Can you figure out who the killer is before the guilty culprit is revealed?During an Easter egg hunt, Roland “Beanie” Bean and his two-year-old son Evan are searching for eggs when they find a woman sprawled in the dirt beneath a hibiscus bush. Little Evan thinks the lady is just sleeping, but Beanie knows better. The nasty gash on the woman’s forehead might not have killed her, but the stab … forehead might not have killed her, but the stab wounds in her chest appear to be fatal.
As an investigative reporter at the Palmchat Gazette, Beanie is the perfect person to cover the story, considering that he found the victim.
Narrowing down the field of suspects, Beanie finds out the victim had plenty of enemies. Not only was she unfaithful to her husband, but she was blackmailing her lover and cheating her business partner and may have been involved in a scam with a vicious island cartel.
As Beanie continues to investigate, he uncovers sinister secrets and devious motives among those who were closest to the victim. Racing to discover the killer, he ends up the target of a diabolical murderer who won’t hesitate to kill again.
Easter Egg Hunt Murder is a contemporary whodunit murder mystery novel in the Reporter Roland Bean Cozy Mystery Series, but can be read as a standalone. With lots of clues and red herrings, it features plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end! Get your copy today!
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This was a fast-paced, suspenseful read, that I found I did not want to put down! The story was original and exciting with characters that were realistic and likable. It is everything you could want in a delightful whodunit that keeps you guessing.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
A wonderful well written cozy mystery.
Loved the characters and the plot.
I really loved reading this book.
When investigative reporter Beanie went on his wife’s company outing little did he know it would turn into a mystery. This story is full of unexpected twists, suspense, mystery, humor and many suspects. This is a great start to this cozy mystery.
I liked the bits and pieces of clues that were scattered throughout the story and the fact that Beanie would die for his wife and kids. The fact that secrets started coming out because of an Easter Egg Hunt which resulted in a dead body was cool. Good story.
Red Robin
Aptly timed to read as Easter approaches, Rachel Woods’ whimsically-named novella definitely has a dark side, to what should be a happy family event, in the first book in her A Roland Beanie Bean Cozy Mystery series opener, The Easter Egg Hunt Murder.
Investigative journalist Roland Bean, (affectionately known as ‘Beanie’ to his family and friends) takes part in the eponymous hunt on the tropical Palmchat Island of St Lucia with his family – wife Noelle, their young sons, Ethan (4) Evan (2) and Noelle’s Mom. Many others are also present even if watching from the sidelines. Different personalities are brought engagingly to life and all seems well, as Evan and Beanie move into an hibiscus grove, where Evan – determined to find more
Easter eggs than anyone else,finds a ‘sleeping lady’ instead – yes, you’ve guessed it – she’s in an everlasting sleep,(ie dead) clearly murdered,by a blow to the head and several stab wounds. But who is the killer among them? The victim is Anna – a lady with a somewhat chequered history of ‘liaisons amoreux’ and partner,with one of her friends, Barbara, in an exclusive local boutique, where the latter carries her profitable, but dangerous clandestine activities.
Who is the killer? What was Anna doing that made her removal a ‘necessity’ for someone? Whose house was the Easter egg hunt held at? Were they involved?
As the story develops we become fond of Beanie, who’s a rather bumbling (at times), investigator,who uses Noelle as a ‘sounding board’ for his theories and progress in the investigation. Noelle and Barbara both have a common past that they’d rather keep quiet about, but is silence really Noelle’s friend?Other forces are at play and there may well be more than one reason for Anna’s death, meaning Beanie and his family could be in danger, too.A cleverly developed, well-written cozy mystery by Rachel Woods,The Easter Egg Hunt Murder will warm your heart at times, or send a frisson of fear down your spine as the plot thickens. Why not grab yourself a copy of Book 1 in the A Roland Beanie Bean Cozy Mystery series – and settle down to hunting for clues to the killer – you’ll love it!
The Easter Egg Hunt Murder
Ronald “Beanie” Bean, his wife, and two small children attend an Easter Egg Hunt at her boss’s estate.
(There is a detail description of everyone attending the event.) Various residents and other children in the local area are also in attendance. Ann, the boss’s wife, is found murdered on the property.
Read to follow Beanie as he uses his well-developed reporter skills to determine which guest was the murderer. Will you guess before the end? Oh, what warped lives these entitled people live.
Beware, Beanie, is good at what he does. He will learn your secrets. Don’t get on his wrong side.
Beanie is an investigative reporter with a beautiful wife and two small boys. They are at an Easter egg hunt with some colleges and friends of his wife when his youngest son finds “sleepy lady”. Beanie investigates and finds his host’s wife dead. He is asked to investigate, opening a lot of secrets and potential dangers.
