by Sarah Erwin

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

In Olivia Blacke’s Rhythm and Clues (the third entry in the Record Shop Mystery Series) readers are once again visiting Cedar River, Texas, but this time in a torrential Texas thunderstorm.

Juni Jessup, along with her sisters Tansy and Maggie, own Sip & Spin Records and are getting some serious pressure from predatory investors. The sisters aren’t ready to sign on the dotted line, and after Juni spends an evening at a hockey game with Zachary and his business partner Savannah, Juni’s even more sure she wants nothing to do with them.

Once she returns home that evening, Juni and Tansy brave the elements to check on their store and their store cat, Daffy. While mopping up water, there is a loud crash and they run outside to find a car up on the curb with the driver’s side door open and financier Zachary dead inside on the passenger side.

Did Zachary die from the crash or is foul play at work? And where is the driver? All roads in and out of town are washed out due to the storm so everyone is stuck, giving this well-plotted mystery a locked-room type of feel and this ups the tension even more.

I flew through this mystery in just two sittings, enjoying both the twists and turns of the mystery, as well as the wonderful small town details and the creative musically themed drinks served at Sip & Spin records. There’s also some light romance blended into the story, and while the love triangle trope can be frustrating, it seems to be resolved by the end of the book. I enjoyed Juni and her sisters so much, each funny and loveable in their own way. The family dinner scene and the other characters who are part of Juni’s extended family had me chuckling as I read. I’ll certainly be reading more in this series.

You can click here to purchase this book.

To enter to win a copy of Rhythm and Clues, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “clues” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 4, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.