Retro Reading: Stamped Out by Terri Thayer
This Should Have Been Stamped to Death
At what point do you say you've had enough?
For anyone thinking of reading the first stamping sisters mystery the best advice is to stamp this off of your list of potential mystery reads.
Main character April Buchert returns to her native city of Aldenville, PA after a failed marriage and a sabotaged career thanks to her ex-husband. With the hope of rebuilding her life, she's ready for a fresh start and begins to work alongside her father, Ed, to restore the town's famous Winchester mansion.
Even though April's been in town less than 24 hours, she takes over her best friend Deana's "stamping meeting" (a group of women come over to make stuff with rubber stamps) which fits in perfectly for April who is a stamper in the real world.
During the stamping meeting April's reacquainted with a few of the citizens she grew up with and then the next morning while at the job site, a human skull is found among the debris of the abandoned guesthouse. All fingers point to April's father who originally oversaw the building's construction years ago.
Normally when I've read a mystery the scene is set up within the first chapter or two (never over 30 pages) but the "action" here doesn't get started until page 70 and there are so many characters that it slowed down the pace of the book (not that this is very exciting or a fast read to begin with). There were so many times I wanted to put this book down and forget about it but in all fairness I kept reading.
Not so and I wouldn't recommend this book.