This is a cozy mystery that has a man as the investigator. Most of the cozy mysteries that I have read have had a female or a couple as protagonist(s). I found it refreshing. I liked the characters, they were well developed and engaging. The storyline moved quickly and was full of surprises, unexpected turns, obstacles and suspense. The character goes through emotional ups and downs as he tries to please everyone, solve the crime, keep his wife happy, his family safe and of course writing his stories. I liked the interaction between him and his family, it was romantic and darling. This is a good book and I am interested to read more from the Roland Bean Mystery Series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Very well written story that kept me guessing until the ending.
Roland “Beanie” Bean is an investigative reporter. He, his wife Noelle and their two boys Evan and Ethan are at a posh Easter egg hunt at the home of the university president. Beanie and his son stumble across the dead body of the president’s wife Anna. While writing the articles about her murder, Beanie learns about the motives of his fellow party goers – jealousy, blackmail, embezzlement, greed, designer drug dealing and gang violence. While fact checking his stories, he works with the local police and his private sources to narrow down the list of potential suspects. He overhears the murderer confess to the killing and another an attempted murder and nearly gets shot before the police barge in to make the arrest.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Who knew that an Easter egg hunt with his young son would have Roland ‘Beanie’ Bean searching for a killer. However, murder is not new for him. He’s an investigative reporter for the Palmchat Gazette. As he started gathering information he finds that there are many suspects and motives. I was shocked that Anna had so many enemies. Beanie has his work cut out for him. Of course being at the crime scene and finding the body gave him invaluable information. I tried to determine who committed the crime, but Beanie was successful where I wasn’t. I enjoyed this cozy mystery. The characters were interesting and the story was filled with surprises. Rachel Woods was a new to me author, but I plan to change that. I enjoyed her writing. I like Beanie and his family.
An investigative reporter, Beanie once dreamed of living in the pricey area, and still day dreams of advancing enough to move his wife and sons there – at least before visiting an Easter Egg Hunt at the invitation of an important Professor his wife would like to impress in order to advance herself at the University.
Death is not the only reckless habit in the grove. Sexcapades, thefts, drugs and larger criminal enterprises seemed to have links to the area.
Perhaps a more humble address is better after all!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A good whodunit. Wanted to turn the next page to see what next developed. Lots of characters. An interesting read.
I really enjoyed reading this story, Rachel Woods has gone over the top when she describes the egg hunt. The details she gives about children and parents involved are just beautiful ! I could see the image of little boys running around looking for eggs…. The story has humor, love, action, treason and obviously murder all well balanced and in a very imaginative way.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
This first book in the Reporter Roland Bean Cozy Mystery series by Rachel Woods was a fast and easy reading but very entertaining mystery story. The main character is definitely a bit on the stubborn side which is normal for an investigative reporter. Figuring out who killed and why was unclear until near the end when the author chose to reveal the finale with a little twist, which of course I am not going to disclose to you. I am definitely looking forward to reading others in this series. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books.
Easter Egg Hunt Murder (A Reporter Roland Bean Cozy Mystery Book 1), my first read from author Rachel Woods. I got this book back in March before Covid. I was given a Kindle copy of Trick or Treat Murder (A Reporter Roland Bean Cozy Mystery Book 3) & wanted to read books 1 &2 before reading it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I already owned both of them! An excellent & captivating read which I read in one sitting. I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
A murder at a kids Easter egg hunt. Pretty sick place to do that! There were so many twists and turns in this story! Beanie has his work as an investigative reporter cut out for him. Looks like the people living on the ritzy side have pretty damning secrets. Easy read with well fleshed out characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Roland Bean Cozy Mystery is a quick entertaining mystery. Beneath the bucolic community setting illicit behavior and criminal activity is rife. I enjoyed the story and look forward to more of this series
I love cozy mysteries and thought the premise of this book sounded unique but I couldn’t connect with the characters. They didn’t have much personality and too many characters for a book of this length (about 150 pages).
Just didn’t cut it for me. I received a free ARC copy of the book at my request and am leaving this review voluntarily and honestly.
THIS WAS A GOOD MYSTERY READ. IT’S BOOK 1 FOR THE SERIES. I THOUGHT IT WAS WELL WRITTEN AND THE STORY KEPT MY INTEREST THROUGHOUT. I THOUGHT THE CHARACTERS WERE WELL WRITTEN. PERFECT TIME OF YEAR FOR THIS READ. I RECOMMEND READING.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A children’s eater egg hunt in a posh neighborhood turns sinister when Beanie’s little son finds a “sleepy lady.” The dead woman’s case gets very complicated. This novel has a large number of characters that I found a bit confusing and hard to follow. However, each person’s part in the case is interesting and adds to the story. Good job, Rachel!
Lots of twists and turns to grab you until the end. Entertaining whodunnit with interesting characters. Good story!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.