The first book in a fun, quirky chick-lit mystery series featuring Lucy McGuffin, world’s best muffin maker and amateur sleuth.Everyone agrees that Lucy McGuffin bakes the best muffins in Whispering Bay, but she’s got another talent, one that she’s tried her whole life to hide. Lucy can always tell when a person is lying or telling the truth. Being a human lie detector isn’t all it’s cracked up … isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when you don’t really want the answer to the universal question: Does this dress make my butt look too big?
When Lucy is hired to cater the grand opening celebration of the city’s new community center, she stumbles across the dead body of Abby Delgado, a prominent member of the Sunshine Ghost Society. Lucy’s brother, Father Sebastian, a local priest, is the last person to have seen Abby alive. Convinced he’ll be breaking a confidence, Sebastian refuses to cooperate with the police, forcing Lucy to put her skills to the test to save her brother’s good name.
Enter the town’s new hotshot deputy, Travis Fontaine. Travis doesn’t want an amateur like Lucy snooping around his turf, so he offers her a deal. He’ll stay out of her kitchen if she’ll stay away from his crime scene. But Lucy isn’t about to let her brother’s fate rest in the hands of an arrogant cop. Good thing she has her best friend Will and her new little rescue dog, Paco, to back her up, because its up to Lucy to figure out what everyone in the quaint little beachside town is hiding.
more
BEACH BLANKET HOMICIDE by Maria Geraci is the first book in the Whispering Bay Mystery series. It’s the story of Lucy McGuffin, co-owner of The Bistro, who is not only a human lie detector but also an amazing muffin baker.
While catering the opening ceremonies at the new city community center, Lucy finds Abby Delgado, member of the Sunshine Ghost Society, dead in one of the rooms led there by Paco, Abby’s dog, that she found running around loose. The celebration festivities are put on hold while the police investigate. Lucy, who is allergic to dogs, automatically becomes temporary caregiver to Paco who seems to be traumatized from the tragic event.
Lucy’s brother, Father Sebastian, comes into question by Officer Travis Tontaine, new officer to the police department, when he refuses to answer questions because he feels it would be breaking a confidence and the fact that he was the last one to see her alive.
From a very early age, Lucy has been able to tell if someone is telling the truth or lying. Will this ability help Lucy to clear her brother and help the police solve this crime? Between not wanting to reveal her “talent”, which she is sure would label her a weirdo, and the fact that there is a mutual unfriendliness between Lucy and Travis, makes it appear that Lucy will be working on the details of Abby’s passing without the help of the police department. It’s a good thing she has such great friends to help her out!
During all of this, Abby is trying to get both money and recognition for The Bistro by entering in the Muffin Wars. Hoping that by being labeled by the world’s best muffin maker by everyone that eats her muffins will mean she has a shot as being one of the finalists and for winning the prize money. The publicity would help business and the money would mean she could pay off her loan from best friend Will (and guy she has a big crush on) who helped her finance her half of The Bistro.
How will Paco work in the mix to solving what happened to his owner? Seems his past is mixed with untruths as well. Who is he really? Can he help lead them to murderer or will his life be in jeopardy too? With such a sweet disposition, how can Lucy give him to someone else, but then again with her allergies, can she live on Benadryl all the time?
There’s not a part of this book that I don’t love! Love the way that Maria Geraci wrote an amazing cozy that keeps you turning pages while bringing some issues to light. She addresses the human nature of lying as well as how small issues continue to grow unless addressed. Lucy had a major problem with Brittany Kelly that started way back in kindergarten. They just seemed to fester over the years until they actually talked to one another choosing then to move forward. I was very happy to see the beach blanket theme which brought back some wonderful memories as well. If you remember the late 50’s early 60’s, you will be shaking your head say “yep, remember that”. Enjoyed the subtle humor in this story as well. I think it would fun to visit Whispering Bay and check out Lucy’s muffins first hand.
If this is an indication to the caliber of books in this series, then it’s going to be an awesome series! I highly recommend this book to anyone loving a great, well-written cozy mystery. I know I’m looking forward to book #2 in the series with great anticipation.
Can Lucy with the help of Paco figure out what happened to Abby?
Beach Blanket Homicide by Maria Geraci is a wonderful cozy and one that I fell in love with from the start. Lucy McGruffin is a great character and a real hoot. So much about this book is good. I especially liked the killer as I thought it was a completely different person.
What I like:
• Written in the first-person with Lucy McGuffin, our sleuth, being the narrator. I enjoy getting inside Lucy’s head and seeing how she figures things out.
