The Proof Is in the Poison by Diane Kelly

Available June 7, 2022

Rating: 5 stars

Chattanooga is playing host to a model train convention and Hattie Hayes is hoping to lay tracks from the convention center directly to the front door of the 'Shine Shack. Unfortunately one of the train enthusiasts keels over after enjoying some of Hattie's fruit 'shine and the police order her business shuttered until they get to the bottom of what happened to Bert Gebhardt.

The Southern Homebrew series is the first I've read by Kelly and I have really enjoyed it. This series is classic cozy mystery fare: young lady starting a business on her own, quirky friends, elderly mentor, grumpy-but-adorable pet, sexy beau, and a bloodless crime ridding the cast of a merciless villain. Hattie pokes around, annoying local police, and spots one clue after another until the final ah-ha moment when she ties everything together. It's perfect! While I do appreciate authors trying new twists and changing up the settings or backgrounds, reading a cozy that goes exactly how you'd expect it to go is... cozy.

While I have not read Kelly's other series, I highly recommend this one to anyone who's a cozy purist such as myself. This book was a quick, fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.