What’s black and white and dead all over? Georgia bed and breakfast proprietor Nina Fleet finds out when she comes across a corpse in a penguin costume.Nina Fleet’s life ought to be as sweet as a Georgia peach. Awarded a tidy sum in her divorce, Nina retired at 41 to a historic Queen Anne house in quaint Cymbeline, GA. But Nina’s barely settled into her new B&B-to-be when a penguin shows up … penguin shows up on her porch. Or, at least, a man wearing a penguin suit.
Harry Westcott is making ends meet as an ice cream shop’s mascot and has a letter from his great-aunt, pledging to leave him the house. Too bad that’s not what her will says. Meanwhile, the Sisters of Perpetual Poverty have lost their lease. Real estate developer Gregory Bainbridge intends to turn the convent into a golfing community, so Cymbeline’s mayor persuades Nina to take in the elderly nuns. And then Nina finds the “penguin” again, this time lying in an alley with a kitchen knife in his chest.
A peek under the beak tells Nina it’s not Harry inside the costume, but Bainbridge. What was he doing in Harry’s penguin suit? Was the developer really the intended victim, or did the culprit mean to kill Harry? Whoever is out to stop Harry from contesting the sale of his great-aunt’s house may also be after Nina, so she teams up with him to cage the killer before someone clips her wings in Peach Clobbered, Anna Gerard’s charming first Georgia B&B mystery.
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I loved this book. Peach Clobbered by Anna Gerard is a great start to a new cozy series and a new author to me. .
We meet Nina who has recently moved to Cymbeline, Georgia to open a Bed and Breakfast in her recently purchased historic Queen Ann mansion. Nina finds out fast the quaint, charming town has plenty of secrets. She ends up being rushed to open the B&B by the mayor when a group of nuns have lost their lease and are being forced to leave the convent. On top of that a penguin (Harry Westcott) shows up on her porch claiming he owns the Queen Ann she has fallen in love with. Harry is the nephew of the deceased previous owner.
Before you can say peach cobbler, the penguin is found murdered in an alley by Nina. But it’s not Harry! Was Harry the intended victim (He has been being stalked) or was it the victim, Gregory Bainbridge, a real estate developer, who is not well liked in town. He has cheated quite a few of the residents.
Nina and Harry team up to found out who did it and who was really meant to be in that costume.
There are plenty of twists and turns that have you guessing until the end, humor, the closeness of a small town, and even a hidden staircase that opens a whole new door! The ending did cause a jaw drop moment for me which I will not give away. But I will warn you. you may have a craving for peach cobbler.
I am so ready to return to Cymbeline and see what’s next for Nina as Gerard has set the perfect stage.
I was given an ARC by Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an honest review.
4.5 Stars
This is the first book in a new series by Anna Gerard titled Georgia B&B Mystery.
When the book opens Nina Fleet (pronounced Nine-ah) has bought a new Victorian house in Cymbeline, GA. Apparently, prior to the opening of the book there was a bit of controversy about who had the right to the house. The great nephew of the prior owner claimed the house was supposed to be his but it was sold while he was working a gig as an actor. Now two months later he comes knocking at Nina’s door bearing proof of his claim. He is surprisingly dressed in a penguin suit in the summer heat and then proceeds to faint on her doorstep from heat stroke.
And then it is one outrageous thing after another. The mayor practically forces Nina to start the bed and breakfast she had been considering opening after a bunch of Nuns are displaced due to a crooked land owner who wanted to develop the property the church was sitting on. And when the crooked land owner is soon found dead in the alley behind the antique shop Nina tries to discover who is behind it all before Harry, her original nemesis finds himself in jail for good.
When the killer is revealed at the end, I have to say I was flabbergasted. Didn’t see that one coming. I found myself chuckling at all the crazy get ups donned by Harry as he had one new gig after another. I did feel like there was a little chemistry between Harry and Nina but maybe that will be addressed in future books. I mean, why keep putting up with the man if you didn’t have some underlying motive for keeping him around.
This book was fun and I enjoyed every twist and turn. I wonder if Harry Westcot will end up being a recurring character since the whole “who owns the house” remained at the end of the book as up in the air.
If you love a good and fun cozy mystery, definitely check this one out.
Highly recommended.
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
Nina Fleet was recently bought a historic Queen Anne house in Cymbeline, GA. Shortly after she and her fur-baby Mattie settle in the former owner’s nephew, Harry shows up at her front door in a penguin costume. He believes that the house should have gone to him after his great Aunt passed away. He is threatening to sue Nina over the house. Once he finally leaves, the mayor shows up telling Nina she is going to fast track a license for Nina to open up a B & B in her home and she has Nina’s first customers. The customers are a group of nuns that have been displaced by their landlord not renewing their lease. The landlord turns up dead in Harry’s costume and near the nuns’ protest site. Can Nina find out what really happened and can she and Harry put aside their differences?
This is a great start to a new series. The characters are fun and entertaining. The B & B setting and the nuns is a unique and interesting storyline. The mystery was well paced with several well placed red herrings to keep you guessing until the end. If you are looking for a new cozy mystery this once won’t disappoint.
I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.
situational-humor, verbal-humor, bed-and-breakfast, small-town, cozy-mystery, murder-investigation
Not too far into the book it’s easy to see who the murder victim should be, but there’s also a lot of other things going on. There’s the rather obnoxious actor in a penguin costume (In summertime. In Georgia) who thinks he should own Nina’s lovely Victorian, the sudden appearance of the mayor with a car full of displaced nuns and the paperwork to authorize the house as a Bed and Breakfast, and a visit by the most despised man in town. Lots of real characters, laughs, plot twists and red herrings add up to a book that I really enjoyed!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!