South Cove, California, is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day—and there’s going to be a parade of suspects . . . Jill Gardner’s store, Coffee, Books, and More, is raking in the green as her little coastal town holds a big festival for St. Patrick’s Day. But the locals aren’t exactly feeling the luck of the Irish, thanks to the rowdy behavior of some of the tourists who are pouring in. Then a … pouring in.
Then a woman who just visited Jill’s shop is found dead near the shore. The fireworks display on the beach may have already happened, but the real fireworks have just begun . . .
Praise for The Tourist Trap Mysteries
“I love the author’s style, which was warm and friendly . . . [A] wonderfully appealing series.”—Dru’s Book Musings
“Light, fun, and kept me thoroughly engaged.”—The Young Folks
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Corned Beef and Casualties by Lynn Cahoon is A Tourist Trap Mystery Novella (No. 10). The town of South Cove, California is having a full day of festivities in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books and More is looking forward to enjoying dinner and fireworks with her friends after a day of taking care of customers. Alana McDaniel comes into the shop for coffee with a rowdy group of friends who have obviously been overindulging in alcohol as are many of the tourists. Late that night, Detective Greg King is called out to a crime scene. Jill’s customer, Alana has been found dead on the rock cliffs above the beach. Jill immediately goes into investigator mode despite Greg’s pleas to stay out of this case. She checks with local business owners to work out the victim’s timeline and discover who could have harmed Alana. Will Jill solve the crime before the killer flees town?
It is always a pleasure to visit South Cove and check in with the residents who live in this small seaside town. I like the cast of characters with their various eccentricities. Lynn Cahoon has a casual writing style that reminds me of talking with a friend. I thought Corned Beef and Casualties was well-written with a nice steady pace throughout. The mystery is uncomplicated and can easily be solved. However, it is just the right type of mystery for this length of book. Personally, I recommend reading The Tourist Trap Mystery series in order. It is the best way to get to know the characters. I have enjoyed watching Jill settle into South Cove, manage her store, get close friends and fall in love. Corned Beef and Casualties is a quick, easy to read cozy mystery novella that is a delightful distraction from reality.
Jill is busy at her store dealing with the town’s St. Patrick’s Day festival. People have come from all around to join in on the festivities which include drinking, eating, and fireworks. Jill has even invited everyone over for food and to enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of her home. When a young woman is found dead the morning after Jill finds out that it is a young woman she met in her store the previous day. Jill felt a connection with the young woman and can’t help but feel the need to find answers. Jill decides to make a timeline of the young woman’s last day in hopes of coming up with some clues into killing her. This was a great short read that was fast paced and kept your attention from beginning to end. I enjoy being able to keep up with favorite characters in these short novellas while the author writes their next story.
Short and Sweet Cozy Mystery
This story is part of the tourist trap series. This is a very short novella of fewer than 70 pages. It is like watching a very good, half -hour television mystery. I was very surprised when the end jumped up and bit me! The book stands alone perfectly. This is the first of the series that I have read and I never felt like I was missing details. The author does mention an occasional detail from the past, but it is within the context of this story. There is humor mixed with the drama as well as dogs and romance. I plan on buying more of this series. I was given this ARC book for free and this is my honest review.
Who killed a sweet girl on Saint Patrick’s Day?
Corned Beef and Causalities by Lynn Cahoon is an excellent short read about the day of Saint Patrick’s Day and the day after dealing with the after-effects of what happened. Lynn Cahoon is a great author, and I love the characters in this series.
What I like:
• That it is a short read so it was an easy read.
• Jill is a great character, and I love how she solved this mystery.
• Greg is a great boyfriend and police chief/detective. He tries not to let Jill get involved, but he knows that he can’t stop her.
• The way that she uncovers the clues are neat, especially since she learns them from the other locals.
