Welcome to Normal, Kentucky~ where nothing is normal. It’s Labor Day weekend in Normal, and if you know anything about camping and RVing, you know it’s one of the busiest times of the year. Unfortunately, Daniel Boone National Park is in danger of being closed due to a drought and local businesses are scrambling for ideas to survive a possible shutdown.Happy Trails Campground is at the center of … Campground is at the center of a murder in which campers as well locals are suspects. It looks likely that a local resident is responsible for the dastardly deed since the victim is the one person who had the power to shut down the national park, which would be devastating to Normal’s small businesses.
Follow Mae West as she searches for clues to get to the bottom of this Labor Day campground caper!
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This was another fun mystery set in Normal, Kentucky. This series is pretty consistent with it’s fun characters, interesting mystery, and guaranteed entertainment. The story moves along quickly, so it’s easy to fly through these pages. I turn to Mae and her adventures when I want a fun, fast read with a good mystery.
I love the Laundry Club! They are a hoot! But now, Allison is dead. Corbin is dead. Is the mayor involved? More mysteries to be solved and Mae is very, very curious. Of course, things are heating up with Hank Sharp and it’s not easy. This was another very funny laugh out loud cozy mystery that was a lot of fun to read.
Audiobook Review:
Overall – 4
Performance – 5
Story – 4
This book made me hungry!
Besides being another cute cozy mystery, Forest, Fishing & Forgery contained a couple of my favorite things: Pumpkin donuts and Toy Poodles.
I enjoyed the mystery in this story but I have to admit that Fifi giving birth was a real highlight for me. I’m also curious to read more books and find out where Mae West’s love life is headed. Johanna Parker continues to do a great job with her narration of this series. I plan to listen to more of the books soon.
I almost forgot to mention the recipes that were read at the end of the story. I thought that was really cool. A lot of times stuff like that doesn’t make it into the audiobook.
Set over the Labor Day weekend in Daniel Boone National Forest park in Kentucky, this sassy southern story will keep you guessing. You will also be laughing along the way to investigate a missing caper and the potential murder of a park ranger.
Come meet Mae West, new campground owner and adoptive mama of a pregnant poodle.
She is still finding her place in this area and her new business. Wen a drought is threatened, business is predicted to slow to a trickle. Can the drought also be cause for a scandal?
Politics and police work and the lovely ladies at the laundromat as well as the hair salon will all capture your attention. Things may not be as they first appear.
Received a free copy for a review. It was entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed it.
Things are really hopping at the Happy Trails Campground. It is Labor Day Weekend, and there isn’t an empty spot anywhere. Then a group of rowdy guys come in for a Bachelor Party. The would be groom takes off, and no one can find him. While looking for him, Mae finds the body of a Forest Ranger. Oh, Mae’s dog is about to have her puppies any day now. Mae’s love life is thrown another curve ball, and the campground might be shut down due to the drought. Whew! How much more can a girl take at one time?!
Forests, Fishing and Forgery by Tonya Kappes is the third installment in A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery series. Mae West owns the Happy Trails Campground in Normal, Kentucky. With it being Labor Day weekend, the campground is full plus they are hosting their monthly party. Mae gets the honor of checking in a rowdy bachelor party group who will be staying for the weekend. Willian Hinson and his groomsmen have been overindulging in alcoholic beverages. William ends up in an argument with Ranger Corbin Ashbrook and a warning from Mae to settle down or they will be tossed out. The next morning, William is missing, but they are hopeful that he just passed out in the forest and will soon return to the camp. Mae is enjoying a hike with Ty when she has to tinkle. She nips behind a tree and encounters a dead Ranger Ashbrook (at least she looked down before she did her business). Did William kill him and take off? Mae does not need another murder associated with Happy Trails, so she begins fishing for information. She is hoping William’s distraught fiancé can provide some helpful intel. Mae is also dealing with the potential closing of Daniel Boone National Park due to drought conditions, rivalry between Hank and Ty, a pregnant Fifi and finding a way to get out of her hair appointment. Come along to Normal, Kentucky to join Mae as she casts a line to reel in the killer in Forests, Fishing and Forgery.
Forests, Fishing and Forgery is a light-hearted, humorous cozy mystery. The book is well-written and has a steady pace which makes it easy to read. Mae West is a fun main character with her mass of curls, her humor, compassion, curiosity, and desire to help others. There are several quirky characters which make up The Laundry Club. They are in the book, but the ladies are not prevalent this time around. I thought Forests, Fishing and Forgery was toned down compared to the first two books in the series (I liked it). There is still plenty of wit along with small town Southern charm. I just love the description of downtown Normal, Kentucky (such a quaint and welcoming city). The mystery was not complicated and identifying the guilty party is duck soup. I like the direction Mae’s love life is headed. I believe this individual is suited to Mae’s personality (if I told you who it would spoil it for you). Little Fifi is having a rough time of it as she nears her due date. Mae will soon have the patter of little paws in her small trailer (I can just imagine the trouble they will cause). It is lovely to see Mae thriving in her new home and to see Happy Trails Campground flourishing. There are recipes and RV hacks included at the end of the book. I wonder what mischief Mae will get up to in the next A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery!
Forests, Fishing & Forgery
A Camper & Criminals Cozy, Book #3
Tonya Kappes
5 Stars
Synopsis:
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! (Goodreads)
Welcome to Normal, Kentucky~ where nothing is normal.
It’s Labor Day weekend in Normal, and if you know anything about camping and RVing, you know it’s one of the busiest times of the year. Unfortunately, Daniel Boone National Park is in danger of being closed due to a drought and local businesses are scrambling for ideas to survive a possible shutdown.
Happy Trails Campground is at the center of a murder in which campers as well locals are suspects. It looks likely that a local resident is responsible for the dastardly deed since the victim is the one person who had the power to shut down the national park, which would be devastating to Normal’s small businesses.
Follow Mae West as she searches for clues to get to the bottom of this Labor Day campground caper! (Amazon)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Mae’s group of friends have plenty of southern charm and an overabundance of southern grit. I know that I would not to have any of them as enemies. The Laundry Club girls would be a group that I would like to visit and spend time with. Mae is a good person and really has a heart of gold. But she can be strong as steel if she needs to be. Having to find a killer is one of those times and she feels that she is up to the job.
The mystery is well plotted and moves along at a great pace. There were plenty of suspects to consider and clues to sift through. Throw in some red herrings and twists and turns and it is not an easy mystery to solve.
The writing style flows smoothly and allowed me to get a better insight into all of the characters. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and her settings creation and I felt like I was right there watching all of the action taking place and listening in on conversations. I was really pulled into the story from the very beginning.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you like great characters, an engaging setting and a baffling mystery, you will love this book and series.
This one was a little less eventful than the first of the series but an easy, entertaining read nonetheless.
Mae is still at her campgrounds trying to make things perfect for the upcoming fully-booked Labor Day weekend when tradegy strikes once again. This time three people are found dead – a forest ranger, a camper and Alison.
I’m loving this series! I liked the twists and turns in this one. I was a bit disappointed by the ending. It felt a little anticlimactic. I’m excited to continue this series!
I just love Mae and the gang. She finds another dead body, well two of them, and she has a camper missing. Hank asks for her help and then tells her not to bother. She is not going to just let it go. She won’t rest until she finds the camper and finds the killer. Are they the same person? Mae and Ty try once again to go on a date, but they keep getting interrupted. Will it work out for them or is she meant to be with Hank?
I AM SOOO MAD right now that is why this book got a 3. Mae picked the wrong one!!!
Okay so to the rest of the story. That part I give a 4. The killer wasn’t a surprise at all. I mean come on we all had that figured out, But… Alison . She was a pest at times but she missed out on what I think could have been a good guy. Had she not crossed paths with the killer at that moment she would still be alive . The camp grounds are going to be very interesting in the coming books .
Love this series. Couldn’t stop reading once I started. Funny. As addictive as chocolate.
Grab a cup of coffee, head to your favorite reading spot, and curl up with this book. While I do prefer to read a series in order, you can jump into Forests, Fishing & Forgery without confusion. Always an exciting mystery to enjoy with witty comments tossed in. I love how each book has its own plot, however, if you do read in order, the larger story flows continuously through.
