Devereaux "Dev" Sinclair worked in the major metropolitan city of Kansas City, Missouri, but she gave it all up in the wake of a major scandal, which was a blessing in disguise. She was able to come home to help take care of her grandmother. She also bought the town's dime store, where she has a bit of a side business creating custom-made gift baskets for various occasions. She has never been happier, and the town is thrilled that someone local has bought the store and is revitalizing it.

But what seems to be the storybook ending takes a disastrous turn when one of Dev's gift basket recipients ends up dead, with some of the basket novelties used as the murder weapon. It doesn't help that the victim is her ex-boyfriend's fiancee, or that Dev's fingerprints are on the murder weapon (easily explainable since she put the basket together, but the detective is not so easily swayed, especially since he has an axe to grind).

Dev's grandmother (known to locals as Birdie), soon decides that Dev needs help proving herself innocent, so she calls on the neighbor's nephew, Jake to assist with Dev's defense. Although he is on medical leave, Jake is a U.S. Marshal, so he has some pull with various law enforcement agencies. The effort to prove Dev innocent becomes complicated, though, when Dev and Jake discover a possible mutual attraction... complicated by information that Dev's ex-boyfriend is still pining for her, which could be a motive for the murder.

LITTLE SHOP OF HOMICIDE is an excellent read. The characters are great and relatable, and the story was interesting. The small town feel of the setting was right on. I am from Kansas City, Missouri, and I could easily relate to the transition from moving away from the city and what it's like when going to a smaller town that is slower pace, more clique-ish, and where everyone is in everyone else's business.

I like to be able to solve the mystery along with the protagnist, but in the case of LITTLE SHOP OF HOMICIDE the author made this difficult.

Book Summary

Dev Sinclair is the happy new owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But if she doesn't focus on finding the killer of her ex's fiancée, this five-and-dime owner may find herself serving twenty-five to life...