Five Star
Corned Beef and Causalities by Lynn Cahoon is a fantastic cozy mystery that is part of a great series. Jill, Greg, and friends are my new friends, and I can’t wait to read more of their adventures. Jill is a fabulous character that has a beautiful personality. Greg is also a great character; he has a good relationship with Jill. 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 Corned Beef and Casualties by Lynn Cahoon.
Anyways, until next time, enjoy this review brought to you by,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading!
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Corned Beef and Casualties
A Tourist Trap Mystery, Book #10
Lynn Cahoon
5 Stars
Synopsis:
South Cove, California, is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day—and there’s going to be a parade of suspects . . .
Jill Gardner’s store, Coffee, Books, and More, is raking in the green as her little coastal town holds a big festival for St. Patrick’s Day. But the locals aren’t exactly feeling the luck of the Irish, thanks to the rowdy behavior of some of the tourists who are pouring in.
Then a woman who just visited Jill’s shop is found dead near the shore. The fireworks display on the beach may have already happened, but the real fireworks have just begun . . .
Praise for The Tourist Trap Mysteries
“I love the author’s style, which was warm and friendly . . . [A] wonderfully appealing series.”—Dru’s Book Musings
“Light, fun, and kept me thoroughly engaged.”—The Young Folks (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well wounded and well developed. Any time I get to spend with Jill and her family and friends is time well spent. Her Aunt Jackie is not the mostly friendliest of people and sometimes she drives me nuts (maybe that was the author’s intention). I really like the other characters and think they add a lot to the story.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and throughout the novella I felt like I was right there in South Cove, California, watching all the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The mystery was well plotted and moved along at a great pace. There were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider that I was kept guessing the identity of the killer until the reveal.
I would recommend this novella (and series) to anyone who enjoys well crafted cozies. I have read all the books and they just keep getting better.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
Loved it St. Pats celebrations can get CRAZY (my hometown has one every year), but man some people are just disturbed. Ms. Cahoon is a favorite author of mine because it’s never boring.
I love spending holidays with the gang at South Cove in Southern California! Of course, there is never a dull moment. South Cove’s St. Patrick’s Day festival is in full swing and the crowd enjoying themselves is massive. The alcohol is following, green is a popular color along with glitter, among most party-goers. Jill happens to strike up a conversation with a girl that comes into the coffee shop and learns just a little bit about her.
This is such a delightful novella that’s not short on the enjoyment factor. Jill always feels her co-workers and friends are like family. That’s how I’ve come to know them as well. When the girl that Jill met, ends up dead on the beach, Jill feels the need to investigate. I loved this short, quick read, plus trying to figure out who the killer was. I must admit, it wasn’t until the end of the book when it was revealed that I knew. I love a challenge!
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
love this series!
I love The Tourist Trap series, and I love Lynn Cahoon’s writing style. I thought the beginning and middle of this novella were better than usual. I like the town. I’m fond of the characters, but the ending just…ended. It was so abrupt, the story felt unfinished. I’m still glad I read this, though, because I’m so involved with Jill and Greg and their friends and minor characters.
If you like the Tourist Trap Mysteries, don’t miss this novella. It’s always a pleasure to visit the regular characters of the seaside town of South Cove, California and this time, the town is poised for its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations when a body is discovered on the beach. Jill Gardner, owner of the local coffee shop/bookstore uses her sleuthing skills to help boyfriend, Greg King solve the mystery behind the murder. A short, quick, clean cozy read that is absorbing. The author includes a cheesecake recipe that sounds yummy!
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical Underground. Thank you.
Corned Beef and Casualties by Lynn Cahoon is the third holiday novella in the Tourist Trap series. As always, it was fun to be back in South Cove with Jill, Greg, Aunt Jackie, Amy and Sasha.
