Welcome to Normal, Kentucky~ where nothing is normal. A Campers and Criminal Mystery Series is another brainchild of USA Today Bestselling Author Tonya Kappes. If you love her quirky southern characters and small town charm with a mystery to solve, you’re going to love her new cozy mystery series! Mae West, a far cry from the Hollywood actress, has been thrown for a loop. Her plush lifestyle in … lifestyle in the big city of New York comes to a screeching halt after the FBI raids her mansion and arrests her husband, Paul West, for a Ponzi scheme that rips people out of millions of dollars.
Mae finds herself homeless, friendless, and penniless. All hope isn’t lost. . .the only thing Mae got to keep that the government didn’t seize is a tourist camp ground, Happy Trails, in Normal, Kentucky and an RV to live in. One problem, Mae’s idea of camping has room service.
By the look of the brochure, Happy Trails has plush Kentucky Bluegrass, a crystal clear lake, a beach chair with her name on it and thoughts of how much money it could bring her after she sells it. Mae figures she’ll take a couple weeks vacation with her toes dipped in the lake. Things aren’t always as they appear. The Kentucky Bluegrass is nothing but dirt and the crystal clue lake is murky with green slime on top.
Mae quickly find out that Happy Trails and the citizens of Normal were also victims of Paul’s schemes, making her lower than tha lake scum in the residents’ eyes. Mae doesn’t think things could get much worse, but as luck would have it, Paul West has escaped from prison and is found dead, murdered, floating in the Happy Trails mucky green lake.
Mae is the number one suspect on Detective Hank Sharp’s short list. After all, Mae has the perfect motive as a kept wife who has been scorned to ashes, embarrassed to death, and seeking revenge.
Time is running out for Mae to prove that she’s innocent and nothing like her husband. If only she could get someone to believe her and talk Detective Sharp into looking at other residents who’ve lost all their savings to Paul’s Ponzie scheme before the curtain is closed on this Hollywood namesake.
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I love this series! These books are funny and relatable. Perfect for cozy mystery readers. And there are lots of books in the series, so get ready to binge-read this weekend!
Lots of twists and turns makes for a good book in my opinion. After her husband left her with only a run-down Bungalow in Kentucky, Mae works hard to increase the value and better the condition of the place only to be faced with grueling discoveries along the way. Be careful who you put your trust in is definitely the resounding lesson in this one.
BTW where are the beaches the title speaks of ?
Easy, quick cozy mystery that’s I’ll recommend.
A bit boring, but fun! May was a conflicting character. The love triangle is feeling forced, especially just after her divorce, but I’m sure it will get better in the rest of the series.
This was a fun little cozy! I enjoyed getting to know Mae and this cute little town. The mystery was interesting and kept me listening. I can’t wait to continue with this series!
This book took a bit to catch my attention, once it did I could not put it down. I can not wait to read the next one in the series!
Loved it! Left a review on Amazon.
A great new cozy mystery that takes place in Kentucky. Mae West is conned by her ex-husband and left with nothing but a camper and campground. She sets on a mission to make things right but then her ex-husband ia found dead at the campground. She uses her own detective skills to finds out what happens while being a suspect as well. I found Mae to be strong willed and fun to read. I will be continuing this series.
Another cute cozy mystery by Tonya Kappes. This is the first of a series that take place in a campground. Fun setting. Interesting and diverse characters. Good read
I read this book before but decided to read it again. And, I’m glad I did. I always enjoy Tonya’s books. My home state of Kentucky is always reflected in a good light and the characters are wonderful. Mae West is kicked out of her mansion after her husband is jailed for running a Ponzi scheme. The only thing the FBI didn’t seize was a camper and campgrounds in Kentucky. When she goes there, its not quite how the brochure pictures it so she is determined to fix it up and sell it. She soon learns to love the life and the people. Then, her ex is found dead and she is a suspect. I love this book and will probably reread the whole series.
Okay so at first I didn’t really like Mae. She was a snob who got knocked down a peg or two (which I delighted in). As the chapters went on she grew on me. I LOVED the residents of Normal and the campground instantly because they are just like ME. I have read a few Tonya Kappes books and as always I am really looking forward to reading more. She gets hers hooks in ya like that!
Such a fun book and a great start to a new series! Can’t wait to read the next one.
I have read other books in this series and wanted to go back to the beginning to see how Mae started out in Normal, Kentucky. I like her character and the other members of the Laundry Club. I like how everyone in the town helped Mae with Happy Trails once they realized that she was committed to fixing it up and staying around after it was done. This was a fun read and is a great series when you want a vacation from your everyday life!
What a fun, quick read!! Loved this story!
A fun read… I loved the Womens Circles of friendship… and the attitude of the characters… I will read the next one… !
Really solid mystery! The pace is a shade slow for my tastes, but once I settled into the rhythm I really liked it. Very full characters with excellent dialogue. (Speaking of which, the audiobook narrator is much better than most.)
This murder mystery is a little different than the ones I’ve been reading lately in that it is based in reality and not a paranormal setting.
The main character, Mae West (not the actress), is more honest and genuine than I would have expected, considering the shadiness of her ex-husband. As it turns out, it’s true that you can’t judge people based on other’s actions. Even though Mae’s husband causes a lot of pain and damage to people and specifically the community of Normal, Mae made it her mission to try and right those wrongs. The idea that someone who used to be rich and is now poor tends to make them more likable and relatable, and that is exactly what happened in this book. I had some doubts about Mae’s authenticity, but she surprised me, and I found that her character is smart, funny, and determined.
When she gets to Normal, she actually makes friends quickly. Her girls from the “Laundry Club” really help her out and show the forgiving nature of people, which I think is a refreshing undertone of the book. It’s good to see this group of women from all different walks of life be able to come together and make each other better people. It is very satisfying having women build each other up instead of tearing each other down. Again, just another side note that made the book redeeming in my eyes.
The story itself is interesting, but, there were a few things that drew my attention away from the main plot. For example, there were some typos and a few plot holes that distracted me. I did enjoy the wittiness of the characters, especially Queenie, who is a “call it as I see it” kind of person. I also like the riches-to-rags and owning up to mistakes, even if they were mistakes by proxy.
The murder mystery side of the story is kind of an aside instead of the main plot of the book. However, if you’re looking “murder-centric” type of suspense, this might not be what you want. If you’re looking for something that is entertaining and has humor, a good message, and potential love interests, then this could be the book for you.
This book is filled with Southern charm and quirky characters galore! It’s so much fun that I could not put it down. Looking forward to reading the next one.
I really enjoyed this book! Not an easy read for the grammar police, but….”insert eyeroll here”.
This is a self-published author and my bet is she also self edits. My thought is: I can barely get through an email without a mistake here or there, I can only imagine editing an entire book. So, expect a few mistakes but know that they aren’t so horrible that you can’t work through or ignore them.
I would recommend this book as a light read. It’s fun and keeps you guessing!
What an interesting start to a new series by one of my favorite authors. I love the down home feelings I get reading her books. This book did not disappoint me. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. In my opinion there isn’t any reason why this book couldn’t be read by teen readers or those who prefer not to read strong language.
This my first book of Tonya Kappes & I really enjoyed this funny Cozy Mystery. The only problem I saw was there were quite a few editing errors. The story itself had many twists and turns and the ending surprised me-didn’t expect that this certain perpetrator committed the murders.
I will continue to read Ms. Kappes Cozy mystery’s and hopefully the editing errors will be fixed. Also you will find some free recipes from the story.