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Arrives
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At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Dimensions
- 5.74 x 0.95 x 8.52 in
- Weight
- 2.31 lb
- Publisher
- Crooked Lane Books
- Publication date
- January 16, 2024
- Language
- English
- Print length
- 288 pages
Description
Perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Victoria Gilbert, when a body is found in a hardware store, will Dawna Carpenter’s sleuthing measure up to find the killer? Recent sexagenarian widow Dawna Carpenter thought running her own hardware store after the death of her husband was hard enough. With her adult daughter, April, moving back into town, and Darlene, the annoying boutique owner next door to her shop poking around, Dawna has her hands full. But when she finds a dead man in the bathroom of her store, with a framing hammer by his side, she’s in way over her head. The victim, Warren Highcastle, was a land developer who was looking to purchase the old theater in town to build a new hotel. Dawna and April, worried about the implications of the crime scene at the hardware store, put themselves on the case. They soon learn that Warren had made quite a few enemies in his short amount of time in town. As the suspect list starts growing, so too do the threats against Dawna and April. Can Dawna and April nail the killer before they strike again? Read more
Specs 9
| Publisher | Crooked Lane Books |
|---|---|
| Publication date | January 16, 2024 |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1639105999 |
| ISBN-13 | 91 |
| Item Weight | 2.31 pounds |
| Dimensions | 5.74 x 0.95 x 8.52 inches |
| Part of series | Hometown Hardware Mysteries |
No specs match.
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Top Amazon Reviews
Fantastic Mystery
Format: Hardcover
Hammers and Homicide is the first book in the Hometown Hardware Mystery Series by Paula Charles. The amateur sleuth is Dawna Carpenter, a 62-year-old widow who owns the local hardware store in small town Pine Bluff. Dawna enlists her adult daughter April to help her solve a mystery after Dawna finds a dead body in her hardware store. This story is fun, charming, and suspenseful. I love books with down-to-earth protagonists and small-town suspense. This book has both. Dawna is smart, funny, and over a certain age. She knows everyone in town and does a good job of being nosy but remaining likable. The mystery was well done and had a great ending. I will keep reading this series as long as the author keeps writing it!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2025 by Cozy Book Reviews
cozy mystery book
Format: Hardcover
enjoying story about new widow running the family hardware store and helping solve why body found in the store.
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2024 by JohnWise
Lovable Sleuth
Format: Hardcover
Hammers and Homicide is the perfect summer cozy mystery (or to be read in winter when you're desperate for that summer feel). Dawna Carpenter is a widow running the hardware store her and her deceased husband shared when a high-falutton outsider who is trying to buy the Emery Theater in her small town ends up murdered on her stores property. With the help of her daughter, April, Dawna sets out to find the truth, only to put herself right in the pathway of the murderer, but as a reader you'llbe guessing until the very end of who that might be. This story is filled with lovable small town characters and charm, a perfect sprinkle of spectral visitors, but I warn you now, by the time you're done you'll be really hungry for at least 3 different kind of pies.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024 by Shilo Niziolek
It's Time To Visit Pine Bluff, Oregon! Don't Forget To Stop At The Hardware Store!
