Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
Today, I am sharing my thoughts about Shudder Pulp by Vanessa Westermann!
Shudder Pulp: A Charley Scott Mystery
by Vanessa Westerman
About Shudder Pulp
Shudder Pulp: A Charley Scott Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Canada’s Cottage Country (Ontario)
Publisher : Cormorant Books (May 3, 2025)
Paperback : 368 pages
ISBN 978-1770867741
Digital ASIN : B0F336CQDS
Leaves are turning red in cottage country, and Charley Scott is putting on an immersive Halloween pulp art installation based on a local lake monster legend. But life imitates art when Laura, a mercenary newcomer with a controversial agenda for the dam, claims she was attacked by a lake monster she accuses Charley of raising.
Hours later, Laura is found dead by dry drowning.
Accident, murder, or a lethal encounter with a mythical beast? Tension mounts as snaking tracks, an animal carcass, and a witch’s ladder are found near the lake, but could there truly be supernatural forces at work?
Charley teams up with chocolatier Matt Thorn to investigate, but it’ll take more than seafoam toffee to bait this trap. To find the truth, Charley will have to risk it all to look the monster in the eye.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Drawing from local lore, artist Charley Scott is creating an immersive Halloween pulp art project featuring a lake monster. But is it just a local legend? Laura Bouchard arrives at the gallery’s door, soaking wet and angry. She believes Charley’s art brought forth the lake monster that assaulted her. It wasn’t long before Laura was found dead. Her death was by dry drowning. Charley is taken aback.
Is there really a lake monster? Was it responsible for Laura’s death? Or was it an accident? Or did someone murder the woman who was trying to shake up the town of Oakcrest?
Charley needs to know, and chocolatier Matt Thorn is on board to help. Will they get to the truth? Or will the monster get to them first?
The complex characters created by Ms. Westermann continue to evolve in this second installment. Relationships get stronger, as does Charley.
These characters are involved in a very well-plotted, complicated mystery. Deep-rooted secrets build tension that ramps up throughout the story. Layers are peeled back, slowly building interest and intrigue as everyone appears to have something to hide and nothing is as it seems. Personally, I suspected everyone. The subplots twisted within the mystery are just as complicated and dark. You have to pay close attention if you want to follow the right path. I found myself going back and rereading parts at times. Doing this brought the guilty party more into focus. Ms. Westermann’s descriptions take you right into each scene, some are intense. The reveal was eerie and had my heart pounding.
Shudder Pulp is a chilling cozy mystery with a protagonist trying hard to puzzle through the clues. It tests both the characters and the reader.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.
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About Vanessa Westermann
An avid reader of mysteries, Vanessa Westermann is a former Arthur Ellis Awards judge, holds an M.A. in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education, and has taught creative writing. Cover Art, first of the Charley Scott Mysteries, was published to great acclaim in 2022. At the heart of all of Westermann’s stories are strong female protagonists inspired by the heroines in her own life. She currently lives in Ontario.
Author Links
Website Facebook Instagram GoodReads
Purchase Links:
Amazon.com Barnes & Noble IndieBound/Bookshop.org
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Escape With Dollycas.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.”