Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Flicker of a Doubt (A Fairy Garden Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A Flicker of a Doubt (A Fairy Garden Mystery)
by Daryl Wood Gerber
A Flicker of a Doubt (A Fairy Garden Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – California
Kensington Cozies (March 28, 2023)
Paperback : 320 pages
Fairies are trending hard, especially when it comes to fairy garden décor in Walmart and Target and on Amazon. The latest installment in the nationally bestselling Daryl Wood Gerber’s Fairy Garden mysteries is a perfect read for Laura Childs readers and all fans of whimsy and charm.
With a theater foundation tea and an art show planned at Violet Vickers’s estate, Courtney is hired to create charming fairy gardens for the event. It’s not so charming, however, when her best friend Meaghan’s ex-boyfriend turns out to be Violet’s latest artistic protégé. Even worse, not long after Meaghan locks horns with him, his body is found in her yard, bludgeoned with an objet d’murder.
There’s a gallery of suspects, from an unstable former flame to an arts and crafts teacher with a sketchy past. But when the cops focus on Meaghan’s business partner, who’s like a protective older brother to her, and discover he also has a secret financial motive, Courtney decides to draw her own conclusions. Fearing they’re missing the forest for the trees, and with some help from Fiona the sleuthing fairy, she hopes to make them see the light . . .
My review
A Flicker of A Doubt is the latest book in the delightful Fairy Garden mystery series. Courtney is once again thrown into the middle of a murder investigation. This time it’s due to Courtney’s best friend’s business partner being accused of murdering Meghan’s ex-boyfriend. Everyone who knows him knows he wouldn’t have murdered anyone. So, much to her dad’s and the police chief’s dismay, Courtney hunts down the clues needed to get the accused released from jail.
One of my favorite parts of this series is the charming setting. Though I’ve never been to Carmel, California, I’ve dreamed of visiting. Just do a Pinterest or Google search for the town, and I think you’ll find it just as enchanting as I do. If you have been there, I’m very jealous! Open Your Imagination, Courtney’s fairy garden shop, fits perfectly in this charming village.
Daryl Wood Gerber brings the characters to life with her ability to write relatable characters. You might not relate to the younger Courtney, but there’s always one character that I “bond” with in the books. Now, I certainly don’t have the money that Violet Vickers, patron of the arts, has, but her lively and energetic personality reminds me of how my grandma was at that age. So, if I could be a character in this book, I’d be Violet. I also love Courtney’s neighbor along with her neighbor’s sisters. I’ve got two sisters, so I love reading how these three interact with each other. Then, of course, there are the fairies! I love seeing Courtney’s fairy become more mature as the books progress. This is one reason I always recommend reading the series in order. You can enjoy them totally on their own, but seeing how the characters change throughout the books makes them all the more enjoyable.
A Flicker of a Doubt has lots of twists and turns to follow as you work on solving the mystery along with Courtney. I’ll admit, I changed my mind a few times as to whodunit, but eventually I figured out who the murderer was.
I highly recommend A Flicker of a Doubt by Daryl Wood Gerber. It’s a magically enchanting cozy mystery with a charming setting, a variety of well-written characters, and a twisty mystery to solve. I’m excited to read the next book!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
Character Guest Post
Hi, I’m Courtney Kelly, and I own a fairy garden store called Open Your Imagination in Carmel, California. If you aren’t familiar with the area, Carmel is a delightful village filled with artists of all kinds. It became a haven for painters and authors after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.
What’s a fairy garden store, you ask? It’s a place where you can make a fairy garden, of course. What’s a fairy garden? It’s a whimsical miniature garden, if you will, complete with plants—living or faux—and decked out with structures like fairy houses or castles or huts, as well as swings and slides and whatever suits your fancy. Of course, you can add fairy figurines to create a story. When making a fairy garden, you’re trying to lure fairies to your home to bring good luck.
Good luck might be needed in my world right about now. My best friend Meaghan’s ex-boyfriend, Nicholas, has come back to town. He is a very talented artist, but he’s got a temper. When he left town a while ago, I breathed a sigh of relief for Meaghan. As the co-owner of Flair, an art gallery, she didn’t need to deal with his bluster and swagger. But he’s back, and he’s already making waves. In fact, he went toe-to-toe with another artist in front of Meaghan. Between you and me, I think the other artist has a thing for Meaghan, and Nicholas is jealous. Nicholas has locked horns with others, too. Namely, his brother as well as Meaghan’s partner. In addition, he’s left behind him a string of broken arts.
Fiona, my righteous fairy, is worried to distraction that Nicholas will do something bad.
What’s a righteous fairy? Oh, my, I’m sorry, I forget that not everyone knows about fairy distinctions. In fact, some people don’t even believe in fairies. Can you believe it? Well, here’s what I can tell you. There are four classes of fairies: intuitive, righteous, guardian, and nurturer. Fiona is a righteous fairy, meaning she needs to bring resolution to embattled souls. Some tease her and call her a sleuth fairy. She has been very helpful to me in solving a few crimes.
Anyway, to distract Fiona as well as myself, I’ve been spending a lot of time making fairy gardens to display at the tea and art event that one of my favorite customers is throwing on her gorgeous estate to benefit the theater foundation. And yes, both Nicholas and the other artist will be featured. I just hope everything goes according to plan. If Nicholas lashes out . . .
No, I won’t think about that right now. He has to behave. The foundation event has to go off without a hitch.
About Daryl Wood Gerber
Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling Fairy Garden Mysteries, Cookbook Nook Mysteries, and French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes the Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense as well as stand-alone suspense. Daryl loves to cook, fairy garden, and read. She has a frisky Goldendoodle who keeps her in line. And she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane and hitch-hike around Ireland alone. You can learn more on her website: httsp://darylwoodgerber.com
Author Links
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Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop
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Flicker of a Doubt TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 21 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 21 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 22 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
March 22 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 23 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 23 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, RECIPE
March 23 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
March 24 – Books to the Ceiling – SPOTLIGHT & PODCAST
March 24 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
March 24 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
March 24 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
March 24 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
March 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 25 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
March 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
March 26 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
March 26 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 26 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 27 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
March 27 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 27 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
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Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like a book I will enjoy reading.
Oh I really love book swag!! And this one looks really great!
Christy, thanks so much for the terrific review. I’m so happy you enjoyed Violet. She reminds me of many wonderful women I knew growing up, including my grandmother. 🙂 And I, too, enjoy Courtney’s neighbors. Those three sisters tickle me whenever they come on the page. Thanks for sharing the review and the post with your readers. Fairy best wishes. ~ Daryl
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping and for the fun!
Love the covers and the tote.
Sounds like a really good read.
I love the cover art. The colors are amazing.
Such a great title. It has me curious what the doubt is and makes me want to read the book. Cute cover art too
A Flicker of a Doubt (A Fairy Garden Mystery) sounds wonderful! Best wishes!
Sounds like a great cozy series!