Hammers and Homicide: A Hometown Hardware Mystery

In this breezy debut, Charles introduces Dawna Carpenter, a widow in her 60s who has taken over her family hardware business in downtown Pine Bluff, Ore., population 1,200. Pine Bluff is abuzz with gossip about Warren Highcastle, a real estate entrepreneur and ladies’ man who has recently rolled into town to make an offer on its long-vacant opera house. Not long after Dawna witnesses a heated discussion between Highcastle and a local real estate agent, she finds the developer dead in the bathroom of her shop, done in by a hammer blow to the head. Aided by her youngest daughter, April, Dawna decides to investigate Highcastle’s death, though she’s overwhelmed by his many enemies and unsettled by the threats that come her way as soon as she starts poking around. For the most part, Charles goes easy on the investigation and heavy on trips to the local café for pie and coffee, conversations with the ghost of Dawna’s husband, and supernatural visits from her deceased cat, Lilac. Pine Bluff is a charming place to escape for a while, but readers shouldn’t expect many thrills, surprises, or even recipes. This one’s strictly for die-hard cozy lovers. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge. (Jan.)