A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber

"A Sprinkling of Murder" is the first book in a new cozy series, and author Daryl Wood Gerber does not disappoint! I am a huge fan of the author, and was eager to give this new series a try. I'm very glad that I did. First, this is a magical realism cozy, meaning that it's mostly a regular-world story, but with a bit of magic added in. In this case, that magical element comes in the form of fairies being real. Main character Courtney saw fairies as a child, and has recently opened her own fairy garden shop. She has a resident fairy names Fiona, who is very much an active character in the story. I especially enjoyed that certain adults (who truly believe) can see and interact with the fairies. Animals and some children can see them as well. It is important to note that, while Fiona and other fairies have special gifts and powers, they do NOT sweep in and magically solve the entire mystery. Instead, they help by observing and providing useful information. Courtney is left to her own devices to utilize this information as she tries to unravel what really happened to the victim. There are plenty of characters and suspects, but a handy "who's who" guide is provided at the start of the book. My advice is to NOT read over it upfront....instead, refer back to it if you come across a character you don't remember. The list looks overwhelming if you tackle it first....I found that by meeting the characters as they appeared in the story, I had no trouble keeping everyone straight. On the subject of characters, Courtney is a great one! She is realistic, with real-life strengths, relationships, and problems. Her open heart and faith (which allows her to see fairies) make her even more likeable. I also enjoyed meeting her father, friends, and frenemies, and look forward to seeing these relationship evolve over the course of the series. (I'd especially love to see Courtney's dad have a bigger role next time around.) The mystery itself was ideal, with plenty of possible suspects and motives to keep things interesting, but never so many that things became confusing. In the end, I was satisfied with who the guilty party was, and with the motive. Everything made sense, and the savvy reader could have figured it out with the clues provided, but not too early in the story. I'll conclude that I loved the addition of the fairy aspect, and am eager to learn more about the fairy world and fairy gardens in Courtney's next adventure! Five out of five perfect slices of provolone!