• I like that the main character bakes muffins and is trying to enter a competition on tv.
• Lucy loves animals despite being allergic to their fur and is trying to find a way to keep Paco.
• The way that she uncovers the clues are cool.
• Lucy puts the past behind her and Brittany for Will. Will is her best friend and crush and is a friend of her brother’s.
What I don’t like:
I liked the book a lot that I don’t think that I have a dislike for it. Though I thought that I knew who did it, I was lead astray by a red herring.
Five Star
Beach Blanket Homicide by Maria Geraci has a marvelous mystery, and this book starts off a fabulous new series. Lucy, Paco, Will, Sebastian, Brittany, and Sarah are the greatest characters ever. I can’t wait to see what will happen with these six characters within this series. I am giving it a five-star rating and recommending it to anyone that likes cozy mysteries.
Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by,
Baroness Book Trove.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you would like to read more reviews like this one, please go to baronessbooktrove.com
Lucy is the towns famous muffin maker and self proclaimed private investigator and lie detector. She is trying to figure out what happened to Abby Delgado in hopes of clearing her brothers good name. Will she solve the mystery?
This book started off a little slow, however, once I acquainted myself with the characters I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! I simply needed to know who killed Abby, and I am completely shocked! I can not wait for the next book in the Whispering Bay Mystery Series!
Geraci is back with the same wry wit and host of captivating characters. This time around she throws in a hint of mystery to balance out the humor. Beach Blanket Homicide is a smorgasbord of what makes reading great. Lucy and her crew are a masterful blend of laughter, romance and suspense that has no problem captivating the mind and heart.
I won this book in a contest and really enjoyed it. I would classify it as a cozy mystery. Lucy McGuffin bakes the most marvelous muffins and is in business with her good friend Sarah. She is also in love with her best friend Will Cunningham who is also Lucy’s brother Fr. Sebastian’s best friend. When Fr. Sebastian is suspected of murdering a local woman, Lucy enlists Will’s help to clear her borther’s good name. A new deputy, Travis Fontaine who was a big city cop, keeps getting in the way of their investigation and complicating everything.
Maria Geraci, whose romances are warm and fun, turns to amusing cozy mystery with her new series starring muffin-making maven Lucy McGuffin (a name mystery lovers have to love). Light romantic intrigue is sprinkled through the Whispering Bay Mysteries, but the mystery is at the forefront. Lucy is a human lie detector who often seeks advice from her friend/unrequited love, librarian Will. She also bumps up against the town’s hot new sheriff while trying to solve a murder. To complicate matters, an adorable little dog is involved, and he might be a ghost whisperer. To this adorable silliness, add in all the quirky characters from Whispering Bay, where Geraci has also set a romance series, and you have a recipe for fun.
Beach Blanket Homicide is the first book in the Whispering Bay Mystery series and it is a connected story to the Whispering Bay romances. It’s a nice cozy mystery. It was nice being reunited with characters we’ve met before as well as the town of Whispering Bay. The addition of new characters helped round out the story.
Thanks to the Sunshine Ghost Society there are ghosts or are there? There’s definitely the demise of several characters but are their deaths by natural causes or due to foul play? Lucy, the resident muffin maker, is involved in everything in town and always seems to want questions answered more than other people, especially the police, want to give answers. She’s quirky in her actions but has the best heart. Her care for Paco, the dog she inherits, is touching especially since she’s allergic to dogs. She has good friends and a brother who’s a priest. They share a best friend, Will, who she’s loved from afar but doesn’t want to ruin the friendship. Her brother seems to be in the thick of things and not all of it good.
There are family and friends, disagreements, celebrations, lots of muffins, crime shows, baking shows on the Cooking Channel, seances, investigations and crimes to be solved. Lucy is good at ferreting out lies but not all are happy with what she uncovers or what she says. There was a nice pace to the story but some of Lucy’s actions were slapstick in nature. The characters definitely had a depth to them and we learn about them a little at a time. There was nice closure and a case solved but I’m sure this is just the beginning of the interactions between Lucy and Travis, the new deputy.
Ms. Geraci is one of my go to authors when I want to read a romance. Guess I’ll be adding mysteries as one of my go to genres as well!
Fun and quirky and zany with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end. Lucy McGuffin is known in town for her muffins but when she comes upon a dead body she will get to know the new sheriff and become embroiled in trying to solve the mystery. This was a lot of fun with zany characters and a ghost-whispering dog. Great start to this new series!
