Book Review & Giveaway: Snow Way Out by Christine Husom

Blurb: Curio shop manager Camryn Brooks thought she’d seen every kind of snow globe—until she saw one depicting a crime scene….

Ever since she was a child, Cami has loved the sparkling beauty of snow globes, and now, she sells them. In fact, they’re so popular, Cami and her friend—coffee shop owner Alice “Pinky” Nelson—are hosting a snow globe making class.

After the flurry of activity has ended and everyone has gone off with their own handmade snow globes, Cami spots a new globe left behind on a shelf, featuring an odd tableau—a man sleeping on a park bench.

On her way home, she drifts through the town park and is shaken to come upon the scene from the globe—a man sitting on a bench. But he isn’t sleeping—he has a knife in his back. When the police arrive, it’s clear they consider Cami a little flaky and possibly a suspect. After her friends also come under suspicion, Cami starts plowing through clues to find the cold-blooded backstabber—before someone else gets iced….

Tortie Shorties

Book reviews that are short and sweet...just like Truffles!

Is there anything more magical then the whimsical miniature world of a snow globe? I've always been enchanted by them, so the idea of a mystery series set in a gift shop that specializes in snow globes really excited me.

The central characters of Snow Way Out are a trio of friends: Camryn Brooks who runs Curio Finds alongside The Brew Ha-Ha coffee shop managed by childhood friend "Pinky" Nelson, and teacher Erin. The big news in Brooks Landing is the recent jail release of Jerrell Powers who robbed Erin two years prior. As Cami and Pinky prepare for the evening's snow globe making class, they realize that Jerrell's ex-wife and current girlfriend will both be in attendance. Following a somewhat contentious altercation between the women following the class, Cami discovers a snow globe in her shop that is not a part of her inventory depicting a man on a park bench. On her walk back home through the park she stumbles upon the exact same scene...only it's Jerrell Powers on the park bench and he is dead with a knife sticking out of his back. Back at Curio Finds the mysterious snow globe has vanished, and soon whispers between her dear friends has Cami suspecting the worse.

This was a wonderful debut to a promising new series. I was completely stumped as to the identity of the killer but had a sinking suspicion about one of my favorite secondary characters, and I was proven right. I look forward to spending more time with this great cast of characters. There's only one thing missing...Cami definitely needs a cat!

Giveaway: Do you have a favorite snow globe? Tell me about it by noon eastern on Friday, January 16th for your chance to win a copy of Snow Way Out. (US entries only, please.)

This is my favorite globe from my collection. A cat, of course :)