Lori Keyes is ready to show some Southern hospitality as the new owner of a B&B—until her first guest winds up dead. Lori Keyes is excited to settle into her perfect new life: a bed and breakfast owner in the sleepy resort town of Dusky Cove, North Carolina. Sure, her first guest is a little rude and hateful, but that just comes with the hospitality territory sometimes, right?Lori steels … right?
Lori steels herself to endure one bad guest—until that guest turns up dead. The police investigation says it’s murder, and the evidence points to Lori. She’s instantly the prime suspect.
Lori digs into the guest’s failing marriage and into rivalries in town, trying to figure out who could have killed her. To keep her dream job, her perfect life and the inn over her head, Lori will have to prove that she’s innocent—or she’ll go to jail for a murder she didn’t commit.
A new cozy mystery series set in a Southern small town, featuring a historic inn!
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Knew immediately the boyfriend’s intentions – very easy to figure out what would happen
Lori is running her own B&B and she has a good life. She lives in a small town and has a great boyfriend. Then her first guest shows up dead in her room. Lori appears to be the only suspect. What can she do but solve the crime! This was a really nice cozy read and I will enjoy reading more in this series.
Lori is a character with character.
This is the first story that I have read by Dixie Davis; but it certainly will not be the last. Lori is a 50-year-old widow opening a B&B in the south. Unfortunately, the B&B opening is not without trouble. I enjoyed reading this clean whodunit with a bit of romance mixed in the story. I think the characters introduced in this first story are going to make for a very enjoyable series. I am anxious to download the next book in the series from KU.
Lori is determined to start a new chapter in her life, hopefully independent of her children. She’s an older (50 years old) protagonist and is excited to open the B&B in this new town as her start over venture. Not everyone in Dusky Cove is glad she took over the B&B and that puts a cloud on her happiness. Then her first guest isn’t exactly pleasant and doesn’t like the changes she’s made. And then the guest is murdered. Not quite what Lori had planned. Lori finds some support in Dusky Cove as she tries to figure out who really killed her witchy guest. She has to in order to be sure she doesn’t go to jail. Then there’s the ever helpful male friend who, despite her Lori’s arrest, proposes and wants a quick wedding.
This is an easy read and Lori’s personality is consistent with her description of a southern lady, and one who hasn’t always been independent. She is a likable character. She has many of the same hopes and doubts that would be expected of someone venturing into a new career, in a new place, and then there’s the problem of a murder. Readers who like light and fun cozy mysteries will not be disappointed. This is the first in the series and introduces us to others in the small North Carolina town.
Rating: 3.5 stars
What I found interesting and my thoughts on this book:
• I liked the main character Lori very much. She had a good heart, and listened and cared about others. Unfortunately, she was gullible and saw the best in everyone. This made her a poor detective.
• The storyline had good pacing and the book flowed smoothly.
• There were many characters in this story which could have been the murderer. Unfortunately, when I was one fourth of the way through the book I knew who the murderer was. Because of this, I found this book not as enjoyable as it could have been.
• The secondary players in this story were varied, well developed, and interesting. They added depth to the storyline.
• I loved the ending and I am looking forward to reading the next novel. I am hoping the next mystery will be harder to solve.