Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Comic Sans Murder: A Dangerous Type Mystery by Paige Shelton

Back two weeks ago for that final Wednesday in April, Jeanne reviewed No Charm Intended by Mollie Cox Bryan. Very glad to have her back today.

Treadmill Books:  Comic Sans Murder: A Dangerous Type Mystery by Paige Shelton

Star City, Utah is known for its excellent skiing, beautiful scenery, and quaint shops.  Unfortunately, it may become known for something much more notorious when a lone ski boot is found with the owner’s foot still inside.  Even worse, it appears the appendage belongs to a former resident, Lloyd Gavin, a nerd made good, who had a long standing crush on Clare Henry, aka Our Heroine.  Clare is a steady, clever girl who loves working at The Rescued Word, her family’s print shop where they do custom printing, repair typewriters, and sell stationery. The plot thickens when it turns out that Lloyd has left some very expensive, very rare typing machines for Clare, and that Lloyd was in town for some sort of private class reunion. Did Clare’s class include a murderer? Or did Lloyd run afoul of his business associates in his climb to the top?

Although this was the third in the series, it was the first one I’d read.  Shelton drew me in from the first, with the discovery of the severed foot, and then with interesting characters. Clare, of course; but also Nathan, the famous horror author who is visiting the area;  Chester, Clare’s grandfather and owner of The Rescued Word; and other invitees to the reunion. There’s enough backstory to give a sense of what has gone before, but it doesn’t bog the current story down. I also liked that the police are shown as competent and, even though Claire’s best friend Jodie is an investigating officer, they refrain from spilling all the beans to a civilian.  There’s a complicated relationship between Jodie’s brother Creighton and Clare, who were once a couple but who have gone their separate ways.  It added texture to the story without the more usual second-guessing and angst: this was a breakup that needed to happen, there is zero chance they’ll get back together, but the relationship’s end wasn’t sweetness and light.

I’m also a sucker for books that give me information along with a mystery, and I enjoyed the pieces of type and font lore.  Back in the day when I answered some online questions for funsies, there were a surprising (to me, anyway!) number of queries about the typeface used in various books. The Hoovens in this one were a bonus, since I’d never heard of these early electric typing machines before and was interested to learn about them. Who’d have thought there was an electric typewriter back in the 1920s?

And yes, there was a kitty:  Baskerville.  The covers show a calico, which would make him a rarity as calicos are usually female, but it is possible.  He doesn’t figure greatly in the story but does warm up to Nathan.

I’ll admit I thought the ending was a bit weak.  I didn’t quite buy into the explanation but it was an enjoyable ride with people I liked.  I’ll be picking up the first two in the series for a return visit, since I don’t see a fourth as coming out soon.