Book of the Week: Death of a Russian Doll by Barbara Early (Vintage Toyshop Mystery #3)

Over the last month or two, I've read two of the three Vintage Toy Shop mystery series by Barbara Early. Since there were only three and I liked the first two, I bought and just enjoyed the third one called "Death of a Russian Doll." - I would recommend reading them in order because the main character develops and grows through different relationships. Today's blog is about book three.

MY THOUGHTS - The Book of the Week is Death of a Russian Doll by Barbara Early (Vintage Toyshop Mystery #3). The first is Death of a Toy Soldier, followed by Murder on the Toy Town Express. The main character, Liz McCall and her dad, Hank manage a vintage toy shop with Liz's sister in law, Cathy. However, Hank is the former and retired chief of police, so he and Liz get caught up in murder cases. After reading book 2, book 3 starts off with a surprise revealation about one of the other characters being married and estranged from their spouse. It's all part of the Russian connection, which goes through the entire book. The mystery of the killer will keep you reading until near the end, and it may be surprising. It's really a well-thought out story with a lot of pieces that will keep you reading. 5 of 5 stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK: It’s all fun and games with toyshop owner Liz McCall until deadly secrets are unwrapped upon the eve of the holidays.

Who knew? Liz McCall is not thrilled when her boyfriend Police Chief Ken Young introduces her to his estranged wife Marya. The model-quality Russian immigrant, back in East Aurora to rekindle their romance, will be working as a hairstylist at the barber shop next door to Well Played, the toyshop Liz manages for her dad. When Marya offers to help with the shop’s doll rehab project, Liz can’t help but offer up only a weak smile, but her secret hesitations are for naught when Marya’s body is discovered in the barber shop with a hair dryer cord wrapped around her neck.

Liz’s dad, retired from the police force, is asked to investigate since Ken is the prime suspect.The whole town is abuzz with the scandal and Liz has a few questions of her own, wanting nothing more than to forget the loud argument she overheard between Marya and Ken the night before. There could have been other motives...Was Marya going to cut into a competing hairstylist business? Who is the bumbling private investigator hanging around and why won’t he explain himself?

All eyes are on Liz, including those of an odd matryoshka doll in the shop which seems to move of its own accord, to unravel this entertaining riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that is Death of a Russian Doll, the third jolly Vintage Toy Shop mystery from Barbara Early.