Liz
McCall and her father Hank run a vintage toyshop in East Aurora,
New York. This wasn't part of Liz's life plan, but it is her
father's dream and after he was shot and retired from his
job as police chief, he needs his daughter's assistance.
There
is a train and toy show in town, and Liz's ex-nemesis from
grade school sets up his comic book booth right next to Liz
and Hank's booth. Craig McFadden is still a bully, but not
for long; he's dead before the event is half over, and although
it appeared to be an accidental fall, we soon learn he was
murdered. There are plenty of motives and suspects, but this
isn't going to be an easy case to solve. After solving a previous
murder, Liz has the sleuthing bug and sets out to work on
the case. Naturally, her father can't stay out of the hunt
for a killer, either.
There
were some fascinating tidbits about vintage toys and I was
soon recalling my own childhood favorites. The small town
characters are believable as who you'd find in any small town,
but with enough personality quirks to keep things interesting.
The storylines
are well plotted and I was never sure who was actually guilty
of what until the author spelled things out. I like that in
a mystery! I get frustrated when I can solve things easily
early on in a book.
With
two men vying for Liz's affections, there is a romantic triangle
Although nothing may come of either relationship, it is fun
to watch and read about Ken and Jack, and you never know things
may still change in the next book.
A really
good read, I recommend it for all ages of mystery lovers.
Hank's puns were often a riot and I found myself laughing
out loud on several occasions.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Murder
on the Toy Town Express #2
Death
of a Russian Doll #3
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