Cedar Fish Campground was supposed to be a peaceful refuge, not grounds for murder.Thea Pagoni is desperate to flee her stress-filled city life for the quiet of the woods after a painful divorce. When her grandmother passes away and leaves her the family campground, it seems like the perfect opportunity to find peace. But not everything is crickets and campfires.The handyman she was promised is … campfires.
The handyman she was promised is less than handy, the campground has fallen into severe disrepair, and with a dwindling reservation list, there’s no money to make improvements. Things are looking grim, and then a dead hiker makes everything worse. Can Thea find the killer before Cedar Fish Campground is forced to close forever and she loses everything… again?
Between a Rock and a Deadly Place is the first novella in Zoey Chase’s Cedar Fish Campground cozy mystery series. For lovers of the outdoors and clean mysteries with a side of romance.
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Thea Pagoni’s decision to leave her law practice and take over her grandparent’s campground surprised the locals and maybe even Thea herself. She needs a change after the ugly divorce from her husband. So, after the death of her beloved grandmother, the fond memories of Cedar Fish Campground from her childhood brought her back for that fresh start. What she didn’t count on was the poor condition of the campground, the lack of competent help and the murder that happened within days of her arrival.
The police don’t seem to care about finding the murderer. The locals are full of gossip about the dead woman, which leads to bad publicity for Cedar Fish Campground. Thea and Hennie, who seems to be a fixture at the campground, decide to do a bit of investigating on their own. Lucky for them, Nolan Cade. the newly hired handyman/security guard is a former cop as well as former military. The fact that he is drop dead gorgeous was not missed by either of the women.
The plot thickens when Thea receives a threat to stop sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong. She is close to finding the murderer, and is determined to find him or her. She has to do this in order to carry on her family’s legacy, but will she live to bring the campground to its former glory?
Between a Rock and a Deadly Place is a fast-paced cozy mystery with a cast of interesting characters. There are secrets in Thea’s past that haunt her, but she is doing her best to work through them. Hennie is a hoot – she has many surprising characteristics that amused me as I got to know her. Nolan, like Thea, has a history he is trying to get past. Don’t overlook his brilliant mind because beneath the good looks is a smart, caring man.
There is humor laced throughout the book. Small towns are often known for their quirkiness and Outer Branson is no exception. Ricky, the baby racoon, is adorably naughty adding to the comedic side of the solid story.
his is Zoey Chase’s first book. I assumed she was a seasoned cozy author with dozens of books penned because Between a Rock and a Deadly Place is the perfect mix of mystery, romance, quirky characters and an interesting setting. I can’t wait for the next book in her series as well as many more to follow.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2020 Laura Hartman
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the budding chemistry between the main characters, the supporting characters were great, and the animal’s antics had me giggling!
Thanks to Voracious Readers Only for suggesting the book, and to Ms Chase for sending a copy to read and review.
A very cute and well paced campground mystery. The old man Curtis made me chuckle quite a few times…what a guy. LOL
After I bought the book on Amazon I checked out the authors homepage and found out that you get this first installment for free if you sign up to her newsletter. – So if you are interested head on over, sign up and start reading.
The mystery was good. There were a number of secrets that when revealed gave the clues to who the killer was. Unfortunately the female lead was not very bright. Considering she was a partner in a law office she did every thing wrong. Not to mention she had not visited her beloved grandparents in their camp ground in ten years. Sorry she really turned me off at the beginning of the story and it was hard to warm up to her.
Fun cozy with quirky characters, a murder, a raccoon and a Newfoundland pup make for great, quick read. Cannot wait to read more by this author
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thea inherits her grandparents’ camp ground just as her marriage ends and she finds out that the ex has drained their accounts. She arrives in a storm and a tree has fallen and blocked her way in. And things don’t get any better. Thea finds the campground isn’t in good shape, that she has a deadbeat employee and a quirky neighbor. Then someone is found dead on one of the trails. The police are incompetent so Thea and her new handyman/security guard start their own investigation. There are several people who might have killed the woman. This is a very fun read and I really enjoyed this book. I think we’ll be seeing some engaging stories from this author. I recommend the book.