Rhythm and Clues - Record Shop Mystery #3

 

Rhythm and Clues is the third book in Olivia Blacke's record shop storefront cozy series.  Released 26th March 2024 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in mass market 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 throughout. The first two books in the series are also currently available for subscribers to borrow and read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

This series features a trio of sisters who are running their family's vinyl record store with collectible records along with a cafe and coffee shop on the same premises. The dialogue is witty and sometimes snarky (they're sisters, and it's in Texas) but generally good humored and supportive. Their family vibe is close and functional and despite the occasional spats, they really do care for and protect one another. It's also nice to see a cozy series featuring protagonists of color who are intelligent, well spoken, and female and not tangential to the plot. Representation is important.

The writing is engaging and the author has a solid feel for plotting and dialogue. Some of the eccentric small-town secondary characters were a bit archetypal and "trope-y" but they weren't overly intrusive or only there as window-dressing, and readers won't be yanked out of their suspension of disbelief by their overdone quirkiness. The climax, denouement and resolution are satisfying. 

This story has a cool closed circle of suspects setup (the town is isolated by a storm, and there's a murderer on the loose). It's a neat classic trope and the author does a good job with the story progression and resolution.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 54 minutes and is well narrated by series narrator Nicol Zanzarella. She has a well modulated alto voice and does a good job with a large cast of characters and manages to differentiate all of them well enough that they're easy to distinguish and never monotonous or confusing. Sound and production quality were high throughout.

Four stars. Readers will enjoy the musical trivia and word play throughout. There was some repetition but all in all, it's a fun shopfront cozy. With three books published, it would be a good choice for a short weekend binge or buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.