The Fool Dies Last is the first book in a new light paranormal cozy series by Carol Miller. Released 5th April 2022 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an easy and quick read and a solid series starter. The protagonists, sisters who co-own a new-age boutique are 30 somethings, intelligent, quirky, and relatable. They're drawn into trying to solve modern crimes which have links to the long ago past.
The setting of Asheville, North Carolina, is well written and believable, with the codicil that readers who are intimately familiar with the environs might find discrepancies which aren't obvious to readers from other areas. I liked the shopfront cozy aspect and there's an intriguing paranormal subplot with irascible ghosts in the attic which I hope the author explores more deeply in future volumes.
Much of the characterization, especially secondary characters, is sketched in lightly. My only other quibble with the book is that I found the motive for the murders strained the bounds of credibility. Readers should be prepared to bring a healthy suspension of disbelief. (Then again, there are ghosts in the attic, so there's that).
Three and a half stars. Eminently readable and enjoyable. The second book in the series was released on 6th Dec. 2022, making this a good candidate for cozy readers for a mini-binge read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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