It started off good, but quickly got irritating. I got irritated by all the small-town "hick" jabs and the incompetence of the sheriff's department. Plus the main character spent way too much time not doing anything important. Not to mention a key plot point never happened. ( )

First in a series. Josie Callahan has lost her journalist job in Austin AND had her former fiancé unfriend her on Facebook. So, she returns, tail between her legs, to Broken Boot, Texas. She’s living above her Aunt and Uncle’s restaurant and waiting tables to make ends meet. The town’s Wild Wild West Festival is a big tourist attraction, and businesses count on the increased traffic to keep going. But when a local artist is found behind the restaurant, one of the restaurant’s staff is arrested for her murder. Josie doesn’t think the Sheriff is up to the task of investigating, so she uses her reporting skills to ferret out information that will point to the real killer.

As cozies go, this is okay, but the plot is weak and Josie seems too clueless to be a big-city reporter. I did like a number of the supporting cast, including her pet long-haired Chihuahua, Lenny. But I was irritated beyond words that the publishers and/or author didn’t bother to use the proper spellings / alphabet for Spanish words that are used – e.g. Senora vs Señora. That’s just lazy.

I’ll probably read another just to see how the possible romantic dilemma works out. And there are some decent recipes included at the end. ( )

Josie Callahan works as a waitress at her aunt and uncle's restaurant in Broken Boot, Texas. After a disastrous meeting between committee members for the town's festival, one of the attendees, Dixie, is found dead outside the restaurant. Without any other suspects, the police arrest a young man who works at the restaurant and charge him with murder. Josie and her family knows he didn't do it, but the police aren't so sure, and Josie decides to try and find out who the murderer is to get her friend off the hook...

You know how some books grab you from the beginning? This one didn't. It started slow and I was hoping that it would grab me at some point, but even the sniping between committee members didn't do it. I actually began to wonder why they were all on the same committee if they didn't get along. Someone must have known, but obviously they didn't...

But what really lost me is the fact that Josie's little dog is [almost] kidnapped and left outside their restaurant, tied to a post, with his fur shaved off one side and the words "Man's Dead Friend" written in lipstick. Do the police think this is a clue? No. They have Anthony, the murderer! Does it matter that he had no motive? No. Do they even think of looking at the lipstick and trying to find out who uses this shade? No. Instead, they tell her it is just a 'prank' pulled on her by a kid. Yeah, sure. Kids steal peoples' dogs every day, shave their fur and write threatening messages, because, you know, it's just a prank and they can't get in trouble for it. Threatening messages are never going to be taken seriously, at least by any officer in this town, anyway. For me, the book at that point became unbelievable. Any officer who doesn't take any lead seriously doesn't need to be working as one. Unfortunately, the lipstick could have been a huge clue - as I would think women in small towns make a point of not wearing the same color as other women - but the police 'have their man,' so what do they care? Can anyone take the book seriously after this? I certainly can't.

We're also "teased" throughout the book with the promise of a love triangle (insert groan here). As I've stated (over and over again) I abhor them, and here comes another author who just can't stand the thought that her protagonist might be interested in only one man. Again, if this were a man, and he was stringing along two women, the reactions would be completely different. Why authors do this is completely beyond me, but it doesn't add anything to the book to have two men chasing one woman throughout the series. It's not fun reading at any stretch.

Anyway, as I stated above, when the police ignore what can turn out to be a major clue, and don't even have another one as to who the real murderer is, well, it makes it hard to find the book as barely entertaining. Since this is the first in the series, I will read another in this series as I hope it will improve. ( )

Great new addition to the cozy mystery genre. If you love southwestern sunsets, tamales and a cowboy two-step, then this just might be the book for you. Sure enough, early on there's a murder and it turns out that there are quite a few folks with motive. But surely they've got the wrong guy, right? With so much going on with a town festival, the local constabulary aren't able to devote the energy needed to investigate thoroughly which leaves former Austin Gazette reporter, Josie Callahan no choice but to search out the clues herself. She has to clear the name of her family's restaurant's best worker and that of the restaurant too, while she's at it. Can she do it before she gets caught in the cross hairs? There's lots of twists and turns and just enough foreshadowing for the ending to make sense but not so much as to give it away too soon. Saddle up for a delightful fast-paced ride!!

I am grateful to author Rebecca Adler, publisher Penguin Random House LLC and Goodreads Giveaway program for having provided a free uncorrected proof copy of this book. Their generosity did not, however, influence this review - the words of which are mine alone. ( )

The town of Broken Boot, near the Big Bend area of West Texas, made for a very unique and beautiful setting for this new mystery series. Josie has recently relocated back home, after losing her job as reporter in Austin. The town, which is readying for Wild Wild West Days, has all manner of townspeople involved with promotion for the festival. What seems like a city-wide tamale making event is sullied by murder and Josie, who is niece to the owners of the Milagro restaurant, dives right in. There were a lot of characters to keep track of in this new series, so I hope my favorites will float to the top to become the best secondary players. ( )