The writing was wonderfully solid though I found the beginning slow but the pace quickly livened and remained so until near the end. The return of some warm and interesting secondary characters and the addition of some new ones gave the book a well-rounded feel. There didn't seem to be a great deal of sleuthing in the book's second half, but the other events in Meg's life were a welcome distraction. I like that this book while a cozy mystery takes the time to develop the characters'lives outside of murder and mayhem, it gives the book a realness and depth that many cozies lack. I enjoyed the mystery aspect, though I had my suspicions about the solution, but found the ultimate resolution to be not nearly as interesting as I imagined, a bit pedestrian. Meg remains a prickly control freak with some defensive tendencies and I haven't warmed up to her the way I hoped I would in this second outing but there is so much good to be found that I will keep reading.
