I'm shocked at how much I enjoyed Lindsey and Robbie's dynamic in this book. They're so much better as friends, and I find him less obnoxious if I imagine him as Tom Hiddleston. Now if I can mentally cast someone I like in the role of Sully to make me like him more, too. (There is far too much swooning over Sully for my taste in these books.)

Much to my disappointment, my new favorite secondary character, Paula, was absent for most of the book, hiding out after being accused of murder. She still got a bit of character development, though, and I'm very amused that of course she and her girlfriend are already U-Hauling.

Ms. Cole's evolution from curmudgeon to crafternooner is seemingly complete, which is both surprising and refreshing. (I'd wondered when she would inevitably be the next unlikeable murder victim to meet their end in the Briar Creek library.) I'm glad that McKinlay is allowing her characters to change, essential to keeping a series this long from growing stale.