I always enjoy a return trip to the Sunrise Bible study group and Cooper Lee. The Bible group are all taking part in the Hope Street Community Theater’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life. Several incidents occur but the rehearsals are halted when the assistant director is found murdered. Even though the group didn't know the victim well they are determined to find justice for her.

The characters are charming, down to earth, relatable, and the goodness they exude makes you want to have them as friends yourself. ( )

Methods of Malice by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe is a pleasing story. I like Ellery Adams writing style. She creates stories with friendly characters, charming settings, and interesting storylines. I enjoyed returning to Richmond, Virginia to catch up with the Cooper Lee and the other members of the Sunrise Bible study group. All the members of the bible study are participating in the Hope Street Community Theater’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life. The production is a fundraiser for the senior center. Unfortunately, the rehearsals are plagued with incidents. Then, Regina McAllister, the assistant director and the director’s ex-wife, is murdered. It is important that this production moves forward because the senior center is counting on them. Cooper Lee and the members of the Sunshine Bible study group set out to unmask the killer. I found Methods of Malice to be easy to read. The characters are realistic and relatable. Grammy Lee is a hoot. I like that she speaks her mind (in other words she is outspoken and opiniated). I liked that all the members of the Bible study were participating in the play. Some of them would have preferred to work behind the scenes (okay, most of them), but they put aside their awkwardness and fears for a good cause. The mystery was fun to solve. The victim was not well-liked (she had an attitude problem) so there are several suspects. There are some plot twists along the way that keeps things entertaining. Cooper Lee and the Bible study group asks questions and uncover clues. The reveal nicely wraps up the whodunit. Your mouth will be watering from the tasty treats whipped up by Cooper’s mother, Maggie and Cooper’s beau, Jon Eason (there are recipes at the end of the book). I truly enjoyed how the story ended. It is heartwarming. There are changes in store for a couple of the characters. The last meeting of the year for the Sunshine Bible study group touched on some good points. I like the idea of a gratitude journal. My favorite lesson was, “Guarding our hearts and letting the things of God in and not the world.” The members of the Bible study are good friends. I like how they are there for each other. Methods of Malice is the seventh A Hope Street Church Mystery and it can be read as a standalone. The author provides the necessary background information on the characters. Methods of Malice is a charming Christian cozy with an important play, a dead assistant director, concerning calamities, Bible study sleuths, and a killer Christmas. ( )

Christian-fiction, cozy-mystery, Virginia, theatre, women's-fiction, friction, friends, friendship, frustration, family, amateur-theatre, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, egoist, murder, murder-investigation, series****

The Sunshine Bible group is putting on a well-known play to raise funds for the local community center and have secured the help of a well-known director and his entourage. There is the expected friction, but the murder is unexpected. It's a cute story interspersed with Bible quotes and information about performances in little theatre.
Great worldbuilding and solid character development.
I requested and received a free EARC from Beyond the Page Publishing via Netgalley. ( )