Olive Bright, Pigeoneer by Stephanie Graves

Reviewed by Chewie the Mouse

I have so many good things to say about "Olive Bright, Pigeoneer", a historical cozy mystery!

1. Olive herself is wonderful! Her character is very well-written, detailed, and realistic. I enjoyed learning a bit about her past as I got to know her through the storyline. She has plenty of room to grow, and I think she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to.

2. Several other characters added a great deal to the story, and I hope to see more of them in future books. In particular, Hen, Violet, and Jamie still have plenty of character development and back-story revelations to look forward to!

3. The historical aspect: This book is set in England during World War II, but it focuses on a less-popular part of history. Instead of being on the front lines, the reader gets a close look at what life was like in a small (fighting-free) village during the war. Since Olive and her father train messenger pigeons and hope to have them used for the war effort, I learned a lot about the role of pigeons in wartime, which was fascinating.

4. The mystery storyline was excellent, with plenty of suspects, suspicious behavior, real clues, and red herrings. Olive makes a very competent investigator as she tries to follow in the footsteps of Hercule Poirot, her literary hero. The final reveal made perfect sense, and left plenty of room for further developments in the next book.

5. The slow-burn romance: I liked the way this was written. In this initial installment, the two characters are just getting to know each other. I appreciated that they weren't rushed into romance by the author. I'm now invested in them, and look forward to watching them get to know each other better in future books.

6. This is book one in a new series! I am very happy about this, as I am eager to see what happens next for Olive and her friends, and to get further glimpses into pigeon-craft.

All in all, five out of five slices of perfect Provolone!