Book Review: Murder at the Toy Solider by Maddie Day

Murder at the Toy Soldier (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #8) by Maddie Day opens with Mackenzie "Mac" Almeda and her husband Tim having full custody of her sister in law's children Ella and Luca. Mac has finished shopping at the Toy Soldier for Ella's birthday when she notices a strange interaction with a potential customer at the store. Later that day, Mac goes to pick up her purchases that have been gift wrapped, only to find the salesperson, Zia, dead behind the counter. Who murdered her and why?

A huge thank you goes to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Murder at the Toy Soldier. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review.

This installment in the Cozy Capers Group Mystery book series was only my second time reading a book in this particular series by Maddie Day and was me giving it a chance for it to grow on me. And, it actually did. I enjoyed the characters a lot better this time around. 

I found Mackenzie to be more likable, and of course, I already liked her husband Tim. Where can I find a husband like him? The supporting characters were a lot more likable as well. With that said, I didn't particularly care for Mac's mother Astra in this book because she was being so secretive with Mac. Additionally, I found June Fadiman to be extremely unlikable because she seemed so aloof and cynical. She's so different from her son August, who's a cop. Despite the store owner's sour disposition, I didn't suspect her in the death of her employee, Zia.

However, people I did suspect of the murder were the senator visiting town and his assistant. Both characters were unlikable for very different reasons. The senator was a total jackass, and his assistant was so unassertive and a total "yes man" ... just so very weak and had no backbone. I couldn't pinpoint one specific reason why I suspected them, but they just seemed off for lack of a better word. Another character I suspected was Zane's cousin's son who was staying with and working for him at the hardware store. This particular relative of Zane was an all around jerk, and there was absolutely no redeeming qualities about him. Everything this character did was suspicious. 

Was I right in my suspicions of who the murderer, or murderers, were? You'll have to read Murder at the Toy Soldier for yourself to find out. All in all, I enjoyed this story a lot better than its predecessor. I gave it a solid four out of five stars and will likely go back to read the series from the beginning at some point.

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