Not only did Abby McCree inherit her aunt’s house in Snowberry Creek, Washington, she inherited a handsome tenant and a whole lot of trouble . . . It’s hard to say no to Tripp Blackston. That’s how Abby found herself on yet another committee, organizing a bachelors’ auction to raise money for Tripp’s veterans group. The former Special Forces soldier is mortified when Abby enlists him to be one of … enlists him to be one of the prizes, but she has a covert plan to bid on him herself. Before she can, she’s foiled by a sniper bid from a gorgeous stranger, who turns out to be Tripp’s ex-wife, Valerie.
Still reeling from the shock that Tripp was married and wondering what his ex is suddenly doing in town, Abby goes looking to pay the auction’s emcee, radio personality Bryce Cadigan. She finds him in the parking lot, dead in his car. Valerie appears to be the last one to have seen Bryce alive, so she’s the cops’ best bid for suspect. When she asks Tripp for help—and lodgings—it’s Abby’s turn to block by inviting Val to stay with her. But did she just open her home to a murderer?
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In this third installment in Alexis Morgan’s Abby McCree Mystery series, Abby has found herself on yet another committee, organizing a bachelor’s auction for Tripp’s veteran group. Tripp, who is Abby’s tenant and friend, is mortified to be one of the prizes, but what he doesn’t know is that Abby plans to win the bid for him. However, her plans are foiled when a gorgeous woman wins the auction with a five thousand dollars bid. It turns out that the woman is Tripp’s ex-wife, Valerie, who Abby didn’t know existed. Later in the evening, Abby finds her emcee dead in his car and Valerie, who was seen arguing with him, becomes the main suspect. Tripp is determined to prove Valerie’s innocence and enlists Abby to help him investigate.
This is definitely my favorite book of the series so far. It was delightful, humorous, and I enjoyed it immensely. Abby is a wonderful character. She’s smart, sassy, caring, independent, and has a knack for organizing events and solving mysteries. Her relationship with Tripp is progressing nicely. They have great chemistry together, and I always enjoy their flirty banter and inside jokes about Jean’s tuna casseroles. Tripp’s ex-wife, Valerie, added plenty of drama and entertainment to the story. I thought it was hilarious that Abby called her “the barnacle”. She was so obviously jealous but being the kind-hearted person that she was, she never let it stopped her from helping Valerie. My only small complaint is that it was way too easy to figure out the culprit’s identity, which is a lot coming from me because I’m usually terrible at solving mysteries.
Overall, I absolutely love this series and look forward to the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Just when Abby believes she and Tripp might get a little closer than landlord and tenant someone from Tripp’s past shows up. Once the shock of Tripp’s visitor wears, Abby goes back to work to wrap up the fundraiser which she is managing. Abby once again stumbles onto a suspicious death.
The characters are well-developed, likable, and relatable. The characters also have great chemistry. The mystery is well-plotted and moves at a smooth steady pace. While there are not a lot of suspects there are enough red herrings to keep you guessing whodunit until the big reveal. I recommend this book and the rest of the series to cozy mystery fans
All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.
I got others in the series. really enjoyed them.
Great new series for me. I love how she gets involved with finding all the bodies in town. She just can’t stay out of trouble.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Abby McCree’s new project is organizing a fundraiser for Tripp Blackston’s veteran’s group. She has planned a bachelors’ auction to followed by a dinner event 2 weeks later. It took a bit of convincing but Tripp will be one of the bachelors up for auction and Abby hopes to win with her bid. Her plan goes awry when a beautiful woman takes the prize with an astounding bid of her own. Afterward, she learns the woman is Tripp’s ex-wife Valerie. Say What!?
