Board to Death

Ben Rosencrantz really needs a win. Just on the heels of a recent divorce and quitting his job as an English professor in Seattle, he’s back living in his hometown of Sugar House and helping to run his family’s struggling board game shop and cafe while caring for his ill father. When a local toy and board game collector with a shady past turns up dead outside Ben’s store less than 24 hours after their argument, Ben will need to find the real killer before the next roll of the dice sends him directly to jail.

This mystery was so much fun! I listened to the audio book, which was narrated by the author’s husband. It was a little unpolished, but I didn’t distract too much from the story. The pacing was a little slow at times, but it didn’t bother me that much because I enjoyed spending time with all the characters even outside of the mystery plot. Ezra from the flower shop was the perfect blend of sidekick sleuth and love interest. So many times in cozy mysteries, the amateur sleuth’s family/friends are forced into the Kill Joy role, simply trailing along behind them nagging, but Ezra was refreshingly supportive and at times even more gung ho than Ben. Their easy chemistry was nicely blended with the blushing awkwardness of a new potential romance. I can’t wait to read the next one in this series!

In honour of Ben and Ezra, I crocheted a little board game piece 😁