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! When the principal of Normal High School asks Mae West to teach a semester on small town economics, … economics, since she helped bring the thriving economy in Normal, Kentucky when she used her brilliant ideas to bring the Happy Trails Campground back to life, Mae is thrilled and happy to teach the young people.
But when a fellow teacher and archery Coach Roger Carlson, is found stone-cold dead, facedown in one of Happy Trails Campground campers with an arrow sticking out of his back, it puts a damper on the thriving campground when tourists cancel their reservations and Mae’s excitement to teach.
Mae’s hankering to snoop into the coach’s private life and find out exactly why he was renting a camper in Happy Trails and not living at home with his young wife. Her efforts don’t leave her short on suspects. Especially, since Mae uncovered many unhappy parents who had relied on an archery scholarship and perfect ACT scores as their child’s ticket to get out of Normal and go to college.
Mae has to be careful or she just might find an arrow with her name written on it.
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I’m excited to be back with the gang in this funny series. Mae is just about the funniest character I have read. She has her hands full running the campground and keeping up with all the gossip. It is an exciting event when Mae is given the key to the city. Campers make food for all to enjoy and the atmosphere is festive as they all join in on the celebration.
As luck would have it, the festivities don’t last long when a body is discovered with an arrow pierced through his body. Now it could be said that the deceased may have had secrets or perhaps enemies but it is for sure that someone wanted him dead.
It is hard for Mae and her band of helpers not to investigate, but they just can’t help themselves. Mae better be careful or her handsome boyfriend, Hank may get a bit upset. He is not keen on her snooping around his investigations, but can he really stop her? It’s a great story with an exciting trail of evidence that leads Mae to danger once again.
I have to mention that meeting Hank’s family was hysterical. His family is right out of the pages of a dysfunctional unhappy group who thrives on tearing each other down. His sister is so full of herself that she doesn’t realize how embarrassing she is. I’m not sure that Hank will take Mae to visit his family again anytime soon. Well we all have our skeletons in the closet, don’t we?
I loved reading about Mae teaching at school for six weeks. She is mostly welcomed but a tragedy strikes there which has her rethinking her decision to be there. There is plenty of suspects in this story and the adventure is non stop. When Hank shows up at school to investigate the latest murder, there is a funny exchange between him and a teacher. Oh my, I rolled on the floor laughing. The author is an expert in humor and storytelling. This is my favorite series by the author and I hope she continues it for a long time. I feel like I am part of the community and would love to stay in one of their trailers. There is never a dull moment with Mae and her band of curious friends. Don’t miss this hysterical adventure and find out who is behind the murders.
I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.
This is such a fun series of books. I love the quirky characters in this town. You do not have to read the books before this one but it is more enjoyable to read these in order to get to know who each of the characters are. I love Mae West and how she ended up being the owner of a Campground. This will make you laugh even though there are murders. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Normal, Kentucky is a great place for camping and tourists. Mae West owns the campground and helped bring tourism back to town. They have a monthly cookout and this time Mae gets the key to the city and the offer to teach an economics class at the high school. All her hard work fixing up the campground has really paid off. Unfortunately, she finds a dead body with an arrow sticking out of it after the ceremony! Mae and her Laundry Club friends just have to snoop into the murder no matter what her cop boyfriend says. If you like your cozies with a lot of laughs, you’ll love this one.
Canyons, Caravans, & Cadavers is the 6th book in the Camper & Criminals cozy mystery series! This series is a must read and one that I can’t help but devour. These characters are some of the best I have read and I feel a deep connection with them all. Normal Kentucky is also an amazing fictional town. I can almost smell the flowers and feel the breeze coming off the pages! Tonya does a wonderful job when it comes to describing the setting and the cute campers! If I were to ever travel I would want these types of campers to live in myself!
With that being said, this is an amazing series! The mystery is fantastic- I honestly didn’t know “who-dun-it” until it was revealed at the end, and Normal is where I want to be! I highly recommend this series to all cozy fans!
Tonya Kappes
Happy to return to Normal. I just love Mae and her crew. They are so fun. When the high school coach is murdered at Mae’s campground, she has to stick her nose into everything. Then the janitor is dead. Mae and the crew need to step up their investigation before anything else happens. There has to be some connection between the two. Just when Mae thinks she has it figured out, another body turn up. With everyone canceling their reservations at her campground, she needs to find the killer and fast.
