Blog Tour and Giveaway: Too Much to Candle by Sarah E. Burr

Too Much to Candle (Glenmyre Whim Mysteries)

Cozy Mystery/Paranormal
2nd in Series

Setting: A fictional town in upstate New York called Crucible

Independently Published (October 13, 2022)

Number of Pages: 249

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B1QT8XL8

Synopsis:

Candlemaker Hazel Wickbury sets out again to bring the truth to light.

Iggy Alewell, Hazel Wickbury’s friend and candle shop assistant, is eager to purchase his own home with the advance from his first big book deal. Iggy is on the hunt for something with character, so what could be better than the old Cragmire house that’s rumored to have buried treasure somewhere on its property? Hazel is thrilled her friend has found success, but things in Crucible take a nasty turn when another potential buyer for the Cragmire house goes missing. He was last seen taking a boat out on Lake Glenmyre, and when the rental is found empty, it’s clear to police that foul play is involved.

What’s worse is that Iggy becomes the prime suspect in the man’s disappearance, and Detective Holden Whitfield’s thorny, new partner is certain Iggy is guilty. To clear Iggy from suspicion and dispel the darkness penetrating their beloved town, Hazel and her Aunt Poppy team up again to find a killer before their friend gets burned. Return to Crucible in Too Much to Candle, Book Two in the award-winning Glenmyre Whim Mysteries.

My review:

What an absolutely charming cozy mystery!

When I read the title of the book and series, I wasn’t sure what a Glenmyre Whim was. Turns out, whims are the manifestations of magical power for the members of the Glenmyre family. Hazel, Holden, and Poppy, the last three surviving members of the family, each have a different Whim. Poppy’s lets her see a person’s aura. Holden’s lets him see the last few minutes of someone’s life (useful in his job as a police detective). Hazel’s lets her see a person’s lifeclock, so she knows when they’re going to die. Understandably, she normally wears special glasses designed to block this information.

When Mayhan Montgomery has a run-in with Hazel’s friend Iggy, she inadvertently sees Montgomery’s lifeclock and knows he only has a few weeks left to live. That changes, though, when Montgomery goes missing and is presumed dead. And when Iggy is the prime suspect, targeted for the crime by a new detective in town looking to prove himself, Hazel can’t stay out of it. She and Poppy have to find out what’s really going on.

The world of Crucible is just a joy. It sounds like a nice, close-knit, friendly little town. (This whole murder thing notwithstanding, that is.) Hazel and her friends and family look out for each other. I’d like to hang out with them at the Cold Cauldron and go browse all the shops.

Burr does a good job of creating red herrings to make you think you know who the culprit might be (because it is definitely not Iggy!). As Hazel and Poppy investigate, they find that a whole lot of folks in Crucible might have had reason to want Montgomery dead. Is it the local restaurateurs? The yoga instructor? Even Montgomery’s own assistant isn’t above suspicion.

I really enjoyed the way Burr worked rescue animals into the story. We see Hazel bring home two new furry friends, a cat and a dog, both with special needs. One, I love that she got them from a rescue, and two, I love that she didn’t hesitate to take both of the animals and that she put her family money to good use by donating to the rescue for the ongoing care of animals with health issues. That alone would endear Hazel to me for the rest of the series!

As the book craws to a close, we learn more about the history of Crucible. It has historically been protected by the Glenmyre Shield, put into place by Hazel’s ancestor Jedidiah centuries earlier. It’s been safe, crime-free, accident-free. When the murder occurs, they start to wonder if the shield is weakening. But maybe it’s not. I hope we learn more about that in future books!

Characters that are absolutely cheer-worthy, a setting that sounds like a place I’d love to visit, a fascinating magical system, and an engaging mystery that kept me guessing – Too Much to Candle gets five twinkling candlelit stars from me!

Enter to win a copy of the book and see for yourself what fun it is! And be sure to stop by some of the other blogs on the tour, too.

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About the author:

Sarah E. Burr lives near New York City. Hailing from the small town of Appleton, Maine, she
has been dreaming of being Nancy Drew since she was a little girl. After not finding any
mysteries in corporate America, Sarah began writing some of her own. She is the author of the
Trending Topic Mysteries and the Court of Mystery series. Sarah is also the author of the award-winning Glenmyre Whim Mysteries. You Can’t Candle the Truth was a 2022 NGIBA Best Mystery Finalist and a 2022 Silver Falchion Best Supernatural Mystery Finalist.
Sarah is a member of Sisters in Crime, currently serving as the social media guru for the NY-
TriState Chapter. She is also the creative mind behind BookstaBundles, a content creation
service for authors. Sarah is the co-host of The Bookish Hour, a livestreamed YouTube series

featuring author interviews and book discussions. She writes as a member of the Writers Who
Kill blogging team. When she’s not spinning up stories, Sarah is singing Broadway show tunes,
video gaming, and enjoying walks with her dog, Eevee.

Author Links

Website: www.saraheburr.com

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/saraheburrsignup

Socials: https://bit.ly/sarahsocialmediahub

Sarah’s Blog: https://bit.ly/noteworthyauthorblog

The Glenmyre Whim Mysteries: https://bit.ly/glenmyrewhimmysteries

Amazon Author Page: https://bit.ly/authorsaraheburr

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