5 FUN MYSTERY STARS!! Wow, this story was fun with mystery and fantastic characters. I enjoyed everything about this story, it was different from my normal reads, but definitely held my attention. I can’t wait to read more. Maria Geraci knows how to keep us readers engaged.
A muffin maker, a priest and a dead body walk into a bar…sounds like a the beginning of a funny joke, right? Well, you’re half right, it is funny, but it’s no joke…it’s the first book in a new series by Maria Geraci.
While a fan of romantic suspense, I thought I knew what I was in for with this book, but I was wrong. This laugh out loud book is more chick lit than romance but a definite page turner with both its mystery and humor.
Lucy McGuffin (the name alone kills me) is a fresh, unique character with the super power many of us would love to possess…she’s a human lie detector. Which comes in quite handy when she stumbles upon the dead body of a customer. Then, her brother…the fore-mentioned priest…is implicated in the crime. What’s a girl to do? Stay quiet and bake? Not Lucy!
No spoilers here, just a genuine, enthusiastic 5 star thumbs up for Beach Blanket Homicide! Geraci has a hit on her hands and I can’t wait to read more of Lucy and company
I love coming back to Whispering Bay. Lucy McGuffin makes the best muffins around and ever since she can remember, she is a human lie detector. Everyone tells lies but to what degree. How does she stay sane in this world? She doesn’t tell anyone. So when Abby Delgado turns up dead, all her senses are on alert. She knows people are lying and the hunt is on. She has to find out who killed her. There is a new deputy in town. Travis Fontaine has decided he had enough of Dallas PD and decided to move closer to his Dad. From the time they meet, there is a heavy dose of mistrust. Enter in some of the towns characters. From the Silver Ghost Chasers, to seances and a ghost channeling dog, they will have you guessing. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, curve ball. Great start to the mystery side of Whispering Bay!
Beach Blanket Homicide is the first installment of a new cozy mystery series centered in the Whispering Bay community that author Maria Gerarci has created. It is such a perfect mix of mystery, comedy, drama and pop culture trivia/references that will make you, the reader, unable to stop reading, laughing and longing for the next chapter.
Lucille (Lucy) McGuffin is a baker’s goddess, her muffins made her famous with all Whispering Bay and with some luck will land her a spot in the Cooking Channel’s “Muffin Wars” program. She is also gifted with a most unusual trait, she is a human lie detector which she tries to keep to herself to avoid heartache and trouble, but when she discovered one of her patrons dead during the opening of WB Recreational Center all mayhem breaks loose. Lucy can’t let go of what happened; enter a very intuitive dog named Paco; a new, sexy, out of town officer; best friends; a priest who happens to be her brother; her long time crush and the rest of the community including the Sunshine Ghost Society, the Grey Flamingos and a book club directed by the sassy Betty Jean, what could go wrong?
I truly loved and enjoyed this “who did it?” read. Whispering Bay is beautiful portrayed; you will really want to visit and taste one of Lucy’s muffins. The community is alive; you will want to check the library (not only for Betty Jean’s book club), get a word with the new officer in town and be friend with Paco. Maria Gerarci, when are we coming back? Five delicious stars from me.
I received an ARC and these are my honest thoughts.
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT!!
First read in a brand new series! A series that I am absolutely addicted to already.
Maria Geraci gives this book SO much personality!!! I had SO much fun reading this book. These quirky, fun, witty characters have jumped off the pages and filled my reading time with so much joy. I love them so much.
Beach Blanket Homicide is the very definition of cozy mystery! Characters in a town you want to call home and a mystery that keeps you turning pages until the very end!
I have so much love for Whispering Bay, and being back there with a new context made the trip back even more fun. Revisiting with some of my favorites NEVER gets old.
I honestly CANNOT wait for the next in series. I miss Lucy and Paco already!
I really liked this book and I loved the varied characters! they were very belieable Maria wove them together to tell a story that was both entertaining and kept you wanting to see what was going to happen next. Lucy McGuffin owens the Bristo On The Beach in sunny Whispering Bay, Fl. and is famous for her wonderful muffins. She also has another talent that she keeps to herself—she is a human lie detector and can tell when anyone tells her a lie.