Mae West is given the keys to the town and the opportunity to teach a semester at the high school. She is all excited until a fellow teacher is found dead in his camper at the Happy Trails Campground having been shot with an archery arrow. Now Mae is on the case to find the killer and try to stop the cancelations at her campgrounds.
With Mae’s usual flair, she gets herself in deep trying to sort through all the suspects (and there are many) and keeping herself out of danger. How do ACT scores and archery scholarships come into play? That is the mystery that Mae and the Laundry Ladies plan to find out.
Full of laugh out loud moments, madcap adventure, and only situations that Mae can fall into, this book keep me engaged from cover to cover. Can’t wait for the next book in the series to see what Mae gets into next!
Mae receives a key to the city and she gets to teach the kids at the local high school, Economics. On the down side she finds the dead Economics teacher in one of her campers.
As people start to cancel and business starts to decline there is only one thing to do. Get the club together and help. With Detective Sharps knowledge and consent Mae will be on the look out at the school for him.
I enjoy this series not only for the great characters, but it is fast paced with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. the plot and characters are always well done. You never know what Mae will stumble on next.
Mae is receiving the Key to the City for helping to turn the Normal economy around. As well as making Happy Trails Campground a place you want to visit or stay at.
She is also asked to teach six weeks at the High School.
When the school Archery Coach is found dead in a camper he has been renting, cancellations come fast.
Now starts the police investigation and of course the Laundry Club Ladies are going to help….by snooping where they don’t belong.
Well written, with twists and turns and I really love the friendships that have formed throughout this series as each characters personality came out more.
Perhaps my favourite story in this series so far. So much suspense, so many murders (yes not just 1 and i won’t say more about that) , so many twists and of course a big dosis of humour. This is a page turner!
i love the laudromat team ^^, those are so funny and they have such big heart. i will gladly sign for such friend even if they can be nosy . Violet is still there ( not fan of her at all) but we see a new side of her personality as well.
We do learn more about Hank’s family too ( man i can’t stand his sister!) and it really helped us to understand him better. His romance with Mae is going slowly, step by step and i absolutely love that! Mae also reveals some of her past so we understand her better.
it was really an excellent read! to recommend if you need some southern charm book and a great cozy!
This series never fails to entertain me. Here we are at book #6 and Mae has been given the key to the “city” – Normal, Kentucky. Mae has been successful at turning the campground she inherited from her ex into a lively and profitable enterprise. That, in turn, is a big help to Normal’s economy – hence the key being awarded to her. On top of that, the local high school has asked her to teach a six week course on finance. Teach the kids the ins and outs of running a business. What can possibly go wrong? Aside from six weeks of anxiety from being back in high school under any circumstances. Mae thinks sure, why not? Before the day is over, before her first day of teaching begins, murder makes an appearance. One of the teachers, who is also the archery coach, has been renting a retro decorated camper from Mae but somebody wants him out of the picture and offs him with an arrow in the back. Being that Normal is a very small town, the news travels fast, goes onto the internet and the cancelations flood in, threatening not only Mae’s livelyhood but that of Normal, too.
Usually the local police would want Mae and her gang from the Laundromat Club to keep their noses out of the investigation but this time Mae can be their eyes and ears in the high school. Fine until two more bodies turn up and Mae just might become the fourth. As if all of this wasn’t enough for Mae to juggle, she has to meet her (cop on the case) boyfriend’s family and it isn’t pleasant. Poor Mae, her road of life sure does have a whole lot of potholes to navigate. Trust that she is up to the challenge in each book. I’m looking forward to book #7 and hanging out with Mae and the Laundromat Club – there’s never a dull moment.
Mae West is at it again! She is solving another mystery!
Canyons, Caravans, and Cadavers by Tonya Kappes is another great cozy that has fabulous characters and a marvelous mystery filled with southern charm. We are back with Mae West, the Laundry Club girls, and Hank in Normal, Kentucky.
What I like:
• Written in the first-person with Mae West, our sleuth, being the narrator. I enjoy getting inside Mae’s head and seeing how she figures things out, especially when it comes to the mystery.
