"Essentials of Death" By Kim Davis: 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. 

Essentials of Death is book two in the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series by Kim Davis. Readers new to the series can jump in at book two, although book one, Essentials of Murder is a terrific start to the series.

Our main character (and sleuth) is Carissa Carmichael who is back home in the small Southern California town of Oak Creek Valley. She owns and operates Aromatherapy Apothecary shop and reflexology services with her delightful best friend, Ashley.

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Image Source Harbor Lane Books, LLC.

To promote her business, Carissa has a booth at the annual Playwright Conference and Festival. Unfortunately, her high school nemesis, Lacie is running the booth for Jean-Luc Patisserie, which is next door to Carissa. To say that any interaction with Lacie is unpleasant would be an understatement.

Although there is no love lost between Carissa and Lacie, Carissa has a deepening friendship with the patisserie’s owner, Jasper, so she agrees to meet Lacie at the shop that evening to help. Upon arrival Carissa finds Lacie murdered, and the detective assigned to the case assumes Carissa is guilty.

As Carissa works to prove her innocence, tarot death cards begin turning up to taunt her and it’s clear she is being framed and threatened. What follows is a page turning, multi-layered mystery.

What a great second entry into a unique cozy mystery series. In addition to the mystery with all its twists and turns, it is fascinating to read about Carissa’s background, how aromatherapy works and how she set up her shop. I’d love to visit her shop (just without any murder). The suspect list is long so sorting out all the clues takes careful thought which Carissa is up to. I got stressed out while quickly turning the pages, worried for Carissa’s safety – the writing kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat.

Carissa is also a great character to root for – I love when characters are determined to be their authentic selves, and I’m delighted that she has such a wonderful cast of supporting characters filling the pages of her story. Her friendship with Jasper is heartwarming, and everyone should have a BFF as great as Ashley. It’s also so enjoyable to see Carissa and her dad work together and take care of each other.

This is another great entry into what I hope is a long series, as I’m certainly up for more adventures with Carissa and her friends!

To enter to win a copy of Essentials of Death (print or ebook, winner's choice-be sure to state), simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "essentials of death,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 18, 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! A new episode goes up next week.

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.