Karen B. (Jitterbug3) reviewed Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux's Dime Store, Bk 1) on + 198 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I really enjoyed this first book...I love her Scumble River series so not surprised. This story moves along really well...my only 'fear' is that the author will create the same lame and frustrating love life triangle that she does in the other series...you can see the set up already. Otherwise, great start to a new series!
LecClier K. (SierraK) -
Helpful Score: 4
"Little Shop of Homicide" is Denise Swanson's (author of the Scumble River mystery series) first installment in a new mystery series. This one is set in a small town in Missouri, and the main character runs an old-time five-and-dime store. The characters are likable and fun. I especially liked Devereaux's feisty grandmother.
The mystery in this story was well-done. However, I would have liked a bit more time spent on development of Devereaux's store, and a little less time spent on Devereaux's indecisiveness about her love life.
Fun book, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one in this series.
The mystery in this story was well-done. However, I would have liked a bit more time spent on development of Devereaux's store, and a little less time spent on Devereaux's indecisiveness about her love life.
Fun book, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one in this series.
Regina C. (flyinggems) reviewed Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux's Dime Store, Bk 1) on + 451 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is a new series by Denise Swanson. This new series is about a woman named Devereaux Sinclair. She buys the old Dime Store in her hometown of Shadow Bend, Missouri.
Meet Devereaux Sinclair. She just moved back to her hometown to take care of her grandmother. She purchased the old time five-and-dime store. She is just settling in when she is accused of murder. It is a small town and she is trying to fit back in and wants to keep things about the murder accusations quiet. She is going to need the help of good friends to clear her name. Her grandmother feels she will need more than her friends to help her, meet Jake, a US Marshall on injury leave.
I cant wait for the next book. I want to know which love direction Swanson is going to take Dev on.
This is a quick easy read and I look forward to the rest of the series. I hope that this series has just as many colorful characters as Swanson other series does.
Devereaux's Dime Store Mysteries
1. Little Shop of Homicide
2. Nickeled and Dimed to Death
Meet Devereaux Sinclair. She just moved back to her hometown to take care of her grandmother. She purchased the old time five-and-dime store. She is just settling in when she is accused of murder. It is a small town and she is trying to fit back in and wants to keep things about the murder accusations quiet. She is going to need the help of good friends to clear her name. Her grandmother feels she will need more than her friends to help her, meet Jake, a US Marshall on injury leave.
I cant wait for the next book. I want to know which love direction Swanson is going to take Dev on.
This is a quick easy read and I look forward to the rest of the series. I hope that this series has just as many colorful characters as Swanson other series does.
Devereaux's Dime Store Mysteries
1. Little Shop of Homicide
2. Nickeled and Dimed to Death
Cheryl C. (moondance120) reviewed Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux's Dime Store, Bk 1) on + 422 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Dev opens shop in her small hometown after a scandal with her former employer. She is the prime suspect in the murder of her former boyfriend's fiancee. A fiesty granny, two loyal friends and a hunky US Marshall help clear her name. 3.5 stars
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Helpful Score: 2
This first in the Devereaux's Dime Store series was a fun, easy read that I couldn't put down - finished it in one sitting.
The reader is introduced to Devereaux Sinclair who has had her fair share of troubles beginning with her father being arrested for a drunk driving homicide, her mother running off and leaving her in the care of her Grandmother Birdie, and finally her boss in the investment business being arrested for embezzlement.
Devereaux (Dev to her friends) buys the local dime store and sets up shop. Her ex-boyfriends fiancee is found murdered with items from one of Dev's gift baskets. The police immediately suspect her mostly because the officer in charge lost his retirement to her old boss and is holding a grudge.
With the help of her two best friends Poppy and Boone and the unexpected arrival of hunky Jake Del Vecchio a U.S. Marshall on leave due to injury, Dev sets out to clear her name.
The mystery was entertaining and the characters especially Grandma are funny and provide a few laugh out loud moments.
I have not read any of the Scumble River mysteries by this same author but will look into them. I thoroughly enjoyed this Dime Store mystery and am looking forward to the next installment.
