Snuffed Out: 6

In the 2nd book in the Candlemaking Mystery series, Harrison Black, the owner of At Wick's End, a candle shop in North Carolina, is finally settling into his new lifestyle. His great-aunt Belle had died recently, and being her only relative, Harrison has inherited both the shop and the entire building in which it resides. He quit his dead-end job as a computer salesman, and moved to the small town to start his new life. Unfortunately, Harrison knew nothing about candles, and he had to rely on his aunt's employee and friend, Eve, to teach him as he works along side her. He had come along way from his first days at the shop, and is beginning to enjoy being a shop-owner and landlord. It all comes to a screeching halt when one of is tenants, Aaron, is found dead, and Harrison starts to suspect foul play. It seems that the deceased potter never used an electric wheel, but had died when the frayed cord on the wheel he had supposedly been using had gotten wet. Then, Harrison agrees to let the ex-wife of Aaron take over his old shop, and infuriates quite a few tenants in the building. When a series of mishaps happen to the shops in River's Edge, Harrison begins to work overtime to catch a killer before he loses both his business, and possibly his life. This was a fun, light addition to an interesting cozy series. I love the setting of Micah's Ridge, North Carolina, and the interesting characters that are a part of Harrison's life. Reading many books of the genre, I normally stick to female protagonists, but really enjoyed the character of Harrison in this book. It was nice to see that he was human, in the fact that running his business and never seeming to get away from it was fraying his nerves. Many times in books, the characters don't seem to get frazzled like 'real' people do...and it was nice to see a human side to Harrison. These books are definitely a light, quick read, and would be great for a lazy day at the beach. The first book in the series is called "At Wick's End". Enjoy!

I've enjoyed both of Tim Myers's candle shop mysteries--AT WICK'S END and SNUFFED OUT--because the series is crafted as the perfect cozy. The main character/sleuth, Harrison Black, has inherited a candle shop as well as the building his and several other cozy shops (antique store, coffee shop/bakery, pottery shop, New Age shop) occupy. This gives the books a closed community of characters, and with Harrison living upstairs in an apartment over the candle shop, gives the readers a place they'll want to come back to again and again. One of the reasons I and many other mystery readers love cozies is that we do get to live the main character's life vicariously, and how comfortable it is to return to Harrison's comfy building to hang out with his friends, learn new ways to make candles, and, oh yes, track down a murderer now and then.