Publisher's Weekly Review
Shady Creek, Vt., is the latest stop for the Trueheart Renaissance Faire and Circus in Fox's charming fourth Literary Pub mystery (after 2020's The Malt in Our Stars). Pretending to step back in time is only part of the attraction, and pub owner Sadie Coleman is eager to see the circus. Initially, Sadie can't get admission for the main attraction, illusionist Ozzie Stone, until one evening he walks into her pub and they discover they both grew up in Knoxville, Tenn., and he offers her a pair of tickets. Later, at the performance, Ozzie drops dead on stage, and the results of a toxicology test show he was poisoned. Sadie soon realizes Ozzie was not well-liked by his fellow performers, including a juggler and a soothsayer, among a plethora of potential suspects. When the detective investigating the case focuses on Sadie's employee Damien Keys, who made a mysterious visit to the faire, she and her boyfriend, craft brewery owner Grayson Blake, set out to exonerate Damien. The tension rises with a second death. Cozy fans will find plenty to like. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Dec.)
Kirkus Review
A traveling fair brings murder to a little Vermont town. When the Trueheart Renaissance Faire and Circus pitches its tents in Shady Creek, it's hard to tell who's most excited. Nine-year-old Kiandra Williams marvels at the jugglers, soothsayers, and magicians in their colorful costumes. Her mother, Shontelle, is surprised and excited to reconnect with her old college buddy Rachael, the fair's manager. Shontelle's best friend, Sadie Coleman, is happy not only to see the exotic actors strolling about her newly adopted hometown, but to host them at her pub, the Inkwell, where she serves treats like Paradise Lox and Red Cabbage of Courage salad. Sadie even manages to score two hard-to-get tickets to Ozzie Stone's magic show. But the show ends on a sour note: Ozzie collapses and is taken to the hospital, where he dies. When Detective Marquez arrests Damien, one of Sadie's servers, for the murder, Sadie vows to find the real culprit. Ozzie's assistant, Collette, has a history with the magician. So does Minerva the Mysterious, the fair's fortuneteller. Sadie's boyfriend, Grayson, warns her that sleuthing can be dangerous, and Detective Marquez advises her to leave the investigation to the professionals. Like cozy heroines everywhere, however, Sadie persists even as the bodies pile up and the threats to her safety become more personal. A prototypical shopkeeper cozy, right down to the pun-filled recipes at the end. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
