Review by Tracy Condie
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
If you like your cozies with a little bit of thrill, then this is the series for you. Each book, like this one, can be read as a stand-alone mystery. Without a Shadow of Doubt is the fifth book in the series and is just as good as the other four. Trust me, I have read them all. I was disappointed to learn that this would be the last mystery for Olivia Penn to solve. I do think that it was the best, most compelling novel of the series thus far, mostly because Olivia has some serious thinking to do about her future employment choices.
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| Image Source Rhino Publishing LLC |
Olivia is an advice columnist who should never be underestimated. She is also a wiz at research, being able to deep dive with the best of them. Most impressive of all is that she has helped to solve multiple mysteries within the past year since she returned home to the cozy town of Apple Station, Virginia. Each story has been filled with many changes for Olivia.
As I read, it struck me that the theme of trust was woven throughout the story. Can we trust that Amy Winters, the aide, wasn’t involved in the death of Fiona Campbell, a town benefactor? Do we trust that Fiona's nephew, Craig, in town for the highland games, wasn’t desperately looking for a way to cover his wife’s health bills? Detective Preston Hills cannot overlook Craig as a suspect, even if he is a friend. Finally, what is private investigator Mack’s part in this puzzle, and what is it with the disappearance act? His late-night, cryptic text message to Olivia with instructions for locating a case file sends Olivia on a quest of sorts to find Mack, causing her to second-guess her trust in him.
This mystery just gets more and more mysterious, drawing the reader in with suspects and red herrings that had me guessing all the way to the end and the big reveal. I was turning page after page and didn’t stop until I got to the last page, making this book perfectly titled because it is Without a Shadow of Doubt that I thoroughly enjoyed this final book.
To enter to win a copy of Without a Shadow of Doubt, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "shadow of doubt,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 13, 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.
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.Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.
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