Boxed set of the Will Travel for Trouble series of short cozy mysteries, Books 1-3!
Trouble at Happy Trails, Book 1: Minnie Crockwell, recreational vehicle enthusiast and traveler, checks into her allotted space at Happy Trails RV Park in Spokane, Washington, with hopes of a pleasant week of touring the area. By night’s end, a death in the park finds her consoling the deceased man’s widow…or … widow…or his killer. Whether the dearly departed died by his own hand or whether someone murdered him remains to be seen. It seems the deceased had a lot of character flaws. A lot!
Peregrine Ebenezer Alvord, otherwise known as Ben, is tagging along with Minnie on her travels. That he is an early 19th century ghost is only a minor complication. Ben has the ability to venture unseen where others cannot.
Minnie never imagined herself as an amateur sleuth, but with Ben’s help, she might just be able to discover the source of the Trouble at Happy Trails!
Trouble at Sunny Lake, Book 2: Minnie Crockwell, recreational vehicle enthusiast and traveler, is stressed out from the recent events at Happy Trails RV Park, and she looks forward to some relaxation at an RV park nestled on the shores of beautiful and serene Sunny Lake in Spokane County,Washington.
Peregrine Ebenezer (Ben) Alvord, her 19th century ghost traveling companion, assures her that the murder at Happy Trails RV Park is a thing of the past, and that their sojourn at Sunny Lake promises to be a pleasant and peaceful interlude.
Ben, however, cannot stop Minnie from investigating a mysterious young man who hides in one of the park cabins, nor can he prevent her from discovering a body at the foot of a lakeside cliff. All he can do is help Minnie as she embroils herself yet again in another murder mystery.
Trouble at Glacier, Book 3: Minnie Crockwell, recreational vehicle enthusiast and traveler, lucks into a first come, first-served camping spot at Apgar campground in majestic Glacier National Park, Montana. After the stress over the past few months of finding herself involved in not one but two murders, she looks forward to the serenity of the mountains. She has sworn off sleuthing forever.
Until her next-door neighbor is attacked and killed by a bear, that is. Minnie has the bad luck to be the first to discover the body. Not as bad of luck as the victim had, but bad luck nevertheless. So much for the serenity she thought she’d find at Glacier.
Peregrine Ebenezer (Ben) Alvord, her 19th century ghost traveling companion, is not so easily convinced this was a mere bear attack, and he unwittingly reactivates Minnie’s sleuthing instincts with his musings of murder and mayhem. Minnie can’t help herself. She’s off and running—on the hunt for another kind of killer.
Look for Book 7 soon!
Book 1 – Trouble at Happy Trails
Book 2 – Trouble at Sunny Lake
Book 3 – Trouble at Glacier
Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Will Travel for Trouble
Book 4 – Trouble at Hungry Lake
Book 5 – Trouble at Snake and Clearwater
Book 6 – Trouble in Florence
more
Inventive and quirky cozy mysteries with great narration
4 stars overall, 4 stars story, 5 stars narration
This is a 3-pack of the first three novellas in the “Will Travel for Trouble” series. They are solidly written and somewhat unpredictable in their plots. I liked that I didn’t have to place my entire attention on the audiobook and still be able to keep up with it, so it is great for listening while driving. There were no more than ten characters per novella, so it was easy to keep track of them.
While the heroine has a ghostly sidekick in her amateur crime-solving, the mysteries in each of these three novellas are mundane in nature. The murders involve regular people. Minnie’s best friend Ben is the only paranormal aspect of the book, and this works well. The stories are completely told in the perspective of Minnie Crockwell, the heroine who supposedly writes the books. It was fun traveling around America with Minnie and Ben, and I look forward to listening to further audiobooks in this series.
The narrator Michelle Babb did a great job performing this series. She is well versed in Midwest and Northwest American accents while also nailing the mostly British accent and courtly turns of phrase of Ben, the ghost who died in 1805 while a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The narrator enunciates everything clearly, has really good pacing, and is versatile in her male and female voices.
I received a free audiobook copy from the narrator, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
This was my first Minnie Crockwell’s book, and definitely won’t be my last! This first boxed set in the Will Travel for Trouble, includes three short cozy mysteries: Trouble at Happy Trails, Trouble at Sunny Lake, and Trouble at Glacier. This is one of the best cozy mystery Series I have listened to. Minerva (Minnie), and her ghost traveling companion, Peregrine Ebenezer (Ben) Alford, are wonderful characters. Minnie is a mature, and smart young retired woman. She is stubborn, and she likes to meddle in other people’s affairs. Ben is a gentleman ghost, supportive, protective, and caring. I love their very special companionship! They are easy to love. Minnie’s not so subtle sleuthing brings her in some dangerous situations. I like Ben’s recommendations throughout the stories, attempting to avoid those situations. I LOVED to follow them in their fun, original, and captivating journey, filled with mystery, and intrigue. The stories are short, easy to follow, and each mystery unfolds at a great pace. The cast of supporting characters is impressive, and well developed. Minnie’s virtual communications with her ex-husband are a great addition to the stories. Michelle Babb did an outstanding job with the narration. She has a beautiful voice, pleasant to listen to, and easy to understand. She has a great range of voices. The audio quality is excellent. This was definitely a refreshing and enjoyable listen, and I HIGHLY recommend it. I need more! Looking forward to listen to the next boxed set in the Series.
You like Minnie and her companion Ben, who was a trip. Ben needs a story of his own. He was an unexpected treat. he characters were quirky and delightful in their own way and you enjoyed the story and the way the narrator told the story. A good start to the series, so when you get a chance pick up a copy and enjoy.
series, ghosts, cozy-mystery, RV-camping
***** This is the perfect series to balance out life and serious reads! Minerva and her ghostly companion are touring in an RV just for fun but somehow seem to be around when murders are committed. All of the characters are interesting and engaging even when some of them are decidedly irritating. The publisher’s blurb covers a lot so there’s no sense in repeating.
Michelle Babb as always is great at interpretive narration that really brings the people to life.
I requested and received a free audio copy and was delighted to be chosen.
This three-book collection is the first three books in Minnie Crockwell’s Will Travel For Trouble series. The books follow Minnie, a retired government worker and recreational vehicle enthusiast, as she begins her retirement adventures traveling from one RV park to another, hoping for a peaceful relaxing stay. The three novellas in this collection, Trouble at Happy Trails, Trouble at Sunny Lake, and Trouble at Glacier, each have Minnie coming across a dead body and getting embroiled smack dab in the investigation into the deaths. Another campground…another murder. The author keeps reader interest high with action, good characterization, and a fast pace to the stories. Minnie is curious, willful, and attracted to a man in uniform, and is often being warned by her ghostly companion, Ben, (I love this guy!) to back off and let the officials take care of finding the murderer. With some twists and turns to the plot, the author keeps you guessing to the end as to the culprit. Will Travel for Trouble is a fun set of books to read (or listen to as this reviewer did). The narrator, Michelle Babb, does a nice job of giving characters their unique voice, making for an enjoyable listening experience. I enjoyed this set of books and look forward to listening to the rest of the books in the series. I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.