Kill Them with Canvas
Chloe Abbington and her sister, Izzie, are enjoying huge success running Paint with a View, their paint party business in the tranquil western New York lakeside town of Whisper Cove. Now, their aunt Constance, president of the local chapter of the Chautauqua Sisterhood, has hooked them up with a gig hosting a Halloween painting party. The guests will be painting a local ghost legend, the Lady of Chautauqua Lake, who died a hundred years earlier and rises from the lake every October to haunt anyone who dares venture out on All Hallows’ Eve.
The event seems to be going off without a hitch until Chloe overhears an argument between Constance and Viola Finnwinkle, the Sisterhood director, about the fate of the local chapter. Both women leave, and the sisters finish their paint party. But the next morning, Viola’s body is discovered floating face down near the town ferryboat dock, her long red hair spread around her. Eerily, the image is an exact replica of a painting Chloe and Izzie had discovered at the event the night before, complete with a ghost.
What’s more, the police find Constance’s purple knit hat lying on the ground near the crime scene. Constance pleads innocence, saying the hat mysteriously went missing during the event. Frantic that she might be charged with murder, she begs Chloe and Izzie to help her. The sisters believe their aunt is innocent, but if so, who’s the real killer, and when will the next victim turn up?
The Details
Series: A Paint by Murder Mystery – Book #2
Author: Bailee Abbott
Genre/Category: Cozy – Hobby/Holiday
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
ISBN: 1639101047
Page Count: 320
Rating: 
The Review
Okay, so here is the thing, I didn’t hate this book, but neither did I love it. It wasn’t the worst book I have ever read, but it certainly isn’t the best. I was not in love with any of the characters. There comes a point when the flaws of the characters outweigh the good. And in Kill Them with Canvas, this certainly holds true. The paint party and legendary ghost sightings simply aren’t enough to cover up the exaggerated characteristic, the crying, fainting, etc… on top of all of that, accusing everyone of the crime diminish the good parts to the point you can’t tell the difference.
The initial murder and evidence point directly at Chloe and Izzie’s aunt. There is no getting around the fact that they argued and were overheard by a room full of people at the paint party, and left at the same time. The ghost portrait that the sisters find after the event points to the victim, even though there hasn’t even been a victim yet. The evidence keeps leading them and the police directly to Aunt Constance. The other suspects are as overblown as the main characters, and there is just too much of everything.
As for the storyline, it was a good idea. The paint party and the Halloween legend of the ghost, the lady of the lake, are as old as time, and for that reason, it is not original but makes for an easy plot to follow. The killer was fairly easy to spot and, in some readers’ cases, may have been too easy. The ending was almost predictable. I had hoped for more growth throughout the book but was disappointed that there was very little overall. Chloe and Izzie need to mature a bit more before this series can be top-notch. On the other hand, Kill Them with Canvas has some interesting chapters, and the entire series holds the promise of better things to come.
The Author
Kathryn Long’s passion, Aka Bailee Abbott, is writing mysteries, creating intricate details, and weaving them together into the clues that the reader will enjoy collecting to solve the crime. She’s worn many hats over the years, bookseller, teacher, mom, wife, and author.
When the writing and the creative muse take a break and maybe find a little inspiration, Kathryn loves to travel to a sunny beach or a mountain retreat. Kathryn lives in the City of Green, located in northeast Ohio, with her husband and little pooch, Max.
Other Halloween ghost stories readers will enjoy include Be My Ghost from Carol J Perry’s “A Haunted Haven Mystery” series, or readers may want to check out E. J. Copperman’s, The Hostess With the Ghostess from the “A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery” series.
Represented by: Blue Ridge Literary Agency
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