Must Read Small Town Cozy Mystery

Hammers and Homicide

Book One in the Hometown Hardware Mystery Series

Hammers and Homicide

Hammers and Homicide is the first book in the Hometown Hardware Mystery Series by Paula Charles. The story is set in Pine Bluff, Oregon, a small charming mountain town with a population of about 1,200 people. The series sleuth is 62-year-old Dawna Carpenter, a spirited widow who has taken over the hometown hardware store that she owned with her late husband, Bob.

Dawna has several adult children, the youngest of whom has returned to Pine Bluff to keep Dawna out of trouble (as if). Although Dawna is happy to have family nearby, she is pretty sure she doesn’t need a babysitter. After all, she keeps smelling coffee and sawdust (Bob’s signature scent), so she figures there’s a good chance he’s still floating around looking after her.

When Dawna stumbles on a dead body in the hardware, she decides April might be the perfect sidekick to help her figure out how he got there.

Reasons to Read Hammers and Homicide

Hammers and Homicide was one of the best cozy mystery debuts of 2024. It has all of the elements that cozy mystery readers love best: a charming small town, a relatable sleuth, lighthearted moments, a puzzling mystery, a great community, yummy food descriptions, and heartfelt relationships. There’s even a sweet little cat named Lilac.

Dawna is a delightful amateur sleuth. She is kind, intelligent, and very likable. She may be a sleuth of a certain age, but she isn’t spending her days in an easy chair knitting. Dawna is an active lady. She walks to work and gardens and hangs out with her friends at Johnny Cash tribute concerts in the park. Her liveliness and sense of community are reminiscent of Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote.

April, Dawna’s youngest and feistiest adult daughter, makes the perfect sidekick. Dawna and April tease each other, look out for each other, and experience growth in their relationship as they investigate various suspects. Their partnership creates heartwarming moments and even makes some scenes more suspenseful.

To top everything off, the writing in Hammers and Homicide is just plain good. Paula Charles writes meticulously crafted descriptions and authentic dialogue. They ring true and help make the small-town setting and characters more believable. (Tip: Be ready to eat some fried chicken, watermelon, and pie because this book will make you very hungry!)

Hammers and Homicide was selected as a Woman’s World Book Club Pick just two weeks after its release and has received glowing editorial and reader reviews. The story is set during the summer, making it a good summer read as well as a good winter read (when we all need a dose of summer!).

Hammers and Homicide is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. The hardcover is 288 pages, and the Kindle book is 259 pages. The audiobook is 7 hours and 26 minutes long and narrated by Petrea Burchard, who does a great job of bringing the characters to life.

What Readers Say About Hammers and Homicide

Fun Fact About the Hometown Hardware Mysteries

Paula Charles' grandparents, Leoma Dallas Simmons and Rolin Simmons, were the inspiration for Dawna and Bob Carpenter, two key characters in the Hometown Hardware Mystery Series. Rolin worked as a building contractor, and Leoma ran the hardware store and lumber yard that they owned in the small town where Paula grew up. See a picture of Paula's grandparents and learn more about the similarities and differences between Leoma Dallas Simmons and amateur sleuth Dawna Carpenter.

Book Two in the Hometown Hardware Mystery Series

Axe Me No Questions (Book 2)

In Axe Me No Questions, Dawna Carpenter is enjoying some fall fun at the annual Pine Bluff Timber Festival. There’s pumpkin pie, lots of tasty chili, Lumberjack and Lumberjill contests, and other festive activities.

Unfortunately for Pine Bluff, the fun is cut short when a lumberjack is struck down with his own axe. The local police chief investigates and asks Dawna to keep her eyes open. Of course, her curiosity gets the best of her, and she decides to do some full-blown snooping. With a killer on the loose and suspects piling up like leaves, Dawna’s going to need someone to watch her back so she doesn’t get the axe.

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Paula Charles

To learn how Paula Charles created the cozy setting and characters for the Hometown Hardware Mysteries, check out this bonus Cozy Crime Reads interview with Paula Charles.

Paula Charles writes the Zen Goat Mystery Series under the name Janna Rollins.

Other Books by Paula Charles

Paula Charles also writes the Zen Goat Mystery Series under the name Janna Rollins. This cozy mystery series features an amateur sleuth named Callie who moves to Bobwhite Hollow, New Hampshire, to meet a relative she didn’t know she had. Callie decides to stay and open a goat yoga studio. When a guest is murdered during a yoga retreat, Callie has to sleuth her way out of trouble.

Paula Charles Cozy Mystery Bookshelf

Use the arrows on either side of the images below to see cozy mystery books written by Paula Charles. Click on the image to see the book on Amazon.