• I still like that the main character runs her own campground and has fixed it up as well. Is anyone interested in some glamping?
• Mae and Hank are dating in this book. They make an adorable couple.
• Mae is becoming a fixture of the community.
What I don’t like:
The one thing that I didn’t like was that I didn’t figure out who the killer was and I’m still stumped by how it could be the person that it was. I totally missed the clues, and there are lots of red herrings.
Five Star
Canyons, Caravans, and Cadavers by Tonya Kappes has a marvelous mystery, and this book is another great one in the Campers and Criminals series. I can’t wait for the next book, Hitches, Hideouts, & Homicides to come on in late May. I am giving it a five-star rating and recommending it to anyone that likes cozy mysteries.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Canyons, Caravans, and Cadavers by Tonya Kappes.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you would like to read more reviews like this one, please go to baronessbooktrove.com
This is my first in this series. I can say that you can read this book and not have read the previous books without being lost. I did it. Even read it in a day.
Cute story, fun read, and the lead up to the who done it is interesting.
Eventually I will go back and catch up on the previous books. I do not feel like I missed a lot of fine details that make it urgent to do so.
I really liked the tips at the end of the book.
This is my honest and freely given review. I did receive an ARC book.
Canyons, Caravans, and Cadavers is book six in the Camper and Criminals Cozy mysteries by Tonya Kappes.
Mae West is the owner of the Happy Trails Campground in Normal. Kentucky and always seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when a murder occurs.
This time it’s the archery coach at the local high school who was the target. He recently rented one of the campers and has been living on the grounds. When word gets out a murder was committed on the grounds, cancelled reservations start stacking up. Mae and the Laundry Club ladies are on the hunt, but this time Mae has the blessing of her detective boyfriend Hank’s blessing. Throw in the meeting of Hank’s parents and you get the perfect story. Not only is there the mystery but romance, humor and close knit friendships.
This is a clean, easy to read Cozy with camping hacks and recipes included.
If you haven’t visited Normal, you need to!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy.
I absolutely love this series and following the adventures of Mae and her friends, but I was not as impressed with this one as I have the rest of the series.
The murder mystery was a fun one, but I felt that Hank’s family diluted the story-like they were just kind of thrown in there for Mae to prove herself against others. I love that she stands up for herself and Hank and will not let them drive her out. I also love how it shows why he grew up with Agnes, but those people are so incredibly shallow that I cannot actually see them wanting to come back to Normal and live their life there again-let alone Hank’s sister. Also, she contacts an old “friend” of hers, but that is the last thing you hear on this matter. This is the reason I gave it 4 stars.
The mystery shows that all things in Normal are both normal, and not. Students cheating, gossiping-very normal. A teacher being murdered? Not so much! Mae is able to get some inside information as she is holding a class on economics and how she brought her campground back to life. But everything is not as it seems-a lot of strange things are happening within Normal’s High School.
This series is best read in order, but you will enjoy each book!
Mae West arrived at the Happy Trails
Campground in Normal, Kentucky which
is located within Daniel Boone National Park.
The brochure showed lush Kentucky
Bluegrass with a clear lake.
She has nothing and plans to take a vacation
there then sell it. Instead she finds a dirty,
run down campground with a slimy lake.
Mae works extremely hard to clean up the
campground. She successfully makes the
Happy Trails Campground into a successful
place with the help of her southern business
neighbors and acquaintances. Mae has
helped turn around the Normal economy.
The campground is all a buzz as she and the
local reporter are about to receive separate
key to the city awards. The campground is
open for the presentation and celebration
with all the businesses providing refreshments.
Then the Normal High School Archery Coach
is found in one of Mae’s campers dead….shot
with an arrow.
Mae goes to teach economics for six weeks in
his class. She reports to the school and begins.
Mae finds the janitor dead in his office….shot
with an arrow.
Mae and the Laundry Club Ladies decide to
investigate as these murders especially at
Happy Trails is effecting the economy of Normal.
This group of women have a southern
camaraderie bond between them making them
effective in discovering clues.
Characters are vivid, very colorful, well define,
extremely interesting with a few quirky ones.
Talented writing combined with a very well
plotted adventure make this book a highly
recommended read.
I volunteered to read Canyons, Caravans, & Cadaver.
