Vinyl Resting Place Review: A Cozy Mystery with Sisterhood & Small-Town Charm

Read time: 4 minutes

🎧 Listened in audio
📢 Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella
⏱ Duration: 9 hours
🏷️ Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks and Tantor Media (December 27, 2022)

Book Blurb:

Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie are betting everything on Sip & Spin Records—a record shop meets coffee bar in Cedar River, Texas. Their grand opening plans derail spectacularly when they discover a dead body in the supply closet. Things spiral faster than a warped vinyl when their beloved Uncle Calvin gets arrested for murder by Juni’s ex-boyfriend-turned-cop, Beau. The sisters put up their fledgling business as bail collateral, only to have Uncle Calvin vanish into thin air. Now Juni and her sisters must solve the murder before they lose everything: their uncle’s freedom, their family business, and possibly their lives.

Let’s talk … murder!!!

I picked this up as a filler. A palate cleanser between heavier reads. I wasn’t expecting much, maybe some quirky small-town charm, a predictable whodunit, the usual cozy mystery formula. What I got instead was Olivia Blacke serving up sisterhood goals wrapped in a murder investigation.

Juni, Tansy, and Maggie feel real in a way that sneaks up on you. Their banter, their loyalty, the way they show up for each other, is the emotional backbone that elevates this beyond your standard cozy mystery. Now, about Beau. This man broke Juni’s heart years ago, shows up as the arresting officer, and somehow still manages to act like he holds the moral high ground. The audacity. He wasn’t just annoying, he was the human equivalent of a skip in your favorite song. Every scene with him had me yelling at my earbuds. But honestly, that’s good writing. A character who gets under your skin that effectively is doing his job. The supporting cast adds even more texture. The family dynamics, especially with their mother and uncle, bring warmth and stakes that kept me invested.

The pacing flows well for the most part, and the audiobook narration by Nicol Zanzarella brings a lively, personable energy that fits the tone perfectly. What started as a “just passing time” read quickly turned into a “wait, I need the next book” situation.

Would I recommend it?

This is cozy mystery comfort food with actual substance. The sisterhood is beautifully written, the mystery kept me guessing, and the Cedar River setting feels like a town I’d actually want to visit (murder aside). If you love found family vibes, small-town charm, and mysteries that don’t sacrifice character development for plot twists, grab this one.

Read Next: If You Loved Vinyl Resting Place

• Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton — Small-town outsider starts a new business venture and immediately stumbles into murder; similar fish-out-of-water energy with a British countryside twist.
  Indiebooks.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• Murder at the Lobstah Shack by Shari Randall (Lobster Shack Mystery #1) — Another family business cozy with sisters running a Maine seafood shack while solving murders; same warm family dynamics, coastal charm instead of Texas twang.
  Indiebooks.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• The Bookshop Mystery Series by Ellery Adams (Books, Biscuits, and Burglary #1) — Small-town business owner turned sleuth in the Appalachian Mountains with strong community ties and Southern hospitality—perfect for that cozy small-town vibe.
  Indiebooks.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• Well Played by Jen DeLuca (Well Met #2) — Not a mystery, but if the Juni/Beau second-chance romance tension grabbed you, this Renaissance Faire romance delivers banter, small-town charm, and a swoon-worthy slow burn.
  Indiebooks.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
• Killer Content by Olivia Blacke (Brooklyn Murder Mystery #1) — Same author, different series—this one follows a Brooklyn social media manager solving murders, perfect if you loved Blacke’s voice and want a more urban setting.
  Indiebooks.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy

Ever Picked Up a “Stopgap Read” That Became an Obsession?

I’d love to hear about books that surprised you! What was the last series you stumbled into accidentally and ended up devouring?

Book Links:

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