Read time: 4 minutes
🎧 Listened in audio
📢 Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella
⏱ Duration: 9 hours
🏷️ Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperback & Tantor Media
Book Blurb:
It’s springtime in Cedar River, Texas, and the Jessup sisters are gearing up for the annual Bluebonnet Festival. Juni, Tansy, and Maggie are keeping Sip & Spin Records humming — until the mayor drops dead, poisoned coffee cup in hand. Since Tansy brewed the fatal batch and Juni discovered the body, the sisters land squarely in the crosshairs. With a treasure hunt underway, a wayward cow causing chaos, and the whole town watching, Juni must track down a killer before the Frappuccino fully hits the fan. Family is everything to the Jessups, and that means no one goes down without a fight.
Let’s talk … murder!!!
Here’s the thing about a great cozy mystery series: by book two, you’re not just reading for the plot. You’re reading for the people. Jessup sisters have become people I genuinely want to hang out with. This time, the stakes hit closer to home with Tansy in the hot seat, and that shift made everything feel just a little sharper, a little more personal. Watching Juni barrel headfirst into danger with the energy of someone who absolutely knows better but simply cannot help herself is the kind of chaotic good that makes a cozy sing.
Nicol Zanzarella absolutely earns her unofficial fourth-Jessup-sister status here. The way she distinguishes each sister, brings Cedar River’s ensemble cast to life, and lands the comedic timing on lines that could easily fall flat in print is pure bliss. Listening to this felt less like an audiobook and more like having someone sit down and tell you the best gossip.
The mystery itself is engaging, with enough twists to keep things interesting, even if seasoned cozy readers might spot a few clues early on. But honestly, it’s the vibe that carries this series: small-town antics, festival madness, and just the right amount of absurdity (yes, including the cow moment). The pacing keeps things moving, and I found myself genuinely invested in clearing Tansy’s name.
Would I recommend it?
If you love cozy mysteries built on found family, small-town charm, and a narrator who feels like a co-star, A Fatal Groove delivers. It’s fun, comforting, and just twisty enough to keep you hooked.
Read next — 5 picks for your TBR
- Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke (Record Shop Mystery #1) – Start at the beginning. The Jessup sisters’ origin story is where the magic is built.
Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala – Family-forward, food-forward, and full of found-community warmth — a natural next read.
Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Lemon Curd Killer by Laura Childs (Tea Shop Mystery series) – Small-town charm, a beloved local shop at the center of the chaos, and ensemble cast energy.
Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower – Quirky shop setting, sibling-style bonds, and a mystery that never takes itself too seriously.
Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Death and a Pot of Chowder by Lea Wait (Maine Clambake Mystery) – If the festival-town setting grabbed you, this one delivers the same community-under-pressure energy.
Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Drop the needle: what’s your verdict?
Sisters who solve crimes together, stay together. But would YOU trust your sibling not to accidentally poison the mayor? Tell me in the comments: are you more of a Juni (charge in, ask questions never) or a Tansy (make the coffee, hope for the best)?
Get the book
Want to purchase this or any of your favourite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfil your book orders. #SupportLocal
Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Litsy
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