Photo Finished- A Picture Perfect Cozy Mystery by Christin Brecher
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Web ID: 16836259A Big City Cozy!
Dollycas's Thoughts Liv Spyer is an eager young photographer ready to find her place among New York's vast event and portrait picture-taking world. She has a small studio/apartment below her grandparents’ West Village brownstone where they live and run their key shop. She hopes portraits for the upcoming holiday season will keep her studio afloat. Then she meets Regina Montague, the well-known events photographer. Regina offers her a job on the spot which she quickly accepts. She will be capturing moments at the exclusive New York City Holiday Debutante Ball. Liv knows this event could change her life so she tries to get all the shots she can and be in the right places at the right times. Then she finds herself in the entirely wrong place at the entirely wrong time. She finds her new boss Regina Montague standing over the very dead body of billionaire Charlie Archibald. With Regina prominent in the lens of Detective Thorne, Liv decides to sharpen her focus on the photos she took at the ball. Can she find clues within the pictures? Will she be able to reveal the real killer? Or will she be overexposed and find that the killer has zoomed in on her as their next victim? I enjoyed meeting Liv Spyer, her parents, and her grandparents. They are genuine people with good hearts watching out for each other every day. She also has a 4-year-old baby sister who will steal the hearts of everyone she meets. Liv is sharp and has a keen eye for detail which makes her a great photographer and a capable amateur sleuth. We meet several interesting characters throughout the story, like Harry who appeared to be a random man on the train and stuck around to play a key part in the story. We also meet his aunt with an interesting background and successful commercial photographer Regina Montague and her assistant Manjeet. All the characters evolved over the course of the story and gained a great amount of depth for the first book in a series. I love that this series is set in New York City and not the usual cozy mystery small town. It was fun to travel up and down the streets, on the trains, and to many other big city hot spots. The photography theme is unique and entertaining too. It is clear it is Liv's passion. The mystery was more complicated than I originally thought it was. It had different elements to concentrate on in addition to the several suspects. I enjoyed the way Liv approached her investigation. She closely examined the photos she had taken and didn't shy away from asking questions in an effort to follow each clue no matter how small. After several twists and turns, her focus became clearer leading up to a compelling reveal that had me giggling just a bit. Photo Finished is an excellent start for this series. The mystery was very well-plotted and the entire story was very well-written. It is filled with engaging characters, a fair amount of humor, and just a bit of romance. A big city cozy mystery that captured my interest in a New York minute. I am excited to see where Liv Spyers' cameras take her next.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Ridiculous premise.
The idea that a member of the royal family would be permitted to take his date into the tower of London and 'try on ' the crown jewels, and steal one is the most ridiculous idea I've run across yet. And without that the entire story falls apart. Skip it there re better out there.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun Cozy Mystery!
What a fun cozy mystery! This book follows Liv Spryers who is an aspiring photographer. I loved everything about this cozy from the setting to the characters. I loved Liv’s character and how observant she was as she tried to solve the murder. This was an excellent, fast paced cozy mystery that I didn’t want to put down. I enjoyed every second of this book and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, Mugshots Of Manhattan.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Start to a New Series
A perfect start to a new series! I loved getting to know Liv and her family, as well as Harry, Regina, and Manjeet. The mystery was well-paced and the story itself drew you in to high society in NYC. My favorite thing was how the city itself was incorporated into the story, showing that cozies can be set in big cities without losing the cozy feel. The photography angle was also interesting and I enjoyed learning more about the business and getting the perfect shot. Looking forward to the next in the series!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun series kick off!
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.] 4 stars - Great! Might re-read. A fun, clever mystery with a great ending. Loved the main character and the hook of using event photos - and her photographer's eye for detail - to help with the case! Enjoyed the secondary characters, too. Would read more with these characters!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great start to a new series
Photo Finished is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Christin Brecher. While I’ve read a great number of cozy mysteries over the years, this is the first time I can remember where the main character is a photographer. Not that there is anything wrong with the countless series staring chefs and bakers (because there are a ton of series featuring such characters that I love) but I always appreciate when an author throws in a unique wrinkle. Liv Spyers, college drop out and former Starbucks barista, has taken a shot at her dream, opening her own photography studio. Sure it’s a barely bigger than a postage stamp, but you have to start somewhere. And now she thinks her big break is at hand as she’s going to help out at THE social event of the season. But when a billionaire turns up dead and the woman that hired her is the prime suspect Liv fears her career my be over before it truly begins…so of course she’s determined to help uncover the truth. When it comes to cozy mysteries, for me, it’s all about the characters. Don’t get me wrong, the mystery is of course important as well, but if I don’t like the characters I won’t really care what happens. Well I’m happy to say Liv and the rest of the cast are a ton of fun, so for me this series is off to a ‘killer’ start (yes, pun intended, lol). I’d like to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Photo Finished.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved This Book
Setting the Scene: In this new series, Photographer Liv Speyers lives in the ground floor studio of her grandparents' 4 story brownstone in New York City, where they have a locksmith/key making business. She has only to step over the threshold of her small bedroom to enter her photography studio. She has hopes, dreams, and talent. Then she has one of those worst of times best of times days when she loses her camera bag to a complete stranger on the subway and then gets an opportunity to work for one of the most prestigious photography studio in the City, and so it begins - An adventure into the world of debutantes, high finance, and murder. What I Thought: I will start with, "I loved it." This was a perfect first in series from the characters to the setting to the story. Both Liv's photography business and her grandparents' business are unique and play key roles in the story. Her family is inviting. The characters were well developed, and you just want to sit down to a meal at Granny's table or maybe don a beautiful dress and heels for a night at a gala or both. Though very much set in the current day, this book often has the feel of a golden era mystery. The mystery was well done, with enough twists, side discoveries, and suspects to keep the reader guessing, and Liv and Harry make a good team. I very much look forward to the next in this series. #photofinished #christinbrecher #cozymysteries #bibliophile #booklovers #bookrecommendations #strongfemaleleave #strongwomen #photography #Kensingtonbooks #Kensingtonpublishingcompany
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
First in a new series!
Liv Spyers is trying to live her dream of become a professional photographer. To help makes ends meet she lives with, and works for, her grandparents and runs a small studio out of her apartment in their basement. After all, a girl has to hustle to make her dreams come true, and Liv is willing to work hard for it. When asked by a famous photographer to help shoot photos of debutants at a coming out party, Liv feels like this may be her lucky break. But when one of the attendees is murdered and Regina is the main suspect, Liv has to step in to save Regina and her own dreams! Will Liv be able to figure out who killed Charlie Archibald, or will she best left exposed? First in a new series, this one has promise. I really enjoy the characters and Liv is a hoot! She’s my kinda girl! If you’re from the Tri-State area, you too will fall in love with our very own homegirl!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com