Format: Kindle
Dawna Carpenter became the sole proprietor of Carpenters Corner Hardware and Building Supply in Pine Bluff, Oregon, after the death of her husband, Bob. Dawna’s youngest daughter, April, took over Dawna’s design and furniture restoration business, Carriage House Designs. Questions arise the day Steve Harrison is late to work as he’s late the same morning Dawna discovers a dead body in her building. One delight of visiting a newly created small town for a debut cozy series is learning the names of the businesses. My favorites in Pine Bluff are Lipstick and Lace, Rocking M Coffee Shop, and Stage Stop Café. The very 1st action that Dawna takes as a sleuth is the first time I remember the subject matter being captured in a photograph. I loved the sleuth’s act of taking the opportunity of the moment's spontaneity, even though it is improbable that a police chief would let this item linger out of his sight. For those of a certain age or those that enjoy series from years gone by, the chief’s last name may be a highlight with the addition of his description compared to a cowboy in a commercial of the same vintage. There is a paranormal aspect to the cozy as well. I knew the reveal from the first clue but still enjoyed the progress of the investigation. I was puzzled that Dawna never mentioned to April a discovery in town (even photographing it too) that she knew April would enjoy using in her business. A certified letter and phone call also leave questions unanswered, so I’ll revisit Pine Bluff for further developments.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024 by Enthusiastic Reader
Fun Small Town Mystery
Format: Hardcover
I really enjoyed this book. The characters in this cozy mystery are likeable. Dawna, the main character, is a widow who runs the hardware store started by her husband. She finds the dead body of a disagreeable developer dead in her store bathroom, so she and her adult daughter, April, want to find out who killed him. More murder and mayhem ensues. While there are clues throughout the book, the pacing feels just right, so the reader discovers the murderer at the same time as the amateur sleuth. The story is set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. This is a fun small town cozy!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2024 by Assunta Sciarretta
A Fresh Take on Cozy Mysteries with a Surprising Twist
Format: Hardcover
Hammers and Homicide is the first book in Paula Charles’s Hometown Hardware Mystery series. What sets this cozy mystery apart is its lead, Dawna Carpenter, who is in her sixties. I found that a refreshing change from the younger protagonists we usually see in the genre. When Dawna discovers the body of a land developer in a bathroom shared with another business in the same building as her hardware store, she and her daughter, Amy, join forces to track down the killer. I appreciated several things about this book. The budding romance is between the detective and Amy, not Dawna. Another pleasant surprise was the paranormal element which something not hinted at in the back cover description. That added an unexpected layer of intrigue. I recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2025 by Lora Angley
Excellent read
Format: Kindle
I absolutely loved this book. It left me wanting more of Dawna, April, and the residents of Pine Bluff. I have read a lot of cozy mysteries and this one of the best. Paula Charles is one of my new favorite authors and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024 by Lisa Garcia
Smalltown shopfront cozy
Format: Kindle
ammers and Homicide is the first novel in a smalltown cozy shopfront cozy mystery series by Paula Charles. Released 16th Jan. 2024 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 288 pages and currently available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in 1st quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. This is a warm and quirky smalltown shopfront cozy with a 60something female amateur sleuth and her daughter (who has moved back to town to keep an eye on her widowed mom). It's set in the Pacific Northwest and the author does a good job with setting and descriptive prose. As with nearly all smalltown cozies, it's full of eccentric characters and light-hearted dialogue. The setup and murder are over-the-top, but not unusually so for a cozy mystery. The late unlamented victim is a thoroughly unlikable cad with the sunny disposition of a moray eel. As with the genre, the violence occurs off-page, and the language is clean throughout. There are some fairly major oddities/plot holes which will presumably be tied up in a future installment, but readers should be aware the entire solution is not forthcoming in this book. Additionally, there's a significant paranormal aspect with full dialogue between the MC and her 3-years-departed husband. Her deceased cat also shows up. Neither of these plot elements are fully explored and it's never clear if it really is a paranormal element or wishful thinking on the part of the MC. The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 7 hours, 26 minutes and is read by Petrea Burchard. She has a raspy alto voice with a midwestern burr, and although her voice in some characters was a bit rough (abrasive?) it doesn't overpower the read. She does a fair job of delineating the different characters (although some of them have an odd western/Texas twang which was a little out of place), they're easy to keep distinct from one another. Sound and production quality were high throughout the read. Three and a half stars (given the genre). It would make a good bus/commute read or a buddy read. Quite promising, especially given that it's a debut novel from a new author. Dinged a bit for the unresolved plot elements (registered letter that's never followed up, and paranormal bits).
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Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2024 by AnnieB