Author: Leighann Dobbs
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 16th May 2019
Rating: 4 Stars
‘Talk about inconvenient. Not only did I have a dilapidated mansion and no money to repair it with, two cats I had no idea how to care for and a room full of cranky guests waiting for their breakfast, I also had a dead body on my hands.’
Josie Waters has to admit she may have acted a bit hastily when she agreed to purchase the Oyster Cove Guesthouse – a charmingly gabled Victorian mansion on the breathtaking Maine coast – from elderly family friend Millie Sullivan. But Josie was desperate to flee Ohio and in particular her ex-husband, a chef who loved his job so much he left her for it. And anyway, how hard can running a guesthouse be?
The truth is, Oyster Cove Guesthouse is a mouldering money pit with falling-in roof and a cohort of regular guests who are as mischievous as a litter of kittens. And Millie keeps dropping by to dispense unasked-for advice. And Josie might have made a mistake in promising to adopt Oyster Cove’s two resident cats Nero and Marlowe, and treat them in the manner to which they’ve become accustomed. Josie has never had a cat before… let alone two feisty felines who think they own the place.
Ok, it’s not going well. At least it can’t get any worse, Josie thinks. Until her first guest ends up dead.
A joy to read, with a twist you’ll never guess! A page-turning new mystery series from a bestselling author, purrfect for murder mystery fans, cat lovers and everyone in between.
Josie Waters has to admit she may have acted a bit hastily when she agreed to purchase the Oyster Cove Guesthouse – a charmingly gabled Victorian mansion on the breathtaking Maine coast – from elderly family friend Millie Sullivan. But Josie was desperate to flee Ohio and in particular her ex-husband, a chef who loved his job so much he left her for it. And anyway, how hard can running a guesthouse be?
The truth is, Oyster Cove Guesthouse is a mouldering money pit with falling-in roof and a cohort of regular guests who are as mischievous as a litter of kittens. And Millie keeps dropping by to dispense unasked-for advice. And Josie might have made a mistake in promising to adopt Oyster Cove’s two resident cats Nero and Marlowe, and treat them in the manner to which they’ve become accustomed. Josie has never had a cat before… let alone two feisty felines who think they own the place.
Ok, it’s not going well. At least it can’t get any worse, Josie thinks. Until her first guest ends up dead.
A joy to read, with a twist you’ll never guess! A page-turning new mystery series from a bestselling author, purrfect for murder mystery fans, cat lovers and everyone in between.
Leighann Dobbs has been an author vaguely on my radar for a while, I have assorted of her previous books sitting on my kindle waiting for me, but I'm ashamed I'd never quite got around to reading one until now.
And I'm so glad I have finally given her a chance, as I really enjoyed A Twist in the Tail, and the residents of Oyster Cove.
I am always partial to a cosy mystery, and this is an excellent example of one, it kept me guessing from start to finish, I really hadn't worked out much, apart from what the words on the ripped up note may be, but the actual murderer was beyond my guess work.
I found it a really quick read and it was really enjoyable. The setting of a massive guest house in Maine, is a fabulous setting for this series, as it has plenty of nooks and crannies for potential secrets, and hiding.
However without a doubt the real stars of the book are not the humans, but rather Nero and Marlowe and their band of cat friends - for these are no ordinary cats, they are mystery solving ones. They can't talk to humans, but they are able to eventually get their humans to notice and get the hints to the clues which match with what the cats have been discovering, which in turn gets the humans thinking differently.
I loved the conversations between Marlowe and Nero, but what frustrated me was that it clearly wasn't their first mystery, nor was it the first time that Josie's mum and best friend have dropped into crime scenes and helped the local detective solve crimes in the past. However its these veiled references that made me wonder whether this was really book 1 of a series, or rather a republished edition of something from the authors vast back catalogue and not the first book either - or failing that whether the characters had been used elsewhere before. Was rather unsettling, but apart from that I loved the book.
I'm already eager to read book 2, and to find out how all their mystery solving skills develop. I have a feeling this is a series that I am going to greatly enjoy.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
And I'm so glad I have finally given her a chance, as I really enjoyed A Twist in the Tail, and the residents of Oyster Cove.
I am always partial to a cosy mystery, and this is an excellent example of one, it kept me guessing from start to finish, I really hadn't worked out much, apart from what the words on the ripped up note may be, but the actual murderer was beyond my guess work.
I found it a really quick read and it was really enjoyable. The setting of a massive guest house in Maine, is a fabulous setting for this series, as it has plenty of nooks and crannies for potential secrets, and hiding.
However without a doubt the real stars of the book are not the humans, but rather Nero and Marlowe and their band of cat friends - for these are no ordinary cats, they are mystery solving ones. They can't talk to humans, but they are able to eventually get their humans to notice and get the hints to the clues which match with what the cats have been discovering, which in turn gets the humans thinking differently.
I loved the conversations between Marlowe and Nero, but what frustrated me was that it clearly wasn't their first mystery, nor was it the first time that Josie's mum and best friend have dropped into crime scenes and helped the local detective solve crimes in the past. However its these veiled references that made me wonder whether this was really book 1 of a series, or rather a republished edition of something from the authors vast back catalogue and not the first book either - or failing that whether the characters had been used elsewhere before. Was rather unsettling, but apart from that I loved the book.
I'm already eager to read book 2, and to find out how all their mystery solving skills develop. I have a feeling this is a series that I am going to greatly enjoy.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
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