35) Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

The Blurb :

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store–Coffee, Books, and More–open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?

When Jill’s elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily’s gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill–along with all of her problems. . .and her enemies.

Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit–especially if it gets her closer to South Cove’s finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she’s on the case–and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently.

My Thoughts :

I love cozy mysteries and am definitely in the cozy mood at the moment.  So apologies in advance if things get a little too cozy over here ;)

Guidebook to Murder caught my eye on Netgalley and I decided to give it a go.  With the leading lady owning a book/coffee shop I couldn't resist.  Plus the cover looked warm and inviting.  However right from the beginning the story managed to veer away from the bookstore.  It wasn't the main theme in the plot and it was only mentioned in passing.  The main location in this first in a new series is the house that Jill inherits from an elderly friend.  So if you are all hyped up on the book angle promised by the cover then maybe you will get some bookstore murder in the sequel because this one is more about home renovation that book selling.

But wait!  The location and theme may not be what I expected but in the end it didn't matter.  It was still a good cozy mystery and it turned out to be a great read.  I liked Jill, enjoyed getting to know the town and the people there, I thought the mystery was well thought out and exciting and the relationship between Jill and Greg was fun to read about.  Actually this book met all the cozy mystery requirements and despite being a little too over the top in some aspects (I thought all the inheritance/money aspect a little too easy peasy) I am very much looking forward to another installment.

So if you are looking for something new, look no further.  This cozy is worth the time.  Hopefully this series will continue to build some nice roots for Jill and also some interesting cases for her and Greg to get involved in.  Although I don't understand why the series is called 'Tourist Trap' but maybe that will become clear later down the line?  Didn't have much to do with tourists but I will be on the look out for the sequel.

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