A Review of Death Goes to the County Fair by Annette Drake
Title: Death Goes to the County Fair (An Ogallala Mystery)
Author: Annette Drake
Published: October 15, 2015
Publisher: Baskethound Books
Genre: Cozy Mystery
~ Synopsis ~
Joni Harte knew her first job out of college would be tough, but she didn’t expect it to be murder.
With the ink mostly dry on her journalism degree, Joni accepts the position of news reporter and photographer for The Ogallala Gazette. She’s tasked with chronicling all of the goings-on of the quirky characters who inhabit this small Missouri town.
While investigating the identity of the first murder victim, Joni makes an enemy of the local sheriff. Worse, she catches the attention of a violent stalker who promises to cure Joni of her curiosity.
As the Ogallala County Fair comes to an end, Joni must uncover the truth before she comes to hers.
 ~ Book Review~
What a fun idea – a murder/mystery at the county fair! Although having a reporter be the heroine of a cozy mystery is by no means a new idea, I liked the angle of the small town location with a small town newspaper and a young reporter who keeps fudging things up. Joni Harte is no investigative reporter and that just makes the story more believable and fun to read.
Death Goes to the County Fair is a quick read, which I did enjoy in the end. I found the story hard to dig into though. There were too many details and not enough action. The descriptions themselves were very well written but not always relevant to the story. The flashbacks weren’t seamless and resulted in the story not feeling very smooth. I would have enjoyed more dialogue to get the story moving.
I recommend this novel to lovers of cozy mysteries who are looking for a quick read.
~ About the Author ~
Annette Drake is a multi-genre author whose work is character-driven and celebrates the law of unintended consequences.
Death Goes to the County Fair kicks off the premier of her cozy-mystery series set in Ogallala, Missouri. The book premiered on October 15th.
Her romance titles include A Beautiful Day in Alaska, A Year with Geno, and Celebration House.
Annette’s middle-grade novel, Bone Girl, was published in March of 2014 by Baskethound Books and is available in ebook, print and audiobook.
Annette makes her home in Washington State. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, she loves ferry rides, basset hounds and bakeries. She does not camp. If she can help it.
~ Giveaway ~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for reviewing Death Goes to the County Fair.
You are welcome! I’m looking forward to seeing what trouble Joni finds herself in next.