Okay, Tripp has some explaining to do but she needs to focus on her event. She needs to pay the emcee, Bryce Cadigan, a radio personality that grew up in Snowberry Creek. He has been spending time catching up with people he knows and the last time she saw him he was going outside with Tripp’s ex. She is back glued to Tripp’s side but Bryce is nowhere to be found. She heads to the parking lot hoping he hasn’t left without his check. She finds him in his car and he is going anywhere. He is dead and she has to tell the police she saw him go outside with Valerie. Is Tripp’s ex-wife a killer? Valerie begs Tripp for help and a place to stay now that she can’t leave town. His place is too small for overnight guests so he asks Abby “his landlord” to put Valerie up in one of her guest rooms while they try to track down the real killer. The scary thing is the real killer may be the person moving into her house.
Abby is much more comfortable in Snowberry Creek as she has gotten to know more and more people. Most were friends of her now-deceased aunt but she is finding her place in town in her own right. This time she meets some of Tripp’s military friends as she is working on a veteran’s fundraiser. They come in handy as she tries to find out who killed Bryce Cadigan. Her budding romance with Tripp hits a bump or two with his ex in town. Her friendship with Chief of Police Gage Logan gets stretched as she keeps butting into his case. Jean, Louise, and Glenda, friends of her Aunt Sybil are still pushing and shoving Abby around but she has learned how to deal with them. Jean’s infatuation with Tripp has tamed a bit, again, the ex, but she still is baking him her “famous tuna casseroles. And of course, the lovable mastiff Zeke is around to steal our hearts. I really am a fan of the way these characters continue to evolve. We learn new things about them in every book and I get further invested in their lives as this series continues.
Ms. Morgan has crafted another strong mystery with several suspects. Abby had to really dig deep to find all the connections and press people to reveal secrets or remember past events that would give people reasons to kill off Bryce. Her sleuthing took her to some interesting places. I had a great time following along with her. I had winnowed my list down to two as we headed into the home stretch.
Again the author focuses on helping veterans. I love that the theme continues from the last book which shows it is an important cause for her.
Death by Auction is another great addition to this series. I loved the abundance of humor included throughout the story. I had planned on reading this book when it came out but my breast cancer treatments were wreaking hell in my life last May. Now I am ready for book number 4 Death by Intermission. I will be reviewing it on February 10. I am very excited to visit these characters again so soon.
Very good book full of interesting plots and intrigue. It was fun to see the dynamic between Abby and Tripp and his ex-wife, who Abby didn’t even know existed before this book. I enjoyed the auction to benefit the Veterans and seeing the community come together. After the emcee for the evening is found murdered, it is discovered that Tripp’s ex-wife, Valerie, was probably the last person to see him. Tripp asks Abby if Val can stay at her house to avoid reporters and asks for her help in clearing Val’s name. Abby may not like the woman, but she will help Tripp. It seems there were plenty of people from the man’s past in Snowberry Creek who might have wanted him dead. Lots of intrigue and some sparks between Abby and Tripp. I enjoy the three older woman, Jean, Louise, and Glenda, who are part of the quilting guild. They are a fun bunch. I am looking forward to what’s next for Abby and hope to see a romantic relationship grow between Abby and Tripp. I’d love for Gage to find someone as well. And, of course, there’s the adorable Zeke, Abby’s dog. Highly recommend this series!
DEATH BY AUCTION by Alexis Morgan
The Third Abby McCree Mystery
Ever since inheriting her aunt’s home and moving to Snowberry Creek, Washington, Abby McCree’s life has been a hectic one full of committees. She’s enjoying her current project to benefit the local veterans, however. Not only is it for a great cause, she has dream committee members making her work as chair easy, plus she gets to tease her tenant and friend Tripp, who will be auctioned off as one of the bachelors at the event. The auction primed to be a huge success as bids are going fast and high. The gaiety doesn’t last as Abby and Tripp are both stunned by the surprise arrival of a woman from Tripp’s past, not to mention the discovery of yet another dead body.
