Fatal Solutions. A mini review.

Fatal Solutions (A Crossword Puzzle Mystery)

By Becky Clark

Rating: 5/5 Stairs

Quinn Carr is back in this third Crossword Puzzle Mystery outing!

This series is always a pleasure for me to read – I love the small town setting of the fictional Chestnut Station, Colorado. The usual characters are all back, with a fair amount of time spent at the diner with the Retireds – some of my favorite chapters! An important setting in this book is the Japanese interment camp. Ms. Clark creates a fictional camp, but based on real history that happened in Colorado. Quinn finds a Japanese Daruma doll, and as she researches the doll we get a glimpse into the camps and their sad history. (Sadly, this was not a topic ever taught in my Colorado history class growing up, and I only learned about it as an adult. Ms. Clark gives the reader a good introduction and starting point to want to explore more about this chapter in our history.)

Fatal Solutions finds Quinn growing in many ways – learning to accept and find ways to manage her OCD, finding her place working at the diner among the Retireds (love the fun banter with these old timers!), and digging into her family history. The cold case she stumbles upon is personal to Quinn – was the skeleton she found an unfortunate accident, or was it murder? And if it was murder could her grandfather have been involved? Without any spoilers, I really liked the way this mystery wrapped up in the end.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with quirky characters and humor throughout, give the Crossword Puzzle Mysteries a try. I’ve enjoyed this series, and Fatal Solutions is the best one yet! And don’t worry if you are new to the series, you can jump right in with this latest outing.