Musings and Ramblings

Many cozy mystery series start out with the amateur sleuth working to solve a murder investigation where they are the lead suspect. They investigate because they are afraid that if the real killer isn't found, they will be the one who goes to jail. Subsequent books will find other reasons for the sleuth to keep solving mysteries, but that very first book is almost always to clear their own name. Please meet the exception...

Kelly Jackson comes to the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast after the death of it's manager Bob Phillips. The corporate office sent Kelly to sort things out and keep the bed and breakfast running smoothly until a new manager can be found. But when Kelly starts looking into Bob's projects and day to day activities, she realizes something is off and that their might be more to Bob's death. A stalwart group of seniors who use the conference room for meetings, advised Kelly that they didn't think Bob's death was an accident. After she is attacked and someone tries to injury one of the children living on site, Kelly is positive that Bob was murdered.

We dive right into this story with little background on Kelly, as she arrives at Redwood Cove. With the exception of Kelly's boss, we meet everyone as Kelly does. The characters were and vivid, without being overdone. I adored the "Silver Sentinels" and can't wait to find out more about them. The story flowed well, with good pacing right up to the end. And while the case was solved, there are still plenty of mysteries about Kelly and her backstory to solve for future books.

I had fantastic time visiting Redwood Cove and look forward to visiting again soon. This was a firm 4 star read from a new to me author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read and review the book.