Another great book in this series…can’t wait to read all of them!
Another fun mystery from Tonya Kappes. I love the small town and how Mae and her friends get involved to try to solve the mystery. Mae has a personal interest in one mystery, one of her campers is missing, and she doesn’t want any bad publicity for Happy Trails Campground, her business. There is a little romance and some funny moments in the mix too. I really enjoy this series. I would recommend this book for a nice escape.
Great Read. Enjoyed the story line and characters.
Maybelline Grant West “Mae” with the help of her park manager, Dottie Swaggart, has managed to get Happy Trails Campground cleaned up and welcoming lots of campers. Mae is learning to love her life in the small town of Normal, Kentucky running the campground she obtained from her ex-husband.
In this third book of the series Labor Day weekend is here, the campground is full and Mae is looking forward to a great weekend. With the arrival of a bachelor party led by the groom, William Hinson, and his best man, Jamison Todd Downey, it looks like the boys might be a bit rowdier than the families who are at Happy Trails.
Looming on the horizon is the worry that a portion of Daniel Boone Forest may be closed due to a drought. If that happens a lot of the campers may leave and demand refunds. Park Ranger Corbin Ashbrook is keeping an eye on the park and the drought. We also have Alison Gilbert, a reporter for National Parks of America magazine and the Normal Gazette hanging around waiting to publish a story about the drought which could be a disaster for the campground.
Mae has two men interested in her — Ty Randall, who is a chef helping his Dad, Ron, run the Normal Diner and Detective Hank Sharp.
When the groom comes up missing Mae goes on a “date”, which is a hike in the forest, they hope to find William. Instead they discover Ranger Ashbrook’s body. Mae feels like Corbin could have been murdered, she decides to assist Det. Sharp in the investigation. Mae feels something shady is going on with Mayor Courtney Mackenzie and her brother Skip Toliver. She sees Alison and the Mayor in a heated conversation and asks Alison to speak with her. When she goes to meet Alison to discuss it, she discovers Alison’s body dead in her office building.
I have grown to love the characters in this series, especially the Laundry Club ladies.
This is another great book by Tonya Kappes. You won’t be able to put it downand you will have a difficult time trying to discover the killer(s).
Could a drought be the cause of all these problems? Will Mae figure it out?
Forests Fishing and Forgery by Tonya Kappes takes place during Labor Day weekend. Mae is busy with taking care of her campground, a pregnant Fifi, trying to go on a date with Ty, and oh yeah solving three mysteries. Only Mae can get herself involved in so many things.
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 with her friends, especially when it comes to the mystery.
• Mae is done fixing up the campground, and I love how she interacts with her dog, Fifi. She is such a hoot of a character.
• So, in this one Mae and Ty have been on several “outings” but it’s not going the way that Ty wants.
• Well, now Hank is asking for her help, and they may go on a date together in the next installment. I can’t wait to see if they do.
• My favorite character is Hank’s Grandma, and she says what needs saying.
What I don’t like:
The one thing that I didn’t like was that I didn’t figure out who the killer was (AGAIN!). I can’t believe I totally missed the clues for the killer, and I never thought that person could be responsible. I am sad though that Mae and Ty aren’t going to get together.
Five Star
Forests Fishing and Forgery by Tonya Kappes is the third book in this marvelous southern cozy mystery series that keeps me guessing. I can’t wait to go on my next adventure with Mae. I love this series. Mae and I would be the most fabulous friends. Okay, okay, I have to admit I wouldn’t want to hang out when she is finding dead bodies, but the rest of the time would be great. I am giving it a five-star rating and recommending it to anyone that likes cozy mysteries. Ms. Kappes has created another story that I love.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Forests Fishing and Forgery by Tonya Kappes.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading!
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I absolutely loved this book! I love the characters and the campground setting. This is such a fun book. Once I started reading I didn’t want to put it down. The mystery is interesting and there are many plot twists that keep you guessing. The book is well written and detailed. I love this series! Each book is better than the last. I can’t wait to read the next book.