Cozy Series Opener Too Far-Fetched and Silly

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Macy Hatfield's at loose ends after divorcing her cheating husband of seven years.  When her older brother suggests she join him in a new business venture, she jumps at the chance to start over in the little West Virginia town where they were raised.  Macy's excited to make the Barks and Beans Café—a coffee shop with a special area for shelter dogs needing homes—a success.  Not only will she and Bo be serving delicious joe, but they will be helping needy animals.

When the golf instructor at a local spiritual retreat facility is found dead, his Great Dane is left an orphan.  Macy's immediately taken with the giant pup, who becomes her ward.  When she finds a mysterious message under Coal's collar, she begins to wonder if the purebred dog was the reason his owner died.  Worried for the animal's safety, Macy vows to figure out who killed Gerard Fontaine before it's too late for her precious new pet.

I needed a book set in West Virginia for the Literary Escapes reading challenge, so I grabbed No Filter by Heather Day Gilbert, the first book in a cozy mystery series.  Just as I suspected, it's a quick, easy read that was engaging enough to keep me reading.  Unfortunately, the plot is far-fetched and silly, with a killer who's pretty obvious from the get-go.  The characters, including the siblings at the story's center, have little personality, which makes them feel bland and generic.  So, while I appreciated No Filter for being a clean, easy read, I only continued with it because of its setting.  I won't be moving on with the series ... unless, of course, I need a West Virginia book for next year's challenge ... 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other cozy mysteries, although no particular title or series is coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find