookies.
No foul language, sex, or graphic violence.
Advance Praise
"TK Sheffield’s first person narration from main character Mel Tower reveals a mixture of Midwest charm meets gritty New York cab driver. She’s been burned and fears commitment, but under the surface lives a kind-hearted animal lover looking for contentment and purpose. Readers will laugh out loud as they try to keep up with Mel’s witty comebacks, Cousin Lou’s wild antics, and amusing Dairyland customs. When the snowflakes settle, you’ll be ready to come home to Cinnamon in the next Backyard Model mystery. ~Author Joy Ribar, Deep Lake Cozy mysteries
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1021236
I really enjoyed this Midwest mystery. It's a funny, light read, and I appreciated that it's "clean," or free from vulgarities and violence. I look forward to the next book in the series!
Sue Em D, Reviewer
With her life as a model behind her, Melanie Tower returns home to Wisconsin to open an arts/crafts mall. One of her vendors is found dead and Mel tries to help solve the murder. For more than half the book , I didn't warm up to her character at all. Perhaps that was intentional by the author, but it kept me from engaging fully with the book. The event after event she attended as Cheese Queen were over the top and confusing. However, the last third of the book drew me in and I ended up enjoying it.
Kathryn M, Reviewer
This worked as a great mystery novel, I enjoyed the idea of a model and mystery being combined. It does a great job in introducing me to this world and the characters within. I was invested in the story overall and wanted to solve what was going on with this story. TK Sheffield has a great writing style and that the characters worked in this universe. I can’t wait to read more in this series.
Kerry J, Reviewer
I received a free digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
It was the pretty watercolour cover art, showing an elegant woman in red, that sold me on this cosy mystery. It takes place over the Christmas holidays in a small town. As I grew familiar with all the personalities that mill about in this story, I felt like I lived there too, and I was excited to rush about attending all the holiday gatherings alongside the protagonist. The main character was artfully defined and nothing was missing. I could see the parts of her life where she was an active participant and the parts where she was ineffective and possibly indifferent. The only thing that bothered me about this book was that the falling action was incredibly brief. I wanted to see the fallout from the resolution. The ending suggests a sequel and I would read it.
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