USA Today bestselling author Leighann Dobbs has compiled four full length mysteries from her top selling series into one book! From the culinary capers of Lexy Baker and her posse of amateur sleuth grandma’s to the ghosts and mystical cats of Mystic Notch to the four magical Blackmoore sisters of Noquitt Maine to the traditional mysteries of retired police consultants Claire Watkins and Dominic … Dominic Benedetti on Mooseamuck Island. You’re sure to fall in love with the charming characters and puzzling mysteries in these books.
Ghostly Paws
When bookstore owner Willa Chance finds herself haunted by the tenacious ghost of the town librarian who insists she solved her murder, she gets help from a quirky cast of small-town characters and a cat she’s inherited from her grandmother.
Bake, Battle & Roll
When Lexy Baker temporarily fills in for the pastry chef at a lakeside resort it seems like a great way to combine business and pleasure … until the head chef ends up with a knife through his chest and Lexy is found bending over the body.
A Zen For Murder
When local psychic Zoila Rivers is found dead at the zen garden, retired police consultants Dominic Benedetti and Claire Watkins are forced to team up to catch the killer. Too bad Claire and Dom don’t always see eye to eye.
Dead & Buried
Summers in the seaside town of Noquitt Maine are quiet and relaxing … unless you find a mysterious dead body, a hunky ex-boyfriend shows up and you start getting instructions from ghostly relatives.
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This is a sampling of a few of her series. I enjoyed them all and have purchased more in some of the series
I love everything that she writes. I have yet to be disappointed.
Cats are interesting. Got tired of the humans not sharing w each other
Take, Josie, a middle-aged divorcee who has moved back home and sunk all of her money into a guesthouse which has some guests, but is in need of substantial repairs in order to use it to it’s full potential. Add two cats, Nero and Marlowe, who talk to each other about helping solve the murder of a guest that has just occured; Josie’s mother and her friend, the former owner of the guesthouse; toss in a hunky guy who may later become a love interest for Josie; put in a pinch of a building inspector who seems to have it in for Josie and of course, stir it all up with the murder of a guest and you have the start of a new Leighann Dobbs cozy mystery series, The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series features Josie who has just returned to her hometown on the coast of Maine after finally realizing she needed to divorce her husband and start all over again.
Money is tight and Josie is struggling to figure out how to get everything done that needs to be taken care of, especially as the building inspector, Barbara Littlefield, seems to revel in making Josie’s life more difficult. Throughout the book, Nero and Marlowe talk about clues, meet with a group of their cat friends who discuss the murder and look for clues among themselves, and try to steer Josie toward important information she needs to share the murder. For her part, Josie is trying to solve the murder on her own as she worries that the guesthouse, which is functioning on a shoestring budget, will not be able to survive if she doesn’t find the killer. Her mother and the former guesthouse owner, Millie, drop in from time to time to discuss murder and for Millie to bake something for Josie to serve at breakfast to her guests.
Because this is a cozy, not much time is spent on the specifics of the murder short of giving information on how the victim dies. There is also some exposition that seems to be a setup for future novels in the series. This includes a push-pull attraction between Josie and Mike, a former high school crush for Josie who broke her heart by taking someone else to the prom, some competition between Josie and Stella, the girl Mike chose to take to the prom who now owns a bed and breakfast in the town and who keeps showing up at Josie’s place.
The sheriff in town seems to latch on to Josie as the prime suspect early on in his investigation. Josie’s mother and friend Millie step in to do some investigation as well as taking time for Millie to sweet-talk the sheriff into not arresting Josie. All of these various problems lead to Josie feeling somewhat desperate to solve the murder so she can get on with her life. Meanwhile, Nero and Marlowe are frustrated with their new human who doesn’t seem to understand the hints they are giving her and who doesn’t seem to understand they are the superior intellectual beings who are the real caretakers for the guesthouse.
As other series by Leighann Dobbs, this one will appeal to that segment of readers who love cozy mysteries that are strong on featuring cats who talk to one another in English which is understandable to the reader. Josie has to stumble along and try to understand what they are telling her in the same way most of us have to try and understand the animals with whom we share our lives and homes. As the series continues it is likely the relationship between Josie and Mike will change, although in what way is not clear from how this particular book ends.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutoure for providing me with an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you like cats and cozy mysteries, this is probably a series you will enjoy. The plot is well thought out and the clues are well placed for the reader to try and solve the mystery along with or ahead of Josie. It was easy to solve for me, and if you are an experienced reader it is likely it will be for you also, but that won’t necessarily negatively impact your enjoyment of the book.
Good
Great books.
Those who love to sink into a great cozy mystery books, look no further! Leighann Dobbs Cozy Mystery Collection is awesome! The great stories, and delightful cast of characters will keep you reading and entertained into the wee hours of the night.
I love her books. The characters are witty and realistic. I can’t put her books down. If you love cozy mysteries, these books are for you. No violence or cursing. I let my 12 and 14 year old nieces read these books.
I love all the cozy mysteries. Each one is different. Dobbs is one of my favorite authors
Awesome