Forget about the dead body. The most troublesome part of the third Abby McCree Mystery is a new character by the name of Valerie. Of course, I despised her immediately and was aghast at what Abby was forced to deal with. I never would have put up with that, and dealing with it as graciously as she did…I absolutely love Abby, but boy, she is a much better person than I! Feelings of righteous indignation swept over me causing me to yell out loud at my book. More than once!
Aside from me yelling and wanting to cause bodily harm to a fictional character, I was intrigued by the mystery and the slow reveal as to how much of a jerk the victim truly was. I was also introduced to a new character I did like and hope we get to see more of in the future. It’s the characters and their relationships with each other that really cement the book. These are complex people who you want to get to know and be around.
DEATH BY AUCTION was almost perfect. Unfortunately, at the very end the author used that too familiar and most annoying trope regarding the mental state of the killer. I was so disappointed as I couldn’t have asked for more in a mystery before that point.
DEATH BY AUCTION is a mystery that will grab you and won’t let go! The characters become family and it’s a joy, albeit sometimes nerve-wracking, to read about their lives.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
Book three in the “An Abby McCree Mystery” amateur sleuth cozy series is available now. Written by Alexis Morgan, and published by Kensington Books, Death by Auction will steal your heart.
Abby has a hard time saying no when people ask for her help, and this makes her a genuinely loving person that readers have come to understand and care about. Her amateur sleuthing keeps things exciting and entertaining. Her tenet and love interest, Tripp, is strong, handsome, and extremely private. He is also the man of Abby’s dreams. Even when they are at odds, they are careful not to hurt the other or cause them to be hurt by another person. These are characters that make a book, and this series worth reading.
In this third book, Abby is forced to confront her thoughts and feelings for Tripp. It also finds her embroiled in another murder investigation. Sometimes being nosy, and a non-licensed sleuth has its drawbacks. She can’t ask the questions she would like and has to be careful of those questions she does ask. Once again, Abby finds herself in the middle of an investigation that could end her future and her life.
The story moves smoothly. The victim is what a victim should be; some even say he got what was coming to him. The suspects aren’t as easy to define; they vary from the indifferent to the overly emotional. The killer, once revealed, is easy to believe and may even be a surprise to some readers. Our amateur sleuth gets to the bottom of the case and finds herself almost becoming the next victim. In the end, alls well, Abby and Tripp have a better understanding of each other, and readers can see a clearer path to what is to become of the two characters, or at least where they hope they will end up.
I enjoyed Death By Auction very much and look forward to the continuing story of Abby and Tripp, not to mention Zeke, Abby’s happy, slobbering, lovable pet. I am happy to recommend this book and series to mystery lovers who like their sleuths smart, funny, and easy to like.
I love this series!
Death by Auction by Alexis Morgan is the third in the series. I have read all of them and if you haven’t read the first two you will not be lost. A little hint though, you will want to read them.
Abby is in charge of a bachelor auction for a fund raiser for the local veterans group and planning on bidding on her friend, Tripp. She is outbid by a beautiful stranger who turns out to be Tripp’s ex wife, Valerie! She has hired an emcee, Bryce, who grew up in Snowberry Creek. but has moved on to be a celebrity radio personality. While trying to pay Bryce, Abby spots him and Val in a heated conversation headed out the door. The next time she sees Bryce is in the parking lot, dead. Abby is again on the hunt to find the guilty party.
This easy to read cozy has plenty of twists and turns that will have you guessing to the very end. There is also, great characters, humor, friendship, and a hint of romance.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.
Abby’s friend and tenant, Tripp, persuaded her to co-chair a committee to raise money for his veterans group. In addition to bidding on baskets of various donated items, attendees participate in a “bachelor auction” as part of the fundraising effort. Abby secretly plans to bid for Tripp so that they’ll be each other’s dates to the upcoming veterans group dance. Before Abby can even place a bid, a gorgeous stranger wins the date with Tripp with an astronomical $5,000 bid. The stranger is Tripps ex-wife Valerie, who he has never mentioned.
