the rhythm is going to get you

When Juni Jessup moved back to Texas to open a record store with her sisters, she had no idea that selling vinyl and fancy coffees would end up with her investigating a murder. And she really didn’t think she would end up investigating three murders, but that’s where she finds herself.

While Sip & Spin Records is doing okay so far, it’s still a young business, and that makes things a little dicey. When a guy she knew from college contacted her with an opportunity for an investor, she is reluctant to talk to him, but she lets him talk her into going to a hockey game. Zack sprang for a luxury box for the hockey game, so he and his partner Savannah could use the breaks to try to show Juni why their investing in the record store would be a win for everyone. But Zack kept getting a little too close to her, and her date, Beau, doesn’t like that any more than Juni does.

Juni can’t bring in new investors without her sisters’ approval, and after watching Zack drink a lot and flirt with her through the game didn’t endear him to her, so after the game, they go their separate ways. Juni and Beau head back to Cedar River for the night, and they get home before the rainstorm hits. While Juni isn’t too worried about her sister Tansy’s house, where she’s been living too, Juni and Tansy are worried about the store, which could be more likely to flood. Then they lose power, and a quick check of her phone tells Juni that they’ve lost the cell tower as well.

At the store, they hunt down the store cat Daffy and get her locked into the cat carrier, so they can take her to the house. And while they mop up the water that’s gotten into the shop, Juni sees headlights outside of the store. There is a car moving way too quickly, especially for the storm. It falls to its side and crashes into Tansy’s car, and the sisters run outside to check on the occupants. By the time they get to the car, there is no one in the driver’s seat, but Juni recognizes the passenger. It’s Zack, and he’s not moving. Later, after the police and ambulance have left, they find Savannah hiding in their store. She admits she’d been driving and had gotten scared and ran away.

Because so many of the locals were told to evacuate their homes, the police station is too chaotic to take Savannah in and question her about the accident, so the Jessup sisters take her to their place for the night. When Juni asks her what had happened, she explains that there had been someone in the road, and they had thrown something at the windshield. It had been too dark for Savannah to tell who that was, but her story lines up with the what the police found at the scene, as there was a brick at Zack’s feet and the windshield had been shattered.

In the aftermath of the storm, Juni decides to look around and try to find out who had wanted Zack dead. She talks to a couple of small business owners who had Zack and Savannah invest. Some loved them, some hated them. But did they hate Zack enough to kill him? And if Juni is trying to find the answer that, does that mean that the killer might target her next?

Rhythm and Clues is the third in Olivia Blacke’s Record Shop Mystery, and it’s another fun mystery set in small town Texas. This one has the signature punny names for the coffee drinks and the strong family ties that keep the Jessup clan so close. There is the typical Texas storm that comes up out of nowhere and the tension that comes from Juni dating two guys at once. There is a good balance between the mystery and the records and coffee, and as a fun twist, the local first responders have a pool going on whether Juni is going to show up at the site of a crime.

Rhythm and Clues is a frothy murder mystery with lots of family love and good-hearted teasing. I like the character of Juni a lot, and I think her sisters are a good balance for her. There is a lot to like about these mysteries, and while I wouldn’t quite call them perfect, I will definitely be looking for the next one in the series to see where Juni ends up next. This is turning into a solid cozy mystery series, and those coffee names definitely make these worth the time to read.

Egalleys for Rhythm and Clues were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.