It’s late March in Fairhope, Alabama, and artists from around the country are flocking to the bayside town’s Arts & Crafts Festival. The annual tradition has something for everyone, only this year, the main attraction is murder . . . Cleo Mack’s life has been a whirlwind since she inadvertely became the executive director of Harbor Village, a retirement community bustling with energetic … with energetic seniors. Juggling apartment sales, quirky residents, and a fast-moving romance is tricky business. But on-the-job stress develops a new meaning when Twinkle Thaw, a portrait artist known to ruffle a few feathers, arrives unannounced for the weekend’s festival and drops dead hours later—mysteriously poisoned . . .
Twinkle’s bizarre death doesn’t seem like an accident. Not with a sketchy newcomer slinking around town and a gallery of suspects who may have wanted her out of the picture for good. As Cleo brushes with the truth, she soon finds that solving the crime could mean connecting the dots between a decades-old art heist and an unpredictable killer who refuses to color inside the lines . . .
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What an interesting story with some twists and turns thrown in just for fun. I’ve wondered what it would be like to live in a retirement community. I think it would be fun with all the activities and being with folks around your age. These folks certainly don’t live a boring life. There is a good mix of folks who have a good time with each other. Crafts, games, detecting, you know, various activities to keep them busy. I learned about art and forgeries while I was enjoying hanging with these folks. It’s always good to learn something new. Now I need to wait and see what decisions will be made and what they’ll get into next. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
Cozy Murder in Coastal Alabama
In this episode, there is another murder involving the retirement community. I have read all of the books in this series and this episode fits right in. I am not sure how well any of these books would stand alone. I tend to think that it is vital to read these books in order. This book ends at an odd place. It is almost a non-ending that the reader needs to read the next book to find out how this book ends. I hate that! Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to see how it ends in the next book. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
I enjoyed this mystery in many ways! It is very well and thoughtfully written, centered around a retirement community in Alabama. There is a unique collection of residents, most of whom are quite active and have a few quirks. They are excited about the upcoming weekend’s Arts & Crafts Festival, as many are artists. Cleo Mack is the executive director of Harbor Village, and has been there several months after retiring from academia. She has a sweet cat who used to live in her apartment with the former resident, and is dating Riley, who she met when playing dominoes at the home of her first friend in Fairhope, Nita.
The night before the Festival begins, Georgina, one of Cleo’s neighbors and a retired art instructor, is having a dinner with her former students who will be in town for the weekend. Her sister surprises her by coming to town a couple days early. Twinkle Thaw, a well-known artist and Georgina’s younger sister, decides to attend her party. Twinkle owes Cleo’s friend Nita and her husband Jim a portrait from their 50th anniversary photos a year ago, so perhaps that can begin to get remedied this weekend.
Maybe not. Georgina’s dinner is interrupted when Twinkle gets very sick, very suddenly. In the middle of the night, Georgina takes her to the ER, where she died within a short time. The police think she has been poisoned, and spend hour after hour the next day at Harbor Village to find a source of the poison. Cleo really doesn’t want to get involved in another murder. She has her hands full with her job, her daughter and her family coming into town, and the house Riley purchased in hopes that she will live with him. It was hate at first sight, so Riley hired a highly-recommended interior decorator who will allow her to see it for the first time Saturday evening. Out of nowhere, she learns of a university interested in hiring her, then hears that Riley has an offer for a long-term consulting position.
One of the people the police questions repeatedly does the maintenance at Harbor Village. Cleo has seen an unknown woman around the property for a couple days, but can’t catch up to her to find out what she is there for. And there are many thousand visitors in town for the weekend festival. And of course, the killer. Cleo feels responsible for the safety of those who live there, and wants to find who the killer is before he, or she, strikes again.
I like many of the characters in the novel, including Cleo and Nita. They are well-defined; one doesn’t have to read the first two books in the series to catch up with staff and neighbors. I enjoy reading novels set in or around active senior living. The mystery is certainly a challenge. While I thought I finally had a good idea whodunit, it was never entirely confirmed or denied. There are loose ends at the end of the story and I personally don’t like them, but many people don’t mind. For that reason I have ambivalent feelings about the end. As it is very well-written, I highly recommend this to people who like well-written cozy mysteries and don’t mind open endings.
Series: A Cleo Mack Mystery – Book 3
Author: G.P. Gardner
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Hobby
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Page Count: 225
From Lyrical Press comes the third book in the “A Cleo Mack Mystery” cozy mystery series by G.P. Gardner. A fun and profoundly intriguing story that will leave readers stunned.
In this new cozy mystery, Cleo has issues, not only does she have a retirement community that is still recovering from a murder a few months previously, some very rambunctious residents. But now there is the arts and crafts fair which leads to the death of an artist. She isn’t sure what to do or how to help, but she knows that she has to find the culprit before things get out of hand.
The characters in this cozy mystery series are always a delight. They make readers want to retire and live in Fairhope so that they can watch the mischief these characters get into. The plot keeps you on your toes, and if readers don’t pay attention, they will miss vital clues as to the killer’s identity. Even though I knew who it was before the end of the book, this story kept me second-guessing myself. Murder at The Arts and Crafts Festival is a fast-paced action attention-grabbing story with enough red herrings and twists so that readers will be happy until the very end.
I am happy to see this cozy mystery series expanding, and I hope it continues for many more books to come. I enthusiastically recommend this series to readers who enjoy all types of mysteries and cozies.
I didn’t really enjoy this cozy. I’m not sure why but I just didn’t click with it. The characters seemed off with their interactions. Cleo and Riley are talking about moving in together but can’t find time to talk to each other. When they do, they seem to pussyfoot around rather than actually talking about things. The mystery drug on without a clear resolution in my opinion. Not sure I’ll be reading any more of this author.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.