Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Draw and Order by Cheryl Hollon

DRAW AND ORDER
SERIES: A Paint and Shine Mystery #2
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
PUBLISHER: Kensington
RELEASE DATE: June 29, 2021
PAGES: 336

Appalachian artist and local guide Miranda Trent opens a new murder investigation after her Paint & Shine tour group discovers the remains of a missing hiker along an ancient trail…

For her latest excursion, Miranda is thrilled to take a close-knit group of rock climbers, the Risky Business Adventurers, up the challenging Battleship Rock Trail to paint and sample moonshine. But the outing is cut short when they discover a skeleton near the trailhead. Even more startling, the bones belong to Howard Cable, Miranda’s cousin…and a former classmate of the Risky Business group.

The sheriff chalks it up to a hiking accident, but Miranda isn’t convinced that Howard, an experienced woodsman, died within sight of a well-marked trail. So, with the help of Ranger Austin Morgan, Miranda sets out on her own investigation and discovers that the Risky Business group is keeping plenty of secrets. But is one of them hiding the truth about Howard’s death?

Other Books In This Series

Draw and Order is an engaging sequel to Still Knife Painting and adds further layers to the characters we met in that first book. While I’m in no way, shape, or form (emphasis on shape) a hiker or an artist, I love the idea of Miranda’s Paint & Shine tours and was happy to see her business flourishing. Her expansion plans bring a quirky handyman into her world (and her mother’s!), and her adorable puppy Sandy continues to steal the show. I’m eager to see where Hollon takes Miranda’s distillery & gift shop plans, as well as Ron and his unlikely friendship with Miranda’s mom.

Having recently moved out of central Kentucky, my home for 30 years, it gave me all sorts of nostalgia to read about real-life places that I know well. From St. Joseph’s Hospital to the University of Kentucky to Blue Grass Airport & Red River Gorge, I could easily picture the areas Miranda and other characters referred to throughout Draw and Order. Fun touches like Cherry Ale-8 and even just patterns of speech for that region made me smile. It’s clear the author has fond memories from that part of Kentucky as well, and I enjoyed seeing it through her (and Miranda’s) eyes.

The mystery was full of adventure and suspects and ‘wow!’ moments that I didn’t see coming. I wasn’t at all sure how this was going to turn out, but I loved the journey to get there. Miranda’s personal connection to the victim, her all-equally-suspicious clients from the Risky Business Adventures group, rumors of legendary silver mines, and Miranda’s growing relationship with sweet Ranger Austin Morgan kept me turning the pages to see how it would all play out. I also admit to gasping out loud a couple of times at some surprising – and harrowing – twists.

Bottom Line: Draw and Order is engaging & entertaining, with a well-plotted mystery & nicely layered characters. The murder case will keep you on your toes with stunning reveals and intriguing clues. While there are some ‘info dump’ stretches of dialogue, the overall pacing of the novel easily maintains a smooth story flow. A beautiful setting and yummy recipes with moments of humor and plenty of creativity are icing on the cake – or, ice cream on apple pie, as the case may be. I’m looking forward to more books in this series!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

Reviewer’s Note: Readers may want to be aware that are a couple of minor curse words in this novel.

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Cheryl Hollon now writes full-time after she left an engineering career of designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art. In the small glass studio behind her house in St. Petersburg, Florida, Cheryl and her husband design, create, and produce fused glass, stained glass, and painted glass artworks. Visit her online at http://cherylhollon.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @CherylHollon.

Other Books by Cheryl Hollon

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