Abby’s romantic plans are wrecked but the show must go on. She has to pay the auction’s emcee, a popular radio personality who grew up in the area, before she can leave and as the social butterfly bounces from conversation to conversation he’s not making it easy to track him down. She finally finds him in his car, dead. Valerie appears to have been the last to see the emcee alive – and she was furious with him from what Abby saw – making her a top murder suspect. Tripp wants to protect Valerie and enlists Abby to investigate, and convinces Abby to let Valerie move into her house.
The mystery is well-written and interesting. I liked the book and plan to go back and read the earlier ones in the series. I would, however, recommend that you read them in order; although this book works perfectly fine as a standalone, I didn’t connect with or like Tripp once Valerie showed up. He consistently placed his e-wife’s happiness and safety over Abby’s, and believed his ex-wife’s statements about her interaction with the emcee over Abby’s eye witness account, making him seem like a poor possible partner match for her. But it is clear Abby and Tripps friendship has progressed through the series and I think anyone who reads in order will be attached to Tripp and willing to cut him more slack than I was.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.
Veteran’s Benefit Ends Poorly
This book is part of a series. It stands alone well, but the reader will enjoy it more if the books are read in order. This episode is based around a Veteran’s fundraiser. Abby gets a lot more than she bargained for. The crime plot is excellent, the romantic sub-story is at least half of the fun in the book. The story also features a big, slobbery dog to enjoy. I have read on other of this series and just love it to pieces. Our heroine is a truly nice person with a touch of sarcasm. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
This book covers all the bases for me! A small town cozy with hot ex special forces throw in a ex wife and a murder and your good to go for a few hours of fun reading. I found the characters to be really well written and likable story moved along fast paced and worked out great. looking forward to reading more from this writer.
I love these cozy mysteries by Alexis Morgan. In this third book, Abby and Tripp find themselves once again in the middle of a murder investigation. This time Abby discovers the body, and Tripp’s ex-wife is the prime suspect. Entertaining characters and a captivating mystery make this a story that was difficult to put down. I highly recommend it!
I loved this story! I am a big fan of the Abby McCree mystery series and was excited to read this book. It didn’t disappoint.
Abby is co-hosting a charity auction with her friend/tenant/love interest Tripp. When a date with Tripp hits the auction block, Abby is waiting to swoop in and place the winning bid-until a mysterious beauty bids $5000! Abby soon learns the woman is Tripp’s ex-wife that he had never before.
Abby finds the body of the event’s emcee outside and she outlines for police who the deceased had talked to after the event. One of the main suspects was Valerie, Tripp’s ex-wife. Tripp is determined that she is innocent and enlists Abby’s novice detective skills to help him prove it.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great cozy mystery, or who loves a great series. My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Fun light reading before bed. Good plot.
Okay… so first I didn’t give it 5 stars like I usually give these books just because of the whole Valerie thing. I understand that we need drama in our books but sheesh and heck anything but the Barnacle! The rest of the story was really good even though I did figure out the who and why. My only question was what happened to the baby? Did they say and I missed it? If anyone knows please let me know. I have the latest book in the series to read next but I will be honest, Tripp isn’t my #1 favorite at the moment so I’m dragging my feet. I love how authors make you so involved with their stories that it makes you take recovery time between books.
Did not finish. I read till 11% but it was too boring and predictable.
Enjoyable reading
I’m still having a problem warming up to the characters. I really don’t think Abby and Tripp have much chemistry and I think that cozies really rely on character chemistry (not necessarily romantic chemistry, I generally prefer minimal to no romance in cozies) since they tend to be shorter and have simpler plots than standard mysteries.
I like the variety of committees the author comes up with for Abby, but since we’ve had three in a row, it would be nice to see something different for #4.
Again, I think we know who the murderer is because it is telegraphed in a variety of ways similar to the first 2 books. I won’t list them in case you haven’t picked up on the pattern I see.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.