Olivia Blacke – Carol's Notebook

Rhythm and Clues by Olivia Blacke

February 16, 2024April 10, 2024 by Carol1 Comment

Rhythm and Clues is the third Record Shop Mystery, featuring sisters Tansey, Maggie, and Juni, owners of Sip and Spin Records, a coffee and record shop in a small town near Austin, Texas. The shop is barely making a profit, but the sisters have been approached by a potential investor. The investor, Zach, and his partner invite Juni and Beau, a local cop to a hockey game, but later that night, Zach is killed during a major storm, found dead in a car that wrecked outside of the record shop. Juni, of course, can't help getting involved in the case. I enjoy spending time with Juni and her sisters. They each have their own personalities and they work together well. The setup worked well. The storm flooded parts of town, made some roads impassable, and knocked out the power. The killer is stuck in town. Juni has several suspects, with clues that point in different directions. The plot flows well and...

A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke

September 15, 2023September 15, 2023 by Carol1 Comment

This second Record Shop Mystery is a fun, breezy, cozy mystery read. In the first book, we met Juni and her sister, Maggie and Tansy who have opened a record album/ coffee chop is Cedar River, Texas. This time around the mayor has been murdered and of course the Jessup sisters are in the thick of it. Tansy is the one who brewed the coffee that killed him and Juni is the one who discovered the body. I like the sisters. They support each other, but can also be a bit snarky. Their family and friends are well-developed too. And of course, we get a couple of cute animals, including a cow. The mystery itself is good. I did guess who the killer was, but there were plenty of red herrings for distraction. The treasure hunt side plot was a nice addition....

Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke

August 14, 2023August 14, 2023 by Carol1 Comment

Vinyl Resting Place is the first in the Record Shop Mysteries. It's always nice to catch a new series at the beginning. Juni Jessup and her sisters, Tansy and Maggie, open Sip & Spin Records in Cedar River, Texas where they sell vinyl records and coffee. While the sisters are cleaning up after their grand opening party, Juni opens the supply to find a dead woman. The woman is murdered and the sisters' uncle, who is also their silent partner, seems to be the main suspect. Juni is a fun character, smart and a bit quirky. She's just moved back to town and is catching up with old friends and new gossip. Her sisters are good sidekicks. Her ex-boyfriend, Beau Russel, is investigating the case, leading to several awkward encounters. I'm not a fan of Beau. We're told he's a good guy, but he seems manipulative, bossy and underestimates Juni. He's romantic interest #1. We also have romantic interest #2, Teddy,...