Series: A Bookbinding Mystery, #1
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Release Date: May 12, 2020
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★

Bookbinder Quinn finds herself in trouble when her ex’s fiance turns up dead and if she’s not careful, her days might be numbered in this debut series perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Eva Gates.

Quinn Victoria Caine is back in her quirky town of Vienna, Virginia, starting her new life as a bookbinder in her family-owned, charm-for-days bookshop, Prose & Scones. With her trusty German Shephard RBG-‘Ruff Barker’ Ginsburg by her side, what can go wrong? Okay, sure, bumping into her ex, Scott, or her former high school nemesis, Tricia, is a drag. It certainly doesn’t help they have acquired the new hobby of shoving their recent engagement in her face every chance they get. But that doesn’t mean Quinn wanted to find Tricia dead in the road. So why does half the town think she may have done it?

Quinn is determined to find Tricia’s killer, even if it means partnering with her cousin-turned-nun, Sister Daria, and Detective Aiden Harrington, her older brother’s too-movie-star-handsome-for-his-own good, best friend. They believe she’s innocent, but of course that doesn’t influence the police, who peg her as their prime suspect. Or, at least until she’s poisoned.

But there is no way Quinn is going to stop now. Vienna is her town and-for better or worse-Tricia was one of their own. Someone may have killed the mocking girl, but no one’s going to stop the notorious QVC.

Totally charming! TO KILL A MOCKING GIRL kicks off the new Bookbinding Mystery series by Harper Kincaid. Though it breaks one of my rules for cozy mysteries, I ended up really enjoying it. My rule is that the mystery needs to be the main focus of the book, and in Mocking Girl, the mystery got lost at times in the wonderful “other” stuff — intriguing characters and their entangled relationships. I felt like I got to know everyone on a personal level.

Every chapter begins with a quote, and I was so impressed with the choices!

“Most everything you think you know about me is nothing more than memories.” ― Haruki Murakami

So what’s the mystery? Main character Quinn Caine has returned to her hometown in Virginia to work in her family’s bookshop. She gets thrown into a police investigation when her “frenemy” from high school is murdered. Quinn’s sidekick in sleuthing is her quirky cousin Sister Daria, an Anglican nun in training. I enjoyed how the mystery wrapped up. Not what I was expecting! If you’re into cozies with lots of witty dialogue and fun pop culture references, then I’d recommend giving TO KILL A MOCKING GIRL a try.

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” ― Flannery O’Connor

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.