The reader is introduced to Devereaux Sinclair who has had her fair share of troubles beginning with her father being arrested for a drunk driving homicide, her mother running off and leaving her in the care of her Grandmother Birdie, and finally her boss in the investment business being arrested for embezzlement.
Devereaux (Dev to her friends) buys the local dime store and sets up shop. Her ex-boyfriends fiancee is found murdered with items from one of Dev's gift baskets. The police immediately suspect her mostly because the officer in charge lost his retirement to her old boss and is holding a grudge.
With the help of her two best friends Poppy and Boone and the unexpected arrival of hunky Jake Del Vecchio a U.S. Marshall on leave due to injury, Dev sets out to clear her name.
The mystery was entertaining and the characters especially Grandma are funny and provide a few laugh out loud moments.
I have not read any of the Scumble River mysteries by this same author but will look into them. I thoroughly enjoyed this Dime Store mystery and am looking forward to the next installment.
Joy L. (vintagejoy) -
Helpful Score: 1
I pitched this book after reading 9 pages. If you are looking for a gentle cozy, this isn't it. Within these 9 pages we have sexual inuendos, a police officer who swears like a pirate, and the main character saying a very, very bad word. Not for me. 1/2 star.
Sandra (mycatscanread) -
Helpful Score: 1
Denise Swanson has branched out into another cozy subgenre with the first book in a new series debut called "Little Shop of Homicide (A Devereaux's Dime Store Mystery, Book 1)." I like her Scumble River series, but this is a fresh new series that I like just as well.
Devereaux Sinclair is a near-thirty woman who has bought the five and dime store that has been in her hometown for years, and two aged sisters owned it and sold it to her to keep the tradition of the store going. Dev is in her store making up gift baskets one morning, which she has added to the store's services, when a strange man enters the store rather aggressively and he turns out to be a detective. It seems that Dev'd old boyfriend's fiancee has been killed with some things from a gift basket that Dev make up for her and Joelle picked up at Dev's store. This detective is anxious to pin the murder on Devereaux.
Dev calls her two best friends to help her investigate the murder, and in the meantime just about the hottest deputy U.S. Marshal returns home to help his uncle with his farm and to recuperate from an on-the-job injury. He and Dev seem to have some chemistry, so Jake del Vecchio helps Dev to find the killer along with some cheerleading from Dev's grandma with whom she lives.
I found this book hard to put down and didn't guess the killer until the very end. There is humor in the book as well as some tight spots that Dev gets herself into in the process of investigating. I really like Dev, her friends and Jake, his uncle and Dev's grandmother.
If you like a good cozy and remember the days of the five and ten cent stores with soda fountains and milkshakes, book racks and lots of candy in a glass case, then you should enjoy this book. The second book in the series, "Nickled and Dimed to Death" is already out.
Devereaux Sinclair is a near-thirty woman who has bought the five and dime store that has been in her hometown for years, and two aged sisters owned it and sold it to her to keep the tradition of the store going. Dev is in her store making up gift baskets one morning, which she has added to the store's services, when a strange man enters the store rather aggressively and he turns out to be a detective. It seems that Dev'd old boyfriend's fiancee has been killed with some things from a gift basket that Dev make up for her and Joelle picked up at Dev's store. This detective is anxious to pin the murder on Devereaux.
Dev calls her two best friends to help her investigate the murder, and in the meantime just about the hottest deputy U.S. Marshal returns home to help his uncle with his farm and to recuperate from an on-the-job injury. He and Dev seem to have some chemistry, so Jake del Vecchio helps Dev to find the killer along with some cheerleading from Dev's grandma with whom she lives.
I found this book hard to put down and didn't guess the killer until the very end. There is humor in the book as well as some tight spots that Dev gets herself into in the process of investigating. I really like Dev, her friends and Jake, his uncle and Dev's grandmother.
If you like a good cozy and remember the days of the five and ten cent stores with soda fountains and milkshakes, book racks and lots of candy in a glass case, then you should enjoy this book. The second book in the series, "Nickled and Dimed to Death" is already out.
Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux's Dime Store, Bk 1) on + 705 more book reviews
Welcome to Devereauxs Dime Store and Gift Baskets complete with a 3 stool soda fountain and a glass candy case. The best thing Dev ever did was quit the rat race, move home and buy this store.
Today she is rethinking her big decision as Kansas City Detective Woods arrives before the store is even open to accuse her of murdering her ex-boyfriends fiancée Joelle Ayers. Just because some items from a gift basket she created were used as murder weapons didnt mean she had anything to do with the womans death and he surely doesnt have enough evidence to arrest her. He makes a few threats and leaves.
Panicked Dev gets her friends Poppy and Boone to help her investigate. Then, hunky Jake Del Vecchio, a U.S. Deputy Marshall in town recovering from an injury, enters the picture. Seems his uncle and Devs grandmother are old friends and he has been encouraged to help her clear her name. Only one problem, this guy Jake is hot, and Dev is finding it difficult to concentrate on finding the real killer. If she is not careful to keep her mind on the tasks at hand she may find herself doing time behind bars instead of behind the counter of her five-and-dime.
Dollycass Thoughts
I keep breaking my own rules. I used to say I couldnt give the first book in a new series 5 stars because it takes time for the characters to develop. However, I started this book and couldnt put it down. The characters, while new, grabbed my heart immediately. The romantic tension was fabulous, a new twist to the typical cozy and I think it is wonderful. Plus the small town setting and the dime store evoke memories of a store from my childhood, a place I adored and drank quite a few cherry cokes.
Denise Swanson has created a marvelous debut for this new series. The mystery is top-notch, with several twists of its own. She has taken a small risk adding a bit of spice to the romance and this reader absolutely loved it. These are characters I am invested in and I cant wait to tag along on their journeys. Bravo Sharon!!
Today she is rethinking her big decision as Kansas City Detective Woods arrives before the store is even open to accuse her of murdering her ex-boyfriends fiancée Joelle Ayers. Just because some items from a gift basket she created were used as murder weapons didnt mean she had anything to do with the womans death and he surely doesnt have enough evidence to arrest her. He makes a few threats and leaves.
Panicked Dev gets her friends Poppy and Boone to help her investigate. Then, hunky Jake Del Vecchio, a U.S. Deputy Marshall in town recovering from an injury, enters the picture. Seems his uncle and Devs grandmother are old friends and he has been encouraged to help her clear her name. Only one problem, this guy Jake is hot, and Dev is finding it difficult to concentrate on finding the real killer. If she is not careful to keep her mind on the tasks at hand she may find herself doing time behind bars instead of behind the counter of her five-and-dime.
Dollycass Thoughts
I keep breaking my own rules. I used to say I couldnt give the first book in a new series 5 stars because it takes time for the characters to develop. However, I started this book and couldnt put it down. The characters, while new, grabbed my heart immediately. The romantic tension was fabulous, a new twist to the typical cozy and I think it is wonderful. Plus the small town setting and the dime store evoke memories of a store from my childhood, a place I adored and drank quite a few cherry cokes.
Denise Swanson has created a marvelous debut for this new series. The mystery is top-notch, with several twists of its own. She has taken a small risk adding a bit of spice to the romance and this reader absolutely loved it. These are characters I am invested in and I cant wait to tag along on their journeys. Bravo Sharon!!
Tim H. (Timbuktu126) reviewed Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux's Dime Store, Bk 1) on + 479 more book reviews
Although I did like this book, I didn't like it as much as Swanson's other (Scumble River) series. The mystery was good and I didn't guess the identity of the killer, which is always good. However, there were a bit too many parts of "sexual tension" between Dev and Jake that I think could have been omitted.
Louise H. (snowie) reviewed Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux's Dime Store, Bk 1) on + 27 more book reviews
Interesting story line. I was hesitant in reading this series but I like Denise Swanson's "Scumble River" series so thought I would give it a try.
Vinita T. (nitaj) reviewed Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux's Dime Store, Bk 1) on + 8 more book reviews
This is a new series from an author I have enjoyed very much. This one promises to be as good as the Scumble River series. I am looking forward to more.
Sandra C. (shinypenny) -
I really liked this new series. The people in it were very real and the story was very fast paced.
