Quinn Caine has always loved her quaint hometown of Vienna, Virginia.  After attending college and teaching English abroad, the 25-year-old is back to stay.  Working as a book binder at her family's charming shop will hopefully let her make a decent living while spending time with her kin and getting reacquainted with old friends.  With her German Shepherd, Ruff Barker Ginsburg, by her side, she's all set to make a new life for herself in Vienna.

The past comes calling when snooty Tricia Pemberley goes out of her way to flash her new engagement ring in Quinn's face.  The former beauty queen, who's set to marry an old flame of Quinn's, loves to stir up drama where there isn't any.  Quinn couldn't care less about the pending nuptials, but when Tricia ends up dead, suspicion turns her way.  With the help of Sister Daria—her cousin-turned-nun—Quinn vows to clear her name.  Although Detective Aiden Harrington—her older brother's hot friend-turned-cop—warns her against Nancy Drew-ing her way into trouble, Quinn won't rest until she finds out who really killed Tricia.  Can she solve the case before she becomes the next victim?  Or will her new life in Vienna end before it ever really begins?

To Kill a Mocking Girl by Harper Kincaid is the first book in a new cozy mystery series starring Quinn Cane.  Vienna is a real Virginia town and it makes for an appealing background.  Kincaid creates a warm fictional community for Quinn that is composed of a tight-knit family, quirky townsfolk, a hip nunnery, and a lovable canine.  This is by far my favorite thing about To Kill a Mocking Girl, which is otherwise a pretty so-so tale.  The mystery is predictable, the plot is contrived, and the interactions between certain characters (Quinn and Tricia, for instance) are melodramatic and silly.  Quinn comes off as likable, but also ditzy and immature.  And she is not at all convincing as a bookbinder.  Despite these irritants, the book is upbeat, entertaining, and fun.  I'm still trying to decide whether the annoying things about this first installment outweigh its more agreeable aspects.  Will I give the next one a go?  Maybe, maybe not.  We'll see.

(Readalikes:  Most of the cozies I read are more culinary in nature, so I'm drawing a bit of a blank here.  Ideas?)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find