Cracked to Death

Written by Cheryl Hollon

Narrated by C. S. E. Cooney

When a treasure hunt leads to deadly plunder, it's up to glass shop owner Savannah Webb and her trusty investigative posse to map out the true motives of a killer . . .

It's the dog days of summer in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Webb's Glass Shop proprietor Savannah Webb has an eco-friendly plan to help locals escape the heat-a recyclable bottle-crafting workshop taught by reticent store manager Amanda Blake. Turns out, the class is a bigger smash than expected, thanks in part to a pair of staggeringly old bottles brought in by snorkeler Martin Lane . . .

Linked to a storied pirate shipwreck, the relics definitely pique Savannah's interest. But intrigue turns to shock when Martin's lifeless body washes ashore the next morning, another glass artifact tucked in his dive bag. With cell phone records connecting Amanda to the drowning, Savannah must voyage through unchartered territory to exonerate her colleague and capture the twisted criminal behind Martin's death . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977381170

Reviews for Cracked to Death

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the third book in the Webb's Glass Series and each book seems to be better than the last one. This is a fun cozy series, but every mystery leaves me stumped until the end. The fact that you also learn about glass, creating glass creations and some history and vocabulary surrounding glass is a bonus. In this book, Amanda is teaching her first class at Webb Glass. It is an upcycling class and the students were asked to bring in a newer bottle to use in their creations. When one of the students, Martin, brings in some small cobalt blue bottles, he gets Savannah's attention. She believes the bottles are old and possibly valuable. She tells Martin she will do some research on his bottles. When he turns up dead, it is revealed that he had a relationship with Amanda. Savannah is hired by the police department as a consultant dealing with the bottles. Of course Savannah, Edward, Amanda and Jacob go outside the parameters of consultant and try to help solve the mystery. When Amanda is arrested for the crime, it becomes more important that they solve the mystery. With salvage operators, hidden treasure, a new Webb warehouse for artists to rent space, the relationship between Savannah and Edward heating up, Jacob coming into his own and the Rosenberg twins helping out with Amanda's mom, this story is fast paced, intriguing and hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to any cozy mystery lover.I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Savannah Webb is quickly becoming invested in the St. Petersburg arts community by continuing to run her father's glass shop and opening an artist's studio in a nearby building. Her stalwart employee Amanda is taking over her first set of classes at the shop when one of the students stops showing up. The identity of a body washed ashore and found by a dog walking couple seems clear and once again, the glass shop is the spot of police scrutiny. The mystery included pirate lore of the area, which was fascinating. And in every book so far, I have learned a lot about glass making. In this one, Amanda's class involves the reuse and recycling of glass bottles into other pieces. I missed that the pup Rooney didn't have as much to do this time, but can't recommend this smart series enough for people looking for a good story.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cracked to Death by Cheryl Hollon is the third book in the third book in A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery series. Savannah Webb lives in St Petersburg, Florida and owns Webb’s Glass Shop. Savannah is starting a new venture and is calling it Webb’s Studio. Savannah is offering studio space and equipment to glass artists. While Savannah will be at the studio, Amanda Blake will be watching the shop and teaching a class. Amanda is the office manager and will be teaching her first class (all on her own). The class is on upcycling. Taking glass bottles and turning them into usable items (like cheese trays, spoon rests, and clocks). Amanda is a little nervous about teaching her first class and asks Savannah to hang around a little while. The students were all asked to bring in bottles. One student, Martin Lane brought in some beautiful, old bottles. He would like Savannah to evaluate the bottles. Martin is an artist who uses salvaged materials for art pieces. Martin claims to have found the bottles on the Intracoastal Waterway near Treasure Island (while diving). Savannah agrees to look into the bottles for Martin. The bottles look very old and there are rumors that Gaspar the Pirate had buried his treasure in the area (hence the name Treasure Island). Before Savannah can look into the bottles, Martin is found dead on the beach. He has a dive bag with him with another bottle inside. David Parker, a homicide detective with the St. Petersburg Police Department, hires Savannah (a first) as a consult. Savannah gathers her group (Amanda, Jacob, Edward) together to look into Martin’s death and the bottles. Are the bottles related to Martin’s demise? Do the bottles have anything to do with pirate treasure? Join Savannah and her friends on another escapade in Cracked to Death.Cracked to Death was an entertaining book to read. This may be the third book in the series, but it can be read alone (the writer does a good job of bringing the reader up to date). Cracked to Death is well-written, easy to read, and has a good pace. There is a romance going on (between Savannah and Edward), but it does not dominate the novel (I like how the romance is progressing). I appreciated the mystery and how it incorporated the antique bottles and their history. It is easy to figure out the killer, but it did not bother me because I was delighted by the overall mystery. It was interesting how Ms. Hollon incorporated Gaspar the Pirate (which leads to Gasparilla, a local festival). I give Cracked to Death 4.5 out of 5 stars. There is a good reference to Haslam’s in the novel. It is a local bookstore that has thousands of books. You can spend many pleasurable hours wandering through Haslam’s. One thing I thought was really not needed in the book was Arthur’s (a man who purchased studio space at Webb’s Studio) bathroom issues. One mention I could let slide, but a couple of times is too much (and I really did not need the details). I will definitely be reading the next book in A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery. I received a complimentary copy of Cracked to Death in exchange for an honest evaluation of the book.

[cyderry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This third installment of the Webb's Glass Mysteries takes the reader on a treasure hunt. Savannah has handed over the reigns of the Glass shop to her manager Amanda and she heads over to manage the Studio facilities but when one of the students in the recycled glass workshop is a no show, Savannah gets buried in the search for the murderer as well as the treasure that he had found.The series seems to be getting better as it goes along. The characters are fun and entertaining as well as the plots getting you tied in knots!

[cathyskye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

With glass-making, antique glass, and pirate treasure, Cracked to Death looked to be right up my alley. There was enough information about glass-- and upcycling-- to keep my interest, and Savannah's recently expanded shop meant that I kept an eye peeled on her business acumen. It was also refreshing to see that Savannah has a good rapport with local police. One thing that's been done to death in cozy mysteries is the dumb, obstructive police officer in charge of an investigation. The author has also created some interesting characters, and I don't just mean Savannah Webb. There's the British heartthrob Edward Morris, Rooney the Weimaraner, and-- most importantly to me-- Jacob Underwood, a young man with Asperger's who's become a stained glass restoration expert. However, I chose the wrong series to start off with book number three. In her role as Suspect #1, store manager Amanda Blake's behavior just turned me completely off. To the tune that I didn't care if her innocence was proven or not. Pretty harsh, I know. But if I'd gotten to know Amanda pre- lies, evasions, suspicious actions, and emotional crackups, I undoubtedly would have had some badly needed empathy for her. If you're not new to the series, then you should be very happy-- especially since you already know Amanda. If you're new to the series, like I was, I would suggest that you may want to start with the first book in the series so you can avoid any possible adverse reactions to Savannah's store manager. There is a lot to like about Cracked to Death.