The Polaroid Murder

The Polaroid Murder: A page-turning and suspenseful small-town culinary cozy mystery

Vivian Keys

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kelsey Woods moves back to Carlyle Cove to help her Aunt Clara in her cafe. While volunteering, she meets a 10 year old boy named Barry and his circumstances reminds her of her own childhood. While helping Barry locate his mother, she becomes involved with a mystery from the past that is related to Barry’s mother. Along with her friend Elinor (a retired PI), Kelsey is determined to solve the mystery and reunite Barry with his mother.

This book had two plot lines that were intertwined: reuniting Barry and his mother, Ruthie and the 1988 disappearance of Ruthie’s friend, Gina. The first part of the story focuses more on Kelsey fostering Barry, while the mysterious disappearance develops more slowly. I think this worked well for this story as it gives the reader a chance to bond with the characters and in turn, become invested in the mystery. While the culprit becomes clear relatively early on, it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. The real draw is discovering the “how” and “why”. Definitely a good cozy read!

*I received this book as a gift and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.