"Death By Trauma" By Abigail Keam: Review/Giveaway

Review by Sarah Erwin

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Death By Trauma is book 21 in Abigail Keam’s Josiah Reynolds mystery series. Readers new to the series can jump right in and know that there’s some wonderful backlist reading available. Fans of the series will be happy to know they are once again in for another mysterious treat with this latest entry.

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It’s winter in Kentucky, and Josiah is looking forward to a winter sledding party at her friend Haze Corbyn’s home. Haze is a former syndicated critic for newspapers and magazines, who retired to the area. The party is a kickoff for the Victoria Weathers film retrospective at a local theater, with an appearance by Miss Weathers herself. Josiah is excited to meet her movie idol, but the party doesn’t go as planned – Josiah finds Haze dead on his property. Oddly enough, Haze had critically mentioned to Josiah that if he was found dead, it was no accident. With that knowledge, Josiah knows she must investigate.

It’s always fun to be back with Josiah and all the characters that make up the story. Each one is unique and entertaining, even the ones that drive me crazy. Josiah is witty and handles friends and foes perfectly. Her wonderfully huge dog Baby steals the show for this dog lover. The scene where Josiah and Baby go sledding was a favorite. The descriptions of winter were vivid, and I found myself cuddling deeper under my fuzzy blanket as I read.

Abigail also does a wonderful job setting the scene for a murder mystery that builds steam as Josiah investigates and uncovers a plethora of suspects and secrets. The pacing of the mystery starts out at a regular speed – I enjoyed all the details around Josiah’s beehives and the descriptions of the characters Josiah encounters. And then one secret after another is unveiled and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I side-eyed each possible suspect and didn’t catch on until the big, heart-pounding reveal.

Hopefully Josiah (and Baby) can get some rest before their next adventure, which I will be sure to pick up!

To enter to win a copy of Death By Trauma (ebook or print winner's choice), simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "trauma,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 1, 2025. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! 

You can click here to purchase this book.

 

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.