New Release Review ~ Dead Amid the Dogwoods (Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth Book 5) by Cassidy Salem

Nothing disrupts a celebration quite like an uninvited corpse.

Adina already knows the city can be a dangerous place. That’s why she’s looking forward to a stress-free weekend in rural Pennsylvania with her favorite detective. Maybe not all that stress-free. They are attending an engagement party and Adina will be meeting Jonathan’s family for the first time.
Except the holiday weekend takes a deadly turn when leading industrialists, a hard-core environmentalist, and a bevy of wealthy partygoers converge on the Riverfront Lodge, and the couple stumbles upon yet another dead body. Drawn into the ensuing investigation, making a good impression on Jonathan’s parents is the least of her worries.

A standalone novella, Dead amid the Dogwoods is the fifth mystery in the Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth Series.

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~ * ~ Heather‘s Review ~ * ~

5 Stars

Dead Amid the Dogwoods is the fifth book in the Adina Donati Series, and you must read these books in order! This series is everything I want in a cozy mystery series. As Adina’s everyday life, she’s going about her day when she finds herself involved in a murder mystery. I read a lot of cozy mysteries, and one of my favorite things about this series is that she’s not sticking her nose in because she thinks she’s the only one who can solve the mystery. It’s not a forced situation but seems natural, especially in this book.

I require books to have strong female characters, and that is Adina. Adina began dating someone in previous books, and this book is about a year into their relationship. Previous books focused more on Adina’s friendships, but this one was about her relationship. And I enjoyed seeing her relationship progress but also seeing her alongside Jonathan on the murder.

I loved this book just as much as I loved the previous four! This cozy mystery felt more like the focus was on Adina and Jonathan and their weekend than the mystery, but I enjoyed that because it felt natural. It would have been odd for them to have a weekend together and not focus on them.

It’s been two years since I read the previous book in this series, and when I was getting ready to read this one, I was worried about remembering the characters and details. I have a terrible time remembering individual books and series because of the amount I read. I usually go back and reread a series to familiarize myself with it. I did not need to with this series. As soon as I started this book, I felt like I was back with old friends. For me, that says a lot.

I didn’t figure out who the culprit was in this book, but there were a lot of characters to consider. In previous reviews, I’ve mentioned that the author has created characters that I’d love to be friends with from a distance, and that hasn’t changed! The more I read about Adina, the more I like her. Whether you’re new to cozy mysteries or an experienced cozy mystery sleuth, this is a series you should be reading. The characters feel like real people. The author’s writing is enjoyable and pulls you into the story.

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.