Murder by Death

What would have been an average read was pulled up a little by the slightly dark turn of events at the end.  It's still thoroughly cozy, but edgy, with Laurel displaying a plasticity of morals that I found interesting.  I also enjoy the evolution of her relationship with Jack; the competitiveness I found tedious in early books has morphed into a true partnership that's a lot more fun to read.  Ditto the larger role Cassie plays in later plots.

This isn't really a mystery though; the series might have started that way, but later books, including this one, are far more suspenseful - is there such a thing as cozy suspense?  

These books definitely can't be read out of order; there's an overall series plot that will leave readers hopelessly confused if they step in mid-series; I accidentally read books 3 and 4 out of order and it left me more than a little confused at times during this 5th instalment.  But if you like the art world setting and enjoy a bit of cat burglary (for the side of the angels, of course), and a tiny bit of James Bond glamour and gadgetry, this is a fun series to kick back with.