Thanks to the author for the opportunity. My
option is my own.
Canyons, Caravans, & Cadavers is the sixth book in the “Campers and Criminals” cozy mystery series by the wonderfully talented, Tonya Kappes. This series is so addicting, and I absolutely love it! In this latest installment, Mae is given a key to the city due to her success with increasing Normal’s economy with the influx of tourists camping at her beautifully remodeled campground, Happy Trails. She has agreed to share the secrets of her success by teaching a six-week economics class at the high school, but before her teaching gig even begins Mae finds the school’s economics teacher/archery coach, dead at her campground with an arrow in his back. While she is still reeling from finding Scott’s body and hearing about possible motives for his death, Mae finds the dead body of the high school janitor, also with an arrow in his back. Is there a murderer loose in Normal who is killing the school’s staff? Are these deaths connected? What is the killer’s motive? With the help of her fun, loyal, and quirky pack of friends, the “Laundry Club,” Mae is on the case again to stop this murderer before another arrow flies! As with all Ms. Kappes’ books, there are multiple subplots to enjoy right along with the murder mystery. This book delved more into Mae’s boyfriend Hank’s family and their relationships to each other along with a beautiful woman who seems to have more than a just passing interest in Hank. Mae’s feelings of insecurity and jealousy about these things were so well written by Ms. Kappes in this book that it was easy to feel those same feelings myself. I love seeing Mae’s spunk and stubbornness come out when Hank tries to squash her curiosity about investigating murders or tries telling her what to do. Ha! This series is one of those that is impossible to put down…Ms. Kappes masterfully weaves a story that is engaging, fast-moving, full of twists, and then builds to a satisfying ending. Loved it, and can’t wait for a return visit with Mae and the gang in book #7!
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
CANYONS, CARAVANS, AND CADAVERS, the sixth book in the Camper & Criminals Cozy series, is by far the best installment to date. With three murders to solve, a quick pace, and a solid mystery, it is sure to please fans and new readers alike.
Things are going well for Mae West; she has even received a key to the city. But, the economy of Happy Trails and the entire town of Normal is threatened when local teacher and archery coach Scott Goodman is killed at the campgrounds. Mae puts on her sleuthing cap, filling in for Goodman at the high school, and as the death toll rises, she does everything in her power to unmask a killer and save Normal.
Kappes excels at creating interesting characters in quirky Southern settings, and the Camper & Criminals series is no exception. The campground setting is novel; there are plenty of suspects, and plenty of wit to counter the murders. The mystery here is well thought out and developed. I was not confident of who the killer was until the end. Well done.
I received and ARC of this title and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
Canyons, Caravans, & Cadavers is another exciting installment in Kappes’ Camper and Criminals Cozy mystery series. Each book in this series just keeps getting better and better. When Mae is given an honor and a six week teaching opportunity because of helping the Normal economy, things don’t go as planned. Mae finds the teacher/coach that she will be working with dead on her campground. To save her business once again, Mae decides to figure out what happened with the help of her friends.
Kappes does a great job at setting up a good mystery that captures the reader’s attention from the very beginning. Mae is determined to save her beloved campground but gets tested in other ways when she gets to meet Hank’s parents and sister. The family drama involved brings a lighter tone to the story as well as some humor. I also liked how Kappes brought the reporter, Violet, into the story more because it changed the dynamics slightly. The secondary characters in this series are great, and I was thrilled to see this group once again helping Mae. The book has enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, and I find myself loving this series more and more with each book. Overall Canyons, Caravans, & Cadavers is a great read that I would most definitely recommend. I am looking forward to Mae’s next adventure.
Received a copy of Canyons, Caravans, & Cadavers from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Bodies are dropping like flies all around Mae. First body at her beloved campground where she has just received the key to the city, where she’s been offered to teach a six-week course on economics with the newly deceased. The school is a hotbed of rumors, out of control parents, and shady teachers. It’s up to Mae and the Laundry Club to get to the bottom of the three murders before a fourth can occur, all while keeping on the good side of Hank her cop boyfriend, not always an easy task. Another wonderful trip to Normal Kentucky to visit with and be mesmerized by super characters and wonderful locations.
Great story. Totally amazed at the end! Best Campground and Criminals series yet! I can hardly wait to read the next book in this series