Fireworks on the Fourth

This series is so much fun! I love that our protagonist, Emily Wilson, is a flutist. That's an occupation not often seen in the cozies I've read. The details B. J. Bowen includes about the symphony and its inner workings are wonderful to learn about, because that's something way out of my experience.

And the inner workings of the symphony may be what got Curtis Strange killed here. He was on the Symphony Board, where he got along with exactly no one, and he was a land developer with ethics that were questionable at best. He's shot at the climax of the symphony's Fourth of July performance, when a gunshot or two would sound like just another firework. Many people had reason to dislike him, but who wanted him dead? When part of KC's past rears its head and makes her the prime suspect, Emily knows she's got to find some way to focus the investigation away from her friend.

Bowen's writing style is smooth and easy to read, dare I say, almost lyrical. She creates a world I can easily envision and think I'd like to visit. I love the characters she creates, and I'm glad we get to know more about KC in this story. We get to see a lot more of Emily's beloved dog, Golden, too, and that's always a good thing. And Bowen certainly had me guessing as to the mystery! She set up suspects and then deftly knocked them out of the running, and kept me enthralled right up to the end.

Cozy fans, I highly recommend you pick up Fireworks on the Fourth. Just in time for summer reading!