She’s got to solve this—or her friends are sunk . . . Kelly Jackson, manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, is fond of the Doblinsky brothers, Ivan and Rudy, members of the Silver Sentinels, a crew of crime-solving senior citizens in their Northern California seaside hamlet. After she discovers a jewel-encrusted dagger—with what appears to be dried blood on the blade—on their fishing … blade—on their fishing boat, they share their family history with Kelly, and she learns that the knife may be part of a set from their long-ago childhood in Russia. Its sudden reappearance is eerie, but the mystery grows much more serious when a body is found on the boat. The victim was a member of the community and part of the Russian Heritage Festival, and some of the organizers were clearly harboring some bitterness. But the story behind this murder seems as layered as a nesting doll—and Kelly’s feeling completely at sea . . .
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*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
The newest addition to this cozy mystery series will not disappoint fans as we follow Kelly during her sleuthing again. Things start pretty smooth with excitement for an upon my Russian festival. Then we get an expensive dagger covered in what looks like blood followed by dead bodies all found on Ivan and Rudys’ boat at the marina. If course Kelly finds herself neck deep in the discoveries for the most whether she wants to or not. I enjoy following the development of the clues all gathered and organized by the group dedicated to helping her. The eclectic mix of characters provide a nice balance topped with what sounds like delicious food that will the reader entertained. Perfect for fans of cozies. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
Murder at the Marina may be the fifth A Kelly Jackson Mystery, but it can be read as a standalone. The author provides the necessary background information for new readers. Kelly Jackson loves her job as the manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast. She has made some good friends and has a budding romance with Scott Thompson who manages the Redwood Cove Community Center. Kelly is a friendly character who continues to develop in each story. She is trying to get over her trust issues with men and she is learning how to cook. Scott decides to give her a baking lesson which gave me the giggles. After an incident with flour, she tells Scott that he “would make a very distinguished Silver Sentinel”. The Silver Sentinels are a diverse group of older men and women who each bring a different talent to the group. I hope we get to learn more about each member as the series progresses. I thought Murder at the Marina was well-written with steady pacing which made for an easy to read story. I enjoyed getting to know more about Rudy and Ivan Doblinsky. I believe readers will be surprised at their heritage. I found the Russian aspects of the story very interesting. I delighted in the descriptions of the Cossack riders and their demonstration. I thought the mystery in this edition was more complex. The conclusion of the whodunit was just fabulous and had me quickly flipping the pages of my e-reader. It is an action packed reveal which I just loved. Helen, Tommy, Allie and the dogs add to this charming cozy mystery. Gus and Fred, the two dogs, are adorable and clever. I could have done without the case details being repeated (seems like Kelly would get information, share with Deputy Bill Stanton, then with Silver Sentinels). Murder at the Marina combines murder, a Russian dagger, senior sleuths, a nosy B&B manager, Cossack riders and a helpful hound into one diverting cozy mystery.
Enjoyed this book
I like the books but there is way too much information on current case learned way more than I want to know about everything but the people. It’s like reading a travel magazine.
I really enjoyed the people and the settings of this book. I had a hard time figuring the actual murdered because it led me to believe it was someone else that seemed so obvious.
Somewhat in the mindless reading category, but plenty of twists to keep you interested. I didn’t guess “who done it”.
Russian against Russian
Murder at the Marina by Janet Finsilver is an excellent book and apart of a series that I wouldn’t mind reading from the beginning. Kelly is a fantastic character, and the story was great.
Kelly
Kelly is our main character, the point-of-view narrator, and sleuth extraordinaire with her trustee Silver Sentientils group to help out. She works as the manager of Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, and occasionally help out with the local old people group that solves crimes. Kelly is a great character, and I loved her a lot. She is different than the other sleuths that I have read since she has a group of other sleuths to help her out and that she rides horses. Not only that but she likes her job and seems to enjoy it. Kelly seems like she can go far in this series and that it looks like she has a budding relationship with a guy named Scott. Scott is teaching her how to cook and bake which is pretty funny in this one.
Rudy and Ivan
Rudy and Ivan Doblinsky are two Russian brothers who are in the middle of a case. No one in the police wants to do anything against the brothers as everyone seems to like them. Rudy is the youngest of the two and can talk in perfect English while Ivan is the oldest speaks in clipped English. Their story is a pretty interesting one, and I felt terrible for them since they don’t deserve what is happening to them.
Mystery
The crime is that they found a dagger on their boat with blood on it that seems to be familiar to the two brothers. The other crime is that a dead guy who Rudy was going to sell some coins to is found dead on their boat. Kelly and the Silver Sentientils are there to help them figure out who did it. Well, when the police don’t mind them trying to butt in. I had a feeling about who it was, but I wasn’t sure. Let’s just say that you have to pay attention to all the clues to make heads or tails and keep track of the suspects.
Five Stars
Murder at the Marina by Janet Finsliver is a mind gripping book that couldn’t put down until figured out what was going on. I did feel bad for the Doblinsky brothers. I was even more invested every single time the red herring I thought did it proved to be false. The rating for this book is five stars, and I am recommending it to anyone that likes cozy mysteries and the California coast.
Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by,
Karen the Baroness.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tour. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you would like to read more reviews like this one please go to baronessbooktrove.com
Murder at the NoCal Russian Festival
This is the fifth book in a series and the first that I have read. This stands alone well and it was a smooth transition for a new reader. This story is so interesting! I was aware of the Russian history along the Pacific coast and have visited some of the forts. This story filled in more of that history. It is also a nicely complicated murder mystery. There is a nicely tangled pool of suspects and many are intertwined through business. It is a sweet and clean cozy with dogs, horses, the ocean and good friends. I will be reading the rest of this series soon! I received the ARC of this book for free from Net Galley. This is my honest review.
law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, senior-citizens, family-dynamics, friendship, Russian-heritage, cozy-mystery
Strange things are happening in Redwood Cove and it will take both law enforcement and a group of local sleuths to get to the bottom of things. First there’s a jewel encrusted dagger that looks like one kept by two gray haired brothers who were smuggled out of Russia as young children, and later a dead body has ties to the old men. Along the way the reader learns about the Russian aristocracy, Russian heritage celebrations, Cossack riding skills, and how a real Russian samovar is properly used. The mystery itself is well done and has just enough twists and red herrings, the characters are interesting and engaging, and the scenery and activities are clearly depicted. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. Thank you!
Kelly Jackson and the Silver Sentinels are back in the fifth installment of the Kelly Jackson Mystery series. This has been a very entertaining series. It is set in a charming small town setting in California and the characters are just as inviting as the location. This time around, the Silver Sentinels have to help two of their own – Rudy and Ivan who are in the middle of a murder mystery. I really enjoyed getting to know Rudy and Ivan as characters as well as their backstory. The Russian aspect of this story was interesting and entertaining. Rudy and Ivan get some closure from their past as well. The character development is on track and Kelly has become a very relatable, interesting and highly likable character. The mystery in this story was well done and as with the previous books kept me guessing until the end. This one had a climatic reveal which had me turning pages faster to make sure everything turned out as I had hoped.
I will definitely be back for more books in this series. Once I dive into one of these stories I just want to continue until I am finished. For me, a sign of a good book and a successful series.
I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher, Lyrical Underground, through Netgalley.
Murder at the Marina by Janet Finsilver is another excellent addition to the Kelly Jackson mystery series. I always enjoy my visit to Redwood Cove with Kelly and the Silver Sentinels. Kelly, Helen, Mary, Gertie, Professor, Rudy and Ivan are all people that I want to call friends.
Ms. Finsilver’s descriptive writing always allows me to feel like I’m right there with Kelly in each book. This time she provides the history for two of the Silver Sentinels, Rudy and Ivan. The book highlights friendships and family. The plot was quickly paced with more than one mystery to solve, only a few suspects, enough twists that kept me guessing (I guessed wrong) and a very surprising reveal
I am trying to get caught up with this series again as I had fallen behind and now I am almost caught up again. I picked this one up when I was in the mood for another cozy mystery. This continues to be fun cozy mystery series and I like spending time with these characters as they solve another mystery.
This time the mystery has a Russian theme and the focus is on Rudy and Ivan, two members of the crime solving group the Silver Sentinels and friends of Kelly. When a knife coated in what appears to be blood is found on Rudy and Ivan’s boat they become involved in another mystery. The knife discovered is followed by a body not much later and Kelly and the Silver Sentinels will have to figure out whose behind it. There were some interesting directions the story took and some interesting reveals when it comes to Rudy and Ivan’s backstory and history.
I liked the different focus of this mystery, this time with the focus being on Rudy and Ivan and their Russian heritage. We meet some other Russian characters and a Russian Heritage Festival is taking place close to town. I liked the Russian theme in this book and it was a decent mystery. Although there were times it didn’t grip me as much as it felt like for a long time they weren’t really getting anywhere in terms of clues. I didn’t really had any good guesses for suspects or motives as it didn’t really seem connected for a while. I did like the mystery of whether the events were related or not. When they do make progress things move forward fast suddenly. It did feel a bit accidental how they figure out who is behind it, because the killer is coming for them not because they puzzled it out. But it was a nice wrap up and seeing it all fall on it’s place.
I like how this series has such a big and close group of characters. It’s fun to read about these characters and how they help each other. Kelly is there for the Silver Sentinels and I liked the scenes where she helped Rudy and Ivan in this book. It also was nice to see her appreciate Helen’s work as there were plenty of times when she had to go somewhere and Helen had to take over. Or how she did some things for other characters like bringing someone or something somewhere to save someone else time. As well as how motivated she was to solve the mystery for the Russian brothers. There is a very slow burn romance that progresses very slow throughout the series. There are a few scenes with Scott and I like how they’re growing closer, although the baking scene fell a bit flat for me instead of being funny.
To summarize: This was another great installments. I liked the Russian theme for this mystery with the Russian brothers Rudy and Ivan being involved as the body and a knife is found on their boat. There is a Russian heritage festival and the victim and several suspects seem to be involved with that. I liked the reveals surrounding Rudy and Ivan’s history and their backstory. The mystery was interesting, but at times didn’t fully grip me or move as fast. It felt for a long time they weren’t getting anywhere and they solve the mystery by accident when the murderer goes after them. I like the big fun cast of characters and how close they are and how willing to help one another. I like following these characters throughout the series as they solve one mystery after another.
Loved the main theme of a cozy series focused on sailing. The plot, involving the purchase of a sailboat that mysteriously comes with a body, was clean and easy to engage with. The one weakness–and this is a personal bias–was the characters relied too much on cliched characteristics … the absent minded husband and wine-and-chocolate living wife. On the other hand, if you like characters that fit the groove I imagine this book and series would be a great read and easily get a 4.0 as the book consistently delivers on plot and setting.