Murder at Cinnamon Falls by R.L. Killmore

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Cinnamon Falls #1

Release Date: April 7, 2026

When a heartbroken Nia Bennett left Cinnamon Falls six years ago, she had no plans to return. But now just a couple of weeks after finishing her graduate degree and landing a coveted research position at one of Atlanta’s most prestigious law firms, her life is upended once more when she learns the man she has been dating for the last two years, the man she thought was her future is married! She doesn’t even think, she bolts and returns to her family in Cinnamon Falls. She knows going home won’t be easy, she will have to mend broken relationships and figure out how to heal the wound that caused her to leave in the first place. But before she can even come to terms with the huge changes in her life, she is dealt yet another devasting blow when a woman who was like a second mother to her is murdered just hours after they were reunited. She will do whatever she has to do to find the murderer!

Jesse Shaw was left heartbroken when Nia, the love of his life, broke up with him and left without another word. For six long years, he has tried to move on, first by serving in the military and then returning to Cinnamon Falls and working in law enforcement. His well-ordered world is rocked when Nia returns and immerses herself in the murder investigation of Rosslyn Rose AKA Rosie, the owner of the town’s popular diner and the mother of Nia’s late friend Sienna. He has barely had time to wrap his head around Nia’s return and Rosie’s death when the killer strikes again. Will he be able to find the killer before anyone else is hurt?

This small-town mystery was not exactly what I was expecting. I enjoyed the mystery and thought the author did a good job of keeping the reader in suspense for most of the story. I wanted to love this book, but there were just some things that bothered me about this story, especially Nia, I found things about her almost impossible to believe. Add to that the author’s use of some very odd phrases that pulled me out of the story. Overall, it was a well-done mystery interwoven with a low-key second-chance romance, but the writing was a bit off, so this was a book that I am glad I read, but not one I would read again.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *