“Romance, a lovable bunch of eccentrics, and a collection of recipes with murder most foul.”
–Kirkus
“Scrumptious… Fans of culinary cozies will have fun.”
–Publishers Weekly
“A sweet Southern mystery with a delightful plot and quirky characters who quickly make you feel at home.”
–San Francisco Book Review
Welcome to Normal, Kentucky~ where nothing is normal.
Mae West knows tourism and … where nothing is normal.
Mae West knows tourism and nothing stops tourists like a dead body found in the Daniel Boone National Park.
Unfortunately, Yaley Woodard, a local tour guide, is found dead at Happy Trails Campground. Mae is determined to put her amateur sleuth skills to investigate along with the help of the Laundry Club gals.
But when Yaley’s past ends up being tied to forest trails and local Joel Grassel, Mae realizes Yaley’s death has caused much more turmoil than she’d originally thought – and the killer might want to close the tourism in the Daniel Boone National Park for good.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Come spend some time in the small southern town setting with quirky lovable characters to help solve an intriguing mystery with twists and surprises around every corner.
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Tents, Trails, and Turmoil by Tonya Kappes is another mystery where Mae is trying to solve a case to keep her campground running smoothly.
Will Mae figure out who actually killed Yaley Woodard?
What I like:
• Mae and the gang are wanting to solve this case to save Joel Grassel and Mae’s campground from being closed off for too long.
• Mae’s concern for Dottie is very touching.
• The way Mae gets all of her information for the cases that she and the Laundry Club gals helped solve.
• The murder board that the girls use. Instead of the notebook, they were using the whiteboard that Mae and Dottie use for other things than solving a murder.
• Hank and Mae’s relationship is adorable and sweet.
The Mystery
The mystery in this book is figuring out who could have killed Yaley Woodard besides Joel Grassel. They uncover a lot of suspects who are the red herrings. I have to admit I did fall for the red herrings again. Okay, I admit I always fall for them, but the real one was right under their noses the entire time. That will be the only clue that I will give you about it. Mae uncovered a lot about Yaley even though everyone said that everyone pretty much liked her. Guess not everyone as someone killed her. A lot happens because of this mystery, and I’m not going to spoil it.
Four Stars
Tents, Trails, and Turmoil by Tonya Kappes was another great book by Ms. Kappes. She has done a brilliant job of weaving together a great mystery while keeping all the southern charm that you expect from one of her books. I am giving this book four stars and recommending it to anyone that likes cozy southern mysteries.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Tents, Trails, and Turmoil by Tonya Kappes.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Killer, friends and a relationship on the rocks. This can’t be normal right? Well come on the Normal, KY and find out all about what isn’t normal to be normal. Mae and the Laundry Club ladies are at it again. But this time has Mae gone to far? Is the relationship with Hank over? What is Mae going to do about Dottie? Is the Daniel Boone Forest safe? Will the tourist come when a killer is on the loose? Come on the Normal and find out what’s going to happen next.
Kia G
Another fantastic story by Tonya Kappes. Love this series, Mae West is one strong and crazy lady. You will fall in love with Normal, Kentucky, the most un-normal town you will ever see. The world building is so great that you feel like you are in the town with Mae and the laundry club. The Daniel Boone National Forest is the place to visit, especially when you can only go places in your mind. Enjoy the fresh air, the natural beauty of spring in the national park and forget all your troubles. Mae and the gang are like old friends you have known all your life. Recommend this book and series highly to all cozy mystery lovers.
When her office manager, Dottie, starts complaining about a foul smell, Mae decides to look around…no need to have new guests coming to the campground and complaining about an odor. However, a look around reveals the smell is coming from their own dumpster, and then from a body inside. Once again, Mae finds herself trying to get to the bottom of this mystery, before the season opening. But Hank is dead set against her investigation. Will Mae get to the bottom of this mystery, or will she be endangering herself or even permanently damaging her relationship with Hank. The characters in this series are always a blast. The Laundry Club Ladies, always at the ready to help Mae with her snooping; her adorable pet poodle, Fifi, ready to roll in the mud and equally ready for a spa bath afterwards; and of course, Mae, with attitude and fiercelessness who can’t help sticking her nose in other’s business. And the murder(s) and clues are fun to unravel as they lead to one dead end after another until the final reveal. Can’t wait for the next book in this series. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book and all opinions are strictly my own.
Who but Tonya Kappes would have a character named Mae West living in Normal, Kentucky? Mae West is a bit of a amateur sleuth and sometimes her snooping gets her in trouble with her Sheriff boyfriend Hank. Tents, Trails and Turmoil seems to be testing their bond. Once again Mae finds a dead body and this time it is at her campground, which isn’t good for her business. Mae works hard to prove a friend’s innocence and solve the case so her campground season can go on as usual. A fun, entertaining read. Would definitely recommend.
This was a nice twist to the series. This time, Mae finds her campground is an unlikely host – to a murder!
Mae is just out for a nice day when she is basically bombarded by Violet and learns that there is a missing person. While it wasn’t affecting Mae, aside from worry about the lady that was missing, she soon finds herself knee deep in a mystery and the coroner knee deep in her trash dumpster.
Someone had dumped Yaley’s body (the missing lady) into the Happy Trails Campground dumpster and it his highly suspected it is her new boyfriend, a local owner and mechanic who had help Mae when she first moved in – Joel. His truck was seen by Dottie unloading some trash and a large tarp. It seems his truck was everywhere, but is it really him or just a ploy? Is there more to this than just a jilted lover?
This who-dunnit will leave you surprised, a little saddend, and ready for the next book. Wonderfully written and thought out. There was one thing that bothered me with this story is that Dottie said she had been smelling something dead for the last couple of days. If it was smelling then, why didn’t it get checked out sooner? Did no one use the dumpster in those two days also?
Best read as a series, but can be read as a standalone. I was given an advanced copy to review and share my opinion.
Tonya Kappes’ A Camper and Criminals Cozy Series is one of my favorites. Tonya has outdone herself in the latest book. I have grown to really enjoy the characters — Mae West, owner of Happy Trails; Dottie Swaggert, the property manager; the Laundry Club Ladies, Queenie French and Abby Fawn as well as Mae and Dottie; Mae’s boyfriend, Hank Sharp, detective with the Sheriff’s Department and more.
When Mae is in town to pick up supplies to get the campground ready for the the new season, she learns that Yaley Woodard, has been “snatched” off the street. When Mae gets back to the campground Dottie complains of an awful odor near the office. Mae takes FiFi and takes a walk down one of the trails to see if they can find what is dead only to discover there is a body in the dumpster at the campground.
Tonya has me stumped in this one. Clues point to several suspects but none feel like the killer. Against Hank’s advice Mae and the Laundry Club Gals must find the real killer so the campground can open in three days. Hank does, however, like all of the clues and gossip that Mae can collect and share with him.
If you enjoy a well written series, great characters and a cozy mystery, this is for you. I received an advance copy. This is my honest review.
Tents, Trails, & Turmoil by Tonya Kappes is the 11th book in the Camper & Criminals Cozy Series.
Another dead body, this time found at Happy Trails Campground, and a member of the Laundry Club is having health issues. Can Mae and the other Laundry Club Ladies help find the killer and take care of one of their own?
As usual Author Tonya Kappes has done it again, another book you can’t put down until the very end. I highly enjoyed it and highly recommend this wonderful read.
Mae discovers a body in the dumpster at the campground and Dottie is ill. Now Mae has to worry about her friend, employee and campground. When people hear about the dead body, they start cancelling their reservations. When a friend is accused of the murder, she knows she has to find the killer fast before she loses everything. With the help of the girls, she gathers all the gossip to report to Hank. Will he listen? Or, will he try to stop her? There are plenty of suspects to go around. Can she find the right one?
This cozy mystery will transport you to another place. I love being able to return to beautiful Kentucky while reading this campground series. This book is filled with such descriptive writing the reader is transported to the Happy Trails Campground. You follow the adventures of Mae, amateur detective, Dottie, Hank, the sherif, and the delightful Laundry Club ladies. A local tourist guide is missing. Her body is found in a dumpster on the Happy Trails Campground. To Hank’s dismay the lovely ladies of Normal, Kentucky are on the case. Led by Hank’s girlfriend, Mae. There are many twists and turns on the trail of discovering the culprit. This is another cant be missed reading delight. I received an ARC for my honest opinion.
The story starts with the kidnapping of Yaley Woodard, she assisted with tours in Normal. She has been missing for a few days. Then Mae and Dottie notice a terrible smell at the campground. Mae takes a walk on one of the trails thinking it is a dead animal out there. But Mae noticed that the farther away from the campground she got the less she smell the odor. Dottie and Mae find a body in the trash dumpster at Happy Trail Campground. It’s Yaley. Another murder causes big troubles for Mae. People start canceling their reservations, then Dottie is not well and ends up in the hospital. But the biggest thing is Joel is arrested for her murder! Mae can’t let this one go after all he has done for her and her foster brother. This puts Hank and Mae at odds in their relationship. Will Mae be able to prove Joel is innocent? What will happen to her and Hank? You will need to read the book to find the answers to find the who and what happens. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
What a fun return to the Happy Trails Campground with Mae and her sleuthing friends from the Laundry Club. After the murder of a local tour guide, Mae and her friends do what they do best which is solve mysteries. As always the characters and relationships make a reader feel as is they are a par5 of the story. The mystery is so well done that I was really surprised at the ending. I’ll anxiously be awaiting my next visit to Happy Trails Campground.
I wasn’t too sure if I liked reading the prologue and knowing what the murder was and some of its details before it happened. I know it was to build anticipation, and it did its job, because I was anxious as to when I would read that scene again. I loved that Hank finally agreed to work with Mae on this investigation. They make a great detective team. Great series and once again I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who the murderer was.
This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and this book did not disappoint. I inhale these books—so relaxing, despite dealing with murder. It’s all done in a southern, folksy, comfy-cozy way, and I love the setting of the campground in Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. The mystery is intriguing and there are plenty of good suspects. The resolution is good and I like how the characters have continued to evolve throughout the series. I love Mae and all of her friends and family—this is escapism at its best. I highly recommend this book and series, best read in order, but each can also stand on its own. I was provided an arc, but these opinions are my own.
A Tent, Trails and Turmoil by Tonya Kappes is the 11th installment in the Camper and Criminals Mystery Series. This like all the other books in this series was a very enjoyable read. I read it in one sitting because I was so engrossed in everything that happened; I just couldn’t put it down. I am really enjoying this series and meeting up with all the characters in Normal, Kentucky. The characters have such a sense of friendship and southern charm. Everything was so well described that you felt like you were right there in Normal, KY. Ms. Kappas always has the wonderful southern charm in all her books and keeps you interested until the last word. I can’t wait read the next installment of this series. I highly recommend this book it was a funny clean mystery.
Tents, Trails & Turmoil is the eleventh book in the Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery series by Tonya Kappes.
Mae and Dottie are getting ready for the busy season at the campground when a murder threatens to shut the campground down.
I guessed early on who was guilty, but then changed my mind a few times. There were a lot of good twists and turns.
My favorite thing in the series is how the Laundry Club gals are there for each other in their time of need.
I received this book as a gift and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
This is a fantastic series and this book is a great addition to it! After trying to find the source of an awful odor, Mae discovers a missing person had been dumped into the dumpster at Happy Trails Campground. With the opening of the tourist season just a few days away Mae and the Laundry Club girls must figure out who the killer is and quickly! Another great story with these wonderful, quirky characters that I have grown to love! A story filled with twists and turns right up to the end! One you are sure to enjoy!
I received an advance copy of this book and I voluntarily wrote an honest review.
Another fun but deadly visit to Normal, Kentucky and the Happy Trails Campground. Just as the start of tourist season is quickly approaching, the tour guide, Yaley Woodard, goes missing. Campground owner Mae West finds Yaley’s body in the dumpster while cleaning up the campground for the start of tourist season. Now Mae must “help” her boyfriend Hank find the killer before any more reservations are cancelled. The town of Normal Kentucky relies on the tourism to bring visitors to the area and having a murder to solve is not good for business. It turns out that there is no shortage of suspects who may have wanted to kill Yaley. Mae and her friends, the Laundry Club Ladies, get involved in tracking the town gossip to find clues to discover who the killer is before the tourist season is a bust. Very enjoyable book 11 in the series! Please note you surely will get more out of the development of the very likable characters if you read the series in order. Tonya Kappes delivers yet another fun page turning cozy mystery.
I think these get better with each book in the series. I love Mae and all the other women in the Laundry club. I also love reading about the national park and Kentucky. These are fantastic cozies. This one made me laugh and I loved the intrigue. I loved all the twists and turns. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Another murder mystery to solve in Normal, Kentucky. The author builds the suspense of who the real criminal is throughout the book. I thought I had it figured out but the book took a twist right at the end. Mae and her laundry club lady friends use their talents yet again to help solve the mystery. I love this series and look forward to the next book.