Sammy, owner of Community Crafts, is very excited about the special exhibit she has thought of for Fire and Ice the first big event of the new year in Heartsford. Live mannequins are going to sit in her window display. Her excitement is quickly quelled when Wanda dies while sitting in the window.

It turns out Wanda was poisoned and when Wanda’s husband Marty disappears, Sammy, her sister Ellie and cousin Heidi can’t help but investigate. Particularly after Ellie’s husband becomes a person of interest.

So far so good, but it was a struggle to get through this story.

I don’t care much for Sammy as a person. She rambles on when she asks a question (how is anyone going to be able to answer you if you don’t pause long enough for them to speak) and I particularly don’t care about her opinion her sister should get a dog for her son. That particularly rubbed me the wrong way. I also don’t like how she coerces her sister and cousin to do things: “You want [his] blood on your hands[?]” “Do you want to get thrown in the slammer next to your husband?”

Actually, everyone is stupidly interrupting with “I don’t understand” statements, rather than let a person who understand the situation explain. This book is rather short, but could have been even shorter if people didn’t voice their ignorance so much.

What made this story laughable was when Sammy

Spoiler

gets kidnapped. The kidnapper first puts her in the backseat and ties her to the headrest. Later, he tie-wraps her wrists together and undoes her tie to the headrest. While he is in the driver’s seat driving the car. Through the snow. Then, when the kidnapper has both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road (presumably) he crashes into a snowbank.

I nearly did not finish this story, when even the detective asks a barrage of questions rather than let a person explain. But I’m glad I decided to read till the end. Because it explained how Wanda was killed.

Spoiler

Wanda, who is many times described as being a vegan and sticking strictly to her vegan diet, was killed eating some poisoned honey. That would have never happened if she really was a strict vegan.

1.5 stars rounded down to 1 for method of murder.