Retro Reading: Panic Button by Kylie Logan

You really don't think too much about buttons on a daily bases. Sure one might fall off but that's probably about the only time you think about them. Enter Kylie Logan and her Button Box Mysteries.

In the third installment of the series Panic Button Logan takes us on a journey regarding charm strings made out of buttons in the Victorian era. The legend of them stated that when a girl reached one thousand buttons she would meet her beloved (this was something I did not know but don't know if the practice is still done today). Unfortunately, for Angela Morningside who has one, she thinks the one she has is cursed.

And she was right since she becomes the third victim in the series. All because of buttons.

Unlike the first two novels, Josie finds a mystery within a mystery as a reservoir near Angela's town is being drained for some repairs. When the reservoir was constructed the existing town was flooded and now a long ago murder has the chance to be solved with the help of Josie Giancola.

What makes this installment interesting is the uncovering of the old town. Logan literally gives you the feeling you're walking amongst the waterlogged buildings. It really seems like it would be a cool experience to visit a city that had been underwater. Her description of the rotted wood smell and muddy earth really make you feel as though you're there right alongside Josie.

As with the earlier installments, what I've liked is Hogan takes the reader out of Josie's button shop which makes the story more refreshing. If all of the action took place in the shop then it would become mundane. Although when the story is set at the shop, the pace does tend to slow down since it's usually Josie alone in the shop. This has usually been the downfall of the series.

While buttons aren't the most exciting basis for a mystery, you'll be glad you decided to read this series since it is fresh and you just might learn something along the way about buttons.