Another disappointing sophomore effort. The first book in the series had so much potential, but the author really stumbled about at the beginning of this one, trying to info dump without info dumping. The result was awkward, clunky dialogue that sorely needed better editing. The awkward writing continued with an excess of repetition and over-detailing silly things like conversations with her cat, or her issues with her hair.
Still, Holmes has created a great cozy community and I'm fascinated by the clocks and the watches (which are what she should have been detailing more of). The story kept those clocks and watches on the periphery, which was too bad. The characters, too, are all very fleshed out; even the nemesis is realistically nasty, not a caricature.
In spite of the fact that, really, there was no mystery surrounding the man in black (the author was a subtle as a sledgehammer here), the murder plot ended up being crafty and surprising.
I don't know if I'll stick with this series; the potential is there, lots of it, but the writing needs to grow up quick and the author deserves a better editor.