Down in Flames

Down in Flames is the sixth installment in A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery series. While it can be read alone, I would recommend reading the series in order. It will allow you to know the characters and their relationships (cast of characters at end of book). Savannah has her hands full in Down in Flames with Nicole’s death, the new flameworking class, Amanda’s mother has been admitted to hospice so she is working part-time, Jacob has a setback after witnessing the hit-and-run that killed Nicole which leaves no one to run Webb’s Studio, Best Burger in the Burg competition and she is being pressured to set a wedding date. Savannah is a delightful protagonist. She is a well-developed character who is friendly, outgoing, and relatable. Edward Morris, Savannah’s fiancé, is the perfect mate for her. He is understanding and dives into the investigation’s with Savannah (he knows there is no stopping her). Amanda Blake is going through a rough time. Her mother, Viola, is in hospice so she knows her days are limited and wants to spend as much time with her as possible. Jacob is a high functioning autistic eighteen year old who has a support dog, Suzy. The Rosenberg twins are always a delight. I especially liked that we got to see more of Officer Joy Williams and Detective Parker. The police moving into their new HQ provided several humorous moments. I had to chuckle at Detective Parker’s office situation. I had to agree with Detective Parker when he said the following about Savannah conducting an investigation “sometimes she lets her enthusiasm overcome good sense.” I like how the author dealt with sensitive and timely topics (prejudice against LGBTQIA for example). The mystery takes a little bit of time to get started, but I did find it interesting as it delved into the graffiti community in St. Petersburg. There are a variety of suspects plus a red herring or two. I wish, though, it had been more of a challenge to identify the guilty party. I live near St. Petersburg, which is the setting for this series, so I particularly enjoyed the local color. It mentions area businesses (like Haslam’s), streets and sights. The author described flameworking in an easy to understand fashion. I enjoyed learning more about it (it has me exploring classes in my area). I did tire of the repetition of certain information (Edward is Savannah’s fiance and case details are two examples). There were a couple of unanswered questions at the end which I found frustrating. However, those points did not detract from me having a pleasurable reading experience. Down in Flames has manslaughter, mischief and mayhem wrapped up in one charming cozy mystery.

I enjoy this series about Savannah Webb, can't wait for the next story in this series.