I picked up this book at a time when some major personal aspects of my life were keeping me busy. No wonder, this is probably the longest I have taken to complete a book, all of 300 pages! Getting to the book, Vinyl Resting Place is best described as a cozy mystery and is the first in the Record Shop Mysteries series by Olivia Blacke. To be honest, I find such a sub-genre weird, but it just implies – the crime in such books is treated lightly. And so is the case here. I am not sure I would have picked this up had I known this beforehand.
The setting of the book is in a small town Cedar River near Austin. The book centres around the Jessup sisters – Junie, Maggie & Tansy. Having just lost her job, Junie returns to Cedar River to set up a vinyl records & coffee shop Sip & Spin. And on the grand opening, Junie discovers a dead body in their supply closet. Their uncle Calvin simultaneously goes missing and resultantly becomes the prime suspect.
While the plot in itself was fine, I found the book too slow paced & docile for a thriller. It severely lacked a grip & penetration that are so indispensable to a thriller. There was no excitement, leave alone any adrenaline rush – if that is what you are looking for. It looked too amateurish for a true mystery or thriller. Probably I went in with wrong expectations, as I later discovered this to be a “cozy mystery”.
There was nothing much happening throughout the book. There is this uncle gone missing and it is like the three sisters get together in some girlie childhood game of hide-n-seek – what is passed off as investigation.
Coming to the characters, sorry folks, but I found them too unconvincing and forced. The irritating cop cum ex-boyfriend or the postman bestie – after reading the whole book they seem a complete waste as they have no impact or role in the story or outcome. Even the character traits of the 3 sisters are repeatedly being told to the reader, to the point it gets irritating. We got it the first time you told us – Tansy is responsible, Maggie is great at organising & cleanliness while Junie is good with her languages & programming.
The author it seems wanted to combine mystery with the tried & tested trope of small town charm & reviving a dying local business. For, towards the end they decide to start giving vinyl art classes in their shop! There also is an effort to add a comic touch with that adult tricycle that Junie keeps riding, but as with the other aspects of the book, it looks quite half hearted an attempt as it fails to bring out the desired effect. It is quite weird to imagine Junie riding that thing. Probably you should have given her an outdated, push to start car.
But all is not lost. The book has it’s pluses. It is an easy read to start with. The writing is simple and makes for a quick, light read. As I said, I probably didn’t know what to expect, and so felt disappointed to an extent. If you like light handed, toned-down mysteries, this book may just turn out to be perfect for you!
So go ahead and get your copy here -> Vinyl Resting Place