The setup is similar to a bunch of other lovely cozy mystery series. The protagonist is the owner of a specialty niche retail shop, dealing with the stress of making rent, applying for grants, keeping the staff and customers in order and generally living the hectic life of a small retail owner. The difference here is that the shop isn't selling scones or knitting yarn, but dice, cards, books and gaming paraphernalia.
The main character is likable, female, intelligent and didn't rush headlong into situations which made me slap my forehead and groan. The book is well paced and I didn't find my interest waning at all. It's about average length but the action moves the plot along. The author has a deft touch with characterizations but possibly falls a little short in the 'show don't tell' writing department. There's quite a lot of description instead of dialogue and character driven plot progress. It doesn't detract much from the enjoyment of the book and I can think of more than a few authors who took at least a couple books to hit their stride.
I love it that this series is about gamers, geekery, and 'my' nerdy folks! I do also love knitting and B&B and library type cozies (bonus points for cats), but it's very refreshing to see a cozy series which isn't from the same cookie cutter. I'm looking forward to the next installments!
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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