Abbey Delgado is murdered and Lucy finds her and the dog Abbey had the day before called paco. Her brother Sebastian’s finger prints were on the door and he won’t explain why he was there —-as a priest he can’t break a confindence—so both are suspects as far as the new cop in town sees it. Lucy decieds to solve the mystery herself, /she enlists the aid of Will (who she is secretly in love with) and her brother’s best friend, & the senior citiens group called The Gray Flamingos to help her. There is a group called Sunshine Ghost Society that Abbey belonged to and they talk her into having a seance . The mystery does get solved and the questions answered . I will be looking forward to more adventires with Lucy McMiffin. Alice
Another cute Rom com from Maria Geraci in her fictional small beach town in Florida. I have enjoyed several of the previous books and this one was a fun read also. If you have read any of the other books, you will recognize many of the secondary characters, but this truly is a standalone, although there is not an HEA per say. That did not bother me as I know another book is coming, hopefully soon. I also did not feel as if this were a cliffhanger as the mystery of this book gets solved. A seance, a murder, a dog who seems absurdly smart, muffins, and a hot policeman all make up easy to read Rom com mystery.
This is a cute mystery and the beginning of the author’s new series, Whispering Bay Mystery. For those long time fans of Ms. Geraci, it’s a return to Whispering Bay and a visit with some of the residents you have met before.
The series stars Lucy McGuffin a funny, sweet, bistro owner whose “gift” is being able to tell when someone is saying a lie.
She and her partner , Sarah, are hired to cater the opening of the new community center . Little did she know she would discover a body in the center. Her brother, Father Sebastian, is the last to see the dead woman alive. But he refuses to cooperate with the police. So Lucy decides to investigate, much to the dismay of the new cop, Travis Fontaine.
Add to the homicide, the quirky cast of characters, and a little romance, and you have a fun book to enjoy in an afternoon of leisure.
I was entrusted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
This may be my favorite cozy mystery series ever. I am absolutely in love with Lucy, Paco, Will, Sebastian, and Travis. There are more wonderful secondary characters, Ms. Geraci creates lovable personalities in everyone from Travis’ dad to the Sunshine Ghost Society, to yes even Brittany. The writing is perfect, entertaining and easy to read, it keeps you turning pages to follow Lucy on her adventures. Whispering Bay is a town I want to visit and these are people I want to meet. Not to mention, I really want one of those muffins!
I ended up picking these up out of order and finally came back to read the first. I love every one of the books and can’t wait for more. I do recommend reading them in order, but any of them will bring a reader great pleasure in any order. In fact, I may re-read these, they are that good. Enjoy.
This is the first book in this hilarious murder mystery/romance series about human lie detector, Lucy McGuffin and her ghost whisperer dog, Paco. In this book, all the many characters are introduced: Lucy is co-owner of The Bistro by the Beach with her partner, Sarah Powers. Sarah makes comfort food and Lucy makes the best muffins. Her best friend is Will Cunningham, who was first her brother, Sebastian’s best friend and whom she has had a crush on since she was 7 years olds- but he is oblivious. Travis Fontaine is the new town deputy. Brittney Kelly is her frenemy, since kindergarten, when Lucy caught her in a lie. Plus all the rest of the zany residents of Whispering Bay and the introduction of the mysterious author with the pen name J W Quicksilver.
Whispering Bay has been “the Safest City in America”, until Paco leads Lucy to a body in the new rec center. Abby Delgado was a member of the Sunshine Ghost Society. Paco had last been seen with Abby, but how he became her dog is a mystery. When Travis suggests that Sebastian is somehow involved, Lucy decides she must find the real culprit with her unique talent and drags Will along to help her. This series is full of laughs.
Lucy McGuffin was one of my favorite minor characters in Maria Geraci’s Whispering Bay series, and I was thrilled when Maria gave her a series of her own. She is sweet, and quirky and hyper-conscious of her own short-comings. Her self deprecating humor is a joy to read. I especially loved watching her long seated crush be knocked off kilter by one seriously hot, insufferable new cop. Lucy’s bumbling manner of solving mysteries had me laughing out loud. I can’t wait for Whispering Bay Mystery #2. I received a complementary copy of this book from the author and I am willing giving this honest review.
In this laugh out loud hilarious cozy mystery the author, Maria Geraci, really showcases her storytelling ability by giving us a story filled with twists, mystery, humor, and some of the quirkiest characters around.
When Lucy McGuffin has the misfortune to stumble upon a dead body she finds herself right in the middle of the investigation. She has a priest brother to protect, a new town deputy to deal with, as well as a new furry friend Paco. With all this she definitely has her hands full.
You’ll definitely want to come along on this zany relaxing ride. I highly recommend it.