“Never waste good rum on a bad night.” – Teddy Lawless, February 1926.There are many bad nights ahead for Teddy. Shortly after she arrives at the newly opened Vinoy Hotel in Saint Petersburg, she comes face to face with her ex-fiancé, Ansel Stevens, in the dining room. Cue the slap that was thirty years in the making. Unfortunately, her ex-fiancé dies during a yacht race shortly thereafter. … thereafter. Conclusion of the authorities: poison. His family closes ranks, leaving Teddy as the prime suspect. Worse, Teddy’s hair comb is found on the deck of Ansel’s boat, leading to her swift arrest. Can Cornelia Pettijohn and Uncle Percival save fun-loving Teddy before she goes from the grand hotel to the big house?
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MURDER AT THE MILLION DOLLAR PIER by Gwen Mayo and Sarah E. Glenn is the second book in the Three Snowbirds series. It is the fabulous story of Theodora “Teddy” Lawless – retired Army nurse, Cornelia Pettijohn – enlisted Army nurse on leave, and her Uncle Percival – retired engineer from Midway, Kentucky – taking a little holiday. Cornelia agreed to help her Uncle in checking out and filming the building of the new construction wonder – the pier at St. Petersburg. Teddy was ready for some shopping and being on the beach.
After checking into the very elite Vinoy Hotel across from the new pier, things start to take on a disastrous turn. Teddy comes face to face with her ex-fiance, Ansel Stevens. The breakup 30 years ago was not a pretty one including Ansel tarnishing Teddy’s reputation and causing her family great hardship. When Ansel dies in the middle of a sailing race and after having had two very public confrontations, Teddy is the lead and only suspect when his death proves to have been murder.
Detective Joe Knaggs will have his hands full proving his case. Cornelia and her Uncle Percival know Teddy is innocent. Determined to prove it will means going out and finding the evidence themselves. That of course causes a few problems including having folks thinking that Percival and Teddy are engaged.
Can Cornelia prove her friends innocence and keep her military career intact? Are those that seem to be helpful really on their side? Will they actually find an ally in Mitch, a reporter for the Saint Petersburg Times or is he just another reporter out to get a story? Will the method of the murder point even more fingers at Teddy with her medical knowledge thanks to her previous employment in the service?
MURDER AT THE MILLION DOLLAR PIER is a wonderful well-written story oo life in the 1920’s from the building of magnificent structures to illegal liquor in clubs with escape routes. It shows the different classes of society and how different our legal system was during that time. Throw in adventure of a wager thrown down in the name of love, a woman finally getting retribution for a wrong and a murder to figure out whodunit will have you turning pages and falling in love with the quirky Uncle Percival, pulling for Teddy’s innocence to be proven and cheering for Cornelia who seems to keep everything and everyone held together.
Love the way the authors did their homework in making events and places as accurate and true to time period as possible. The added information at the back of the book documented true events and how they connected to the story was very interesting and a welcome touch.
MURDER AT THE MILLION DOLLAR PIER can definitely be read as a standalone. I have not read the first book in this series and had no problem reading the second book. In fact, reading this book has me wanted to also read the first book in the series to enjoy this delightful trio even more. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a great cozy mystery, a book that gives a glimpse of how things were in the past or if you just want a delightful book to read.
Great Cozy Mystery
Authors Mayo and Glen pen a fun and amusing story in Murder at the Million Dollar Pier. I haven’t read anything from these authors before, and I really enjoyed this story. The characters were developed and very interesting. This story really brings the stories to life. The pace of the story was perfect for this type of story. I enjoy cozy mysteries, and this one was not only unique, but full of fun and yet, thrilling. It takes place in the 1920’s, and gives life to a time gone by. There is a great chemistry between the characters, and a depth that makes them realistic and flawed. I look forward to reading more by these authors. This read is definitely recommended by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews.