There’s a corpse among the chanterelles! Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast manager Kelly Jackson is hosting a cooking class during the week of the Mushroom Festival to attract guests, not drama. But soon after she finishes foraging for an edible mushroom species on sacred Native American land, a local newspaper reporter gets shot dead at the same site. With suspicions spreading like fungi in the … like fungi in the quaint Northern Californian community over the culprit’s identity, Kelly and a savvy gang of sleuthing seniors known as the “Silver Sentinels” must uncover the truth about the secluded property before a tricky killer prepares another lethal surprise . . .
more
Murder at the Mushroom Festival is Janet Finsilver’s very enjoyable fourth entry in her Kelly Jackson cozy mystery series, and it was a pleasant return to Redwood Cove. Kelly and the Silver Sentinels are investigating another murder, and also an attempted murder, during the annual Mushroom Festival, but they’re drawn into the theft of a very rare piece of sunken redwood lumber as well. When Daniel, one of Kelly’s closest friends, is suspected of the murder, she enlists the help of her boss, Michael Corrigan, who immediately swoops into town to help. One of the things that I enjoy most about cozy mysteries is the continuing and developing relationships between the main and recurring characters, and it was so nice to spend time again with them! All in all, a very pleasant and quick read, like a visit with dear friends. I recommend starting the series from the beginning, but this book works well as a standalone. A+
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
What a cute new addition to this wonderful series. Kelly is fairly settled by this point and highly involved in the tight knit community. There is a mushroom festival going on that sounds like great fun if it wasn’t for the dead body that was found. When a friend ends up the main suspect she starts asking questions with the help of the Silver Sentinels who are a hoot I must say. Add Tommy, his dog, and a pig to get a cozy that you won’t want to put down. The mushroom info was just an added bonus. I really enjoyed so I give it 4/5 stars and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.
Fun cozy mystery surrounding mushroom festival in Northern California.
I learned more about mushrooms than I ever thought I would.
looking for a cozy mystery set in Northern California amidst the red woods? This is your book- serious enough to keep you guessing, but not angsty -just pure fun.
Such a good and fun mystery. I loved the delightful characters and the relationships that they had with each other. Some characters you loved and others you hated. But that made the story interesting. Great mushroom festival activities and I loved how they were varied and would have provided something for everyone to enjoy.
This book was just a good read. I love the town where it took place, the people (at least those who aren’t stealing or trying to kill someone), and the goodness that was demonstrated in many ways. The focus on trying to help vets and other individuals was a plus.
You really didn’t know who had committed all of the crimes until the end. You have lots of suspicions, but you don’t know the truth until the very end. I love that in a book! One that keeps you guessing and trying to put the puzzle pieces together will draw me in every time!
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
I jumped into this series at book 4 and that was A o.k! Although I
really enjoyed the characters and need to go back and read the rest just because I want to!
My head was spinning though not in a bad way with all the villainous crimes! Murder, theft, blackmail, the Indian land being
dishonored and just a few threats thrown in to make everyone a
little nervous.
The road is twisty and curving and will keep you a bit on the edge of your seat with all the action and mystery.
I enjoyed meeting all the sleuthing seniors that help Kelly by snooping and solving the crime to clear her friends name.
The addition of all the animals to the story made it especially fun for me!
If you love cozy mysteries that have some great animal characters
you’ll enjoy this series.
And one of my favorite parts was the cover. I would pick this
one up for sure and check it out. I’d read the back and then Buy It!
I do have to say I was a little disappointed there was one of the
animal characters that sadly missed being on the cover!
I am looking forward to reading much more!
I received a complimentary copy.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Mushrooms, Murder and a bit of Mayhem! It’s the Week of the Mushroom and many fun events have been planned. Cooking classes and various mushroom hunting tours. Kelly Jackson, manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast is participating in everything she can but it is not completely for her pleasure. No, she is tracking a murderer to clear her friend Daniel off the suspect list and the “Silver Sentinels” are helping her. Kelly finds herself in a little cold water but she and her friends are not giving up until they find the killer.
All my favorites were back for this new adventure but there was a new character that absolutely stole my heart. Priscilla, the mushroom/truffle-sniffing pig with a big pink bow. Seriously though, Ms. Finsilver has created a wonderful cast of characters. The recurring characters are a tightly knit bunch and the new characters added several dimensions to the story. Several holding high places on the Sentinels suspect list. I really do enjoy the way this active group of senior citizens gets involved in the community and solving murders. I wish I was as active as they are.
The backdrop of the story is the illegal harvesting of Redwood trees and redwood sinker logs that have rested underwater for years. I found the information and description of the sculptures created from the redwood and sinker logs very interesting. The sinker logs are rare and there is a lot of red tape to obtain them legally. We also see how protective mushroom gatherers are of their foraging sites. In this story, one site is on sacred Indian land. I love learning new things while reading a cozy mystery. Plus the descriptions of the items and the places they were found created great imagery.
The author has given readers a solid mystery with plenty of twists. The Silver Sentinels had their lists on the board but finding someone with motive, means and opportunity just wasn’t lining up. Kelly was pulling out all the stops to figure it out. Readers like me will figure it out right before Kelly has her “aha moment”. Thankfully the woman can think on her feet.
At the end of Murder at the Fortune Teller’s Table, I thought there was a romance budding for Kelly, that part of her story is moving very slowly book wise but in the timeframe of the series is unfolding at the right pace.
I have enjoyed this entire series and excited about where the characters are headed and eager to read about their next story.
Murder at the Mushroom Festival by Janet Finsilver is fourth installment in A Kelly Jackson Mystery series. Kelly Jackson, the manager of the Redwood Cove Bed-and-Breakfast, is looking forward to the Mushroom Festival in Redwood Cove, California. She has agreed to let Elise Jackson teach her mushroom class in the multipurpose room. Elise will be teaching the participants how to identify various mushrooms, how to cook with mushrooms and provide maps on where to find the fungi in the local area. One of the highlights of the festival is the mushroom hunting contest. Ned Blaine, reporter for the Redwood Cove Messenger, is attending Elise’s class and manages to anger a few people before it disperses. The next morning Deputy Sheriff Bill Stanton arrives to speak with Kelly. Ned Blaine was found shot dead (I’m so shocked) on sacred tribal land in Mallory National Park. When Daniel ends up the prime suspect, Kelly and the sleuthing seniors known as the Silver Sentinels dig into the case. Ned was investigating illegal redwood logging which included the stealing sinker logs and writing a book on places to locate mushrooms in Redwood Cove. Both items stirred up dark feelings and could have gotten Ned murdered. Someone is not happy with Kelly’s snooping and attempts to take her out of commission. It is up to Kelly and the Silver Sentinels to find the wrongdoer before they strike again.
Murder at the Mushroom Festival can be read alone. Everything you need to know about Kelly is included in Murder at the Mushroom Festival. I thought the book contained good writing and had a steady pace. Janet Finsilver has a conversational writing style that makes the story easy to read. I thought the characters were well established. Kelly’s coworkers, friends and the Silver Sentinels are friendly, welcoming characters. They are the type of people I would like to know and have as my friends. I appreciate that there is a diverse group of people. I especially enjoy the younger characters as well as the dogs. They provide levity and humor to the story. Kelly is friendly, caring, smart and level headed. I like the setting of Redwood Cove. It sounds like a great place to live with the water and forests (I have always wanted to life in the Pacific Northwest). It was interesting to learn about mushrooms. I had no idea there were so many varieties and how easy it is to find them. People do need to be careful since there are numerous poisonous varieties (great weapon for a killer). I would never have thought of using mushrooms in a dessert. The mystery had a couple of different components that all come together in the end with the loose ends wrapped up. Identifying the guilty, though, is a piece of cake. I really like that Kelly actively investigates. She asks clever questions while being subtle. Kelly does not blindly dive into dangerous situations (hooray). There are many cozy moments in the book (cooking, chatting, mushroom hunting, cookie baking and decorating, horseback riding, traversing down the river in a canoe) that aid in making Murder at the Mushroom Festival a delight to read. My rating for Murder at the Mushroom Festival 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). This is my favorite book so far in A Kelly Jackson Mystery series.
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from Lyrical Underground via Netgalley and these are my own opinions.
What drew me in was the description and the cover. This can be read as a standalone. I did not feel lost or that I was missing something from not reading the others. I do plan to pick up the first three as I was delighted by this story. Ms Finsilver is a new-to-me author.
This book has a little of everything: mystery dealing with illegal redwood logging, Native American Indians’ sacred grounds, mushrooms, cooking class & mushroom recognition classes, a mushroom festival, and working animals.
A reporter’s life is cut short when he’s researching and planning to do an expose on mushroom patches. Why is he killed? Is it because mushroom hunters want the locations of their private patches kept secret, or because he stumbles upon higher staked secrets in his investigation? Kelly, Daniel, and the Silver Sentinels are looking for clues.
I liked reading about some of the different types of mushrooms and all of different ways to use them in food preparation. The Silver Sentinels are such a great group of quirky seniors. Nice to see a group work well together to accomplish good in the community. The mystery was well-plotted with plenty of suspects and enough twists. I had plenty of suspects and only figured it out just before Kelly did.
I really like this series and had no problem jumping in here at book four after somehow missing #3.
The story was different with Finsilver adding local flora detail (mushrooms and sinkers (read to find out what they are)to her mythical Redwood Cove. I really like the characters and wish the large supporting cast got a bit more page time, though those closest to Kelly get the most.
The mystery and how it unfolded keep my interest. The weakness was some of the details. The mushroom “festival” seemed to be attended by a handful of people and Kelly is supposed to be running a business, yet she hardly ever seems to be doing any work. The only other staff member mentioned is the cook, Helen. Who is checking in guests, answering the phones, cleaning the rooms, etc.? Just a few lines here and there would take care of that pesky issue.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Murder at the Mushroom Festival by Janet Finsilver is the fourth book in this series and the best one yet.
Kelly has settled into Redwood Cove now and loves joining into the local festivals and celebrations. Ms. Finsilver’s writing is so descriptive that I always feel like I am right there with Kelly as she travels around Redwood Cove. I really appreciate the in-depth research of mushrooms. I learned a lot regarding the different types of mushrooms and all of the different ways to use them in food preparation. The Silver Sentinels are such a great group of quirky seniors. I really admire them as they strive to help within their community. The mystery was swiftly plotted with plenty of suspects and enough twists that I never guessed the identity of the murderer until the reveal and that was scary. I found myself on the edge of my seat as I read. I am already anticipating the next book in this series
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
After reading book 3 in this series I was determined to get caught up with this series again and not much later I picked up book 4 and started reading it. Murder at the Mushroom Festival is another great installment in this series. While the mystery didn’t grip me as strongly, it was a lot of fun to be back in this town with the familiar group of characters.
I can’t fully pinpoint why, but the mystery in this book wasn’t gripping me as much. It wasn’t as int interesting and I never really got invested and tried to guess the murderer. There are a bunch of suspects from the start and while the main characters make some progress throughout the book it felt very slow going and then toward the end suddenly everything came to light. There was an interesting twist toward the end that I liked. I also liked how Daniel being a suspect got the main character involved and made her try harder to solve it. She also doesn’t really solve the mystery, but the killer reveals themselves to the main character.
While I like the writing style, at times some scenes can feel a tad rushed, like they are wrapped up too quickly. I feel like some of those could just be skipped and summarized or given a bit more attention. But luckily this only happened a few times.
The theme of this book was a fun one with the mushroom festival going on. There is a lot of focus on the mushrooms, mushroom hunting and some activities that are going on in and around the town. There is also a bit about the redwood trees, involving sinker logs and the characters explore the surrounding area’s a bit during the mushroom hunt. I didn’t know a lot about these topics, so it was fun to learn a bit more about them.
What I liked most about this book was spending some time with the by now familiar characters. I like the main character and how she has found a new home in this place and enjoys running the inn. I like her very slowly developing romance with Scott. This is very much a side plot line, but so far I like them together. Scott seems to worry and care about her, but not tell her what to do.
And then there are the side characters ofcourse. This book has a big group of side characters, but I have no trouble by now remembering who is who. From the sheriff to the silver sentinels who help her solve the mysteries to Helen and Daniel who both work close by and they both have a kid Tommy and Allie. Then there is Andy and Philip who do the whine and cheese for the inn. This book involved all of these characters again and more. The professor’s brother is in town with a friend. And there is a characters helping with the mushroom festivities. I like reading about these characters and seeing them interact.
To summarize: Another great read in this cozy mystery series. The mystery in this one didn’t grip me as much, but there was an interesting twist at the end. I liked learning more about the redwood trees, mushrooms and mushroom hunting. My favorite part is following the familiar group of characters along. This series has a huge amount of side character,s but they all add to the story and are great to read about. All in all another fun read and I look forward to the next one.
Super slow I finally just quit reading it