A Sprinkling of Murder

What fun! A Sprinkling of Murder, the first entry in Daryl Wood Barber's Fairy Garden Mystery series, is a delightful visit to Carmel, California where I experienced the hobby of creating fairy gardens and a world of real fairies on one hand, and the harsh reality of murder on the other. When Courtney's personal fairy alerts her to trouble at the shop, she discovers the body of her business neighbor. She naturally becomes a suspect. After years of living with a cop for a father, the young business woman can't resist trying to discover why Mick was in her shop and who killed him. A neighborhood of wonderful friends opens to a surprising number of suspicious actions that lead to a complex and intriguing search to find the villain. I had been drooling over A Sprinkling of Murder from author Daryl Wood Gerber so I was extremely delight to win a copy during a Facebook party on Joanna Campbell Slan's group page. It was as good as I expected it to be. I LOVED IT! I look forward to continuing with this series and with her world of awesome characters.

A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber is the debut of A Fairy Garden Mystery series. Courtney Kelly owns Open Your Imagination, a fairy garden and tea shop, in Carmel-by-the-Sea. She has a sweet cat named Pixie who comes to work with her. Open Your Imagination has its own resident fairy named Fiona. Only those who truly believe can see her. Courtney is awakened during the night by Fiona about danger at the shop. She arrives to find Mick Watkins, owner of Wizard of Paws, dead by the fountain on her patio. Detective Dylan Summers considers Courtney a person of interest since her alibi of being online in the Fairy Garden Girls Dig It chat room cannot be confirmed. Courtney, with help from Fiona and a few friends, digs into the case to prove her innocence and find the guilty party. A Sprinkling of Murder is an enchanting cozy mystery. I thought the story was well-written with delightful characters. I enjoyed the descriptions of Carmel-by-the-Sea with the cute cottages and variety of shops. It really is a fairy tale town and perfect for a shop featuring fairy gardens. I liked that this series has the unique concept of fairy gardens. I just loved the vivid descriptions of these diminutive, creative creations and cannot wait to create one in my front yard. Courtney Kelly is a friendly character with a rich imagination and a green thumb. She is also smart and determined. Courtney is a good sleuth because she pays attention to details and is good at deduction. She comes up with some good theories regarding the crime. Her cat, Pixie is a adorable, but my favorite character is Fiona, a righteous fairy. Fiona is one spunky fairy who adds humor and whimsy to the story with her antics. I hope we learn more about fairies and their world in future books. The mystery was well thought out with a variety of suspects. Courtney asked good questions and kept Detective Summers in the loop (though he did not appreciate her theorizing). I enjoyed reading A sprinkling of Murder and I am looking forward to devouring future books in A Fairy Garden Mystery series. There are recipes at the end including one for the caramel blondies featured in the story (there is a gluten free recipe too). A Sprinkling of Murder is a whimsical cozy mystery with a fierce fairy, a cute cat, fun fairy gardens, a murdered Mick, a defensive dad, and a prying planter.