This was a quick and easy read. The plot centers around the St. Patrick’s Day weekend festival being held in South Cove with a parade and plenty of green drinks. Jill really does try to stay out of this one but her curiosity is too strong. However, she only solves the case by being in the right place at the right time. The plot moved quickly with just a few twists to keep me turning the pages. Ms. Cahoon has left me wondering about the red-haired woman who visits Jill in the shop in the last chapter.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Press via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Like I said love all her books.
I love the fact that every book and novella in the series feels like a visit with good friends. I also enjoy the fact that each novella offers a complete story with a good range of characters. While I prefer reading any series in order, I believe that Corned Beef and Casualties could be read as a standalone introduction to the series. I won a copy of the book through Goodreads. As a long time fan of A Tourist Trap Mystery, I always share my delight in the books.
The St. Patrick’s Day vacationers are a welcome addition to the town’s economy, but even the business owners are ready for the long weekend to end. Promoting South Cove as a destination for a holiday that celebrates beer drinking and drunkenness as much as anything else no longer seems like such a good idea. And then one of the visitors is found dead. Jill feels an attachment to the woman, and doesn’t believe that she committed suicide.
The townspeople may not have enjoyed those few days but I sure did. I love all of the books in this series. Just a reminder: the holiday novella fall earlier in the series than full length novels released before them.
A novella so its shorter Length precludes the development of the more complicated plots I prefer. Yet characters were interesting and writing wjile to the point was well done
The small town of South Cove, Calif is having a St Patrick’s Day festival to bring in some tourists. Predictably, there are lots of drunk people wandering the town. Bookstore/Coffeeshop owner Jill is having a good day. After the fireworks Sat night, a woman is found dead on the beach.
While is police detective boyfriend is working the case, Jill is collecting clues too.
This is a very short story, but a nice holiday read. I enjoy this light series.
“Corned Beef and Casualties” earns 5/5 Festive Fireworks…Fun!
Just like many communities, St. Patrick’s Day heralds parades, festivals, and green everything, but in South Cove, California, it also promises rowdy tourists. Lynn Cahoon has penned a delightful novella starring all the marvelous characters from her Tourist Trap Mystery series. But it is no way short on entertainment. In true cozy fashion, Jill Gardner owns a cafe and bookshop, includes her friends as family, has handsome boyfriend, and always finds time and necessity to investigate a suspicious death. Using the first-person narrative we are engaged with Jill’s inner thoughts along with vivid descriptions and entertaining banter. A young woman’s body is found on the beach after the St. Patrick’s Day reverie, but Jill met the woman in her café, so she’s compelled to find out what happened. I am a fan of the Tourist Trap Mystery series, and these novellas are so much fun with a clever plot line, wonderful characters, and such a satisfying solution. And a recipe for Gertie’s St. Patrick’s Cheesecake made festive with green crème de menthe liqueur!
I love Lynn Cahoon’s wrighting. ecspecially the Trorist Trap Series.
I really liked this book. It moved along nicely, i didnt get bogged down. Enjoyable!
Corned Beef and Casualities by Lynn Cahoon is a novella to the The Tourist Trap Mysteries.
South Cove is having a St Patrick’s Day celebration with a parade and fireworks and the town is packed with tourists. When a visitor is found dead on the beach, Jill starts her own investigation. Even though it is a novella, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing “who done it”.
This is an easy read with likeable characters and a great setting. It can be read as a stand alone.
I was given an ARC by Netgalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.
It is St. Patrick’s Day in beautiful South Cove, California and the town is throwing a party with green beer and fireworks.
Jill finds herself in shock when one of her customers she felt a kinship to is found dead on the beach. Will Jill do as her detective boyfriend asks and stay out of the investigation or will she wind up right in the middle? Will the luck of the Irish be on her side?
I am enjoying the novellas in this series as I am trying to catch up from the beginning. You get a quick visit and get to catch up with everyone without the experience of a full-length novel.
If you like St. Patrick’s Day, you will want to read this novella. The ending was very intriguing with a bit of magic that the day likes to offer.
I received a complimentary copy of this novella from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.