A Fatal Slip: A Clay and Crime Mystery by Melissa Glazer

Charming and eclectic sleuthing makes for a perfect cold day readby Kasia_S

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December 23, 2008: Before I talk about how much I enjoyed this book I must say that this is the third in the series, so it's probably a good idea to start reading them from the beginning. The small town of Maple Ridge has many zany and kooky characters and they are always being suspects, somehow having motive to do the killing in each mystery, with the bones they keep on picking with each other.

So far this had been my favorite book in the series; the character of Carolyn Emerson, a potter who owns her own shop; Fire at Will, always seems to stay close to trouble and even more than ever she is fun, sassy and likable, making this a perfect cozy mystery. In fact I read this book in almost one sitting, barely getting of the couch as my boyfriend decided to spend the day cleaning and rearranging his closets, it was a lot of fun and it was a real treat to spend a few nice hours lost deep in a charming, cozy mystery. The book had some nice food and everyone was drinking coffee so I recommend having some on hand or it gets the tummy growling.

When Carolyn's husband is accused of having something to do with the death of a nasty building inspector who quarreled with him at their freshly purchased place, she takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of the murder in order to clear his name and save her business. As usual her friends and colleagues add a nice touch with their little investigations going on as the story starts to touch more people than she could have believed. This time the suspect was on her list, I simply hate it when a mystery has a solution that almost had nothing to do with the whole book, well in this case it somehow all made sense and I was eagerly awaiting the intelligent conclusion.

I love mysteries, the constant humming in my brain "Who did it? Who?" only increased as the story progressed and I was anticipating the answer till the very end. I must admit that at one point even her own husband came under my suspicions, the story was that well created. I can't wait for the next book, hopefully it comers out soon; Carolyn is developing into a really fun character whom I like to visit through the world of books and her life and friends and her story are a cozy backdrop to each mystery.


- Kasia S.