I can't be too hard on self-published (or those that I presume to be self-published) titles. Had this been picked up, professionally edited, and still published as is, this would be a one star. The DIY layout and design, and the clearly smushed together typeface (which makes it genuinely difficult to fluidly read) to meet a cheaper page printing number weirdly give this book some grace because, well, you feel bad that something done with such passion hasn't been treated well.

The writer has a voice and a style and the chutzpah to complete a book. All fantastic. But this reads like a first draft. There's an overabundance of world-building that leads to disorganized text and repetition and unnecessary description. Such as "She shrugged her shoulders, which were large like her personality. She was six feet tall." For what is supposed to be a cozy mystery, there's too much cozy, too little mystery, and far far too much author insert.

I'm going to try the next book in the series because I can see a glimmer of gold in this writer and in these characters. I want more of St. George the cat, I want to see how Beth's kids are doing, I want to know more about our old man English professor. I just hope there's improvement. I hope the author has friends and beta readers strong enough to stand up and say "hun... you've got to make some cuts."