Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Trouble in the Theater by Kathi Dailey

Book Title: Trouble in the Theater
Author: Kathy Dailey
Series: The Inn at Holiday Bay #29
Location: Holiday Bay, Maine
Main Character: Abby Sullivan
Other Characters: Georgia, Lacy, Baily, Haven, Colt, Alex, Hollin, Lonnie
Pets: Dogs Molly & Ramos along with Cat Rufus
Stars: 5

Trouble in the Theater by Kathi Daley is the 29th installment in the heartwarming Inn at Holiday Bay series. This series follows author Abby Sullivan, who, after a personal tragedy, moves across the country from San Francisco to Holiday Bay, Maine. She buys a large seaside mansion, sight unseen, and transforms it into a successful inn, finding a new community she fell in love with. Besides managing the inn, she also assists Colt, her detective boyfriend, in solving crimes within the community.

In this episode, Abby finds herself a bit overwhelmed as she helps her friend Lacy with a Halloween pageant, along with assisting her best friend Georgia with wedding plans, and ensuring Bailey has everything she needs for her upcoming baby. To top it all off, the discovery of a dead body in the local theater adds to the drama. This mystery will lead the reader through several twists, turns, and surprises to uncover the killer.

Kathy Daley’s writing is engaging, as she creates a charming setting with well-developed, interesting & compassionate characters. The story is filled with warmth, humor, and a touch of suspense, making it a delightful read for fans of cozy mysteries. This story makes me wish I could pack up and move to Holiday Bay.

If you enjoy heartwarming stories with a mix of mystery and community spirit, you will love this series.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Christmas in the Candlelight by Kathi Daley

  • Title: Christmas in the Candlelight
  • Author: Kathi Daley
  • Series: The Inn at Holiday Bay
  • Genre:Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Holiday Bay, Maine
  • Main Character: Abby, Georgia
  • Other Characters: Jeremy, Mylie, Colt. Reno, Brody
  • Pets: Ramos the cat, Dog named Molly, Dog name Ramos
  • Stars: 5

This is the  twenty-fifth book in The Inn at Holiday Bay series. I really enjoy this series and have enjoyed all of the books by Kathi Daley. Even though there is a murder, this series makes you want to move to Holiday Bay, well apart from the cold and snow, that is. But I love the community, friendship and how everyone is always there for each other. Abby is the owner of the Inn and she treats her employees very well. They are more family and friends than employees

In this installment, Holiday Bay is preparing for the Christmas activities at the in while Georgia’s past is coming back to haunt her. Georgia’s cooking show is filming at the Inn which seems to be bringing on a lot of stress. Georgia’s new producer is bringing in Chef Brody Litman who Georgia has an unpleasant past. Brody is to take the lead while Georgia takes a supporting role which doesn’t make her happy. When Brody’s body is found in a sleazy motel on the outskirts of town and Georgia is seen on camera leaving his room earlier in the evening, she becomes the prime suspect in the case. Because of a conflict of interest for Colt, a detective is brought in to investigate. No one else is seen on camera leaving the victims hotel room so will Georgia be able to prove she didn’t kill him? 

If you haven’t read this series, I recommend it. It is best to start at the beginning and read the books in order so you can get to know the cast of characters. The reader starts to think of all the characters as family and can’t wait to see what they are up to next

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Witness in the Wedding by Kathi Daley

  • Title: Witness in the Wedding
  • Author: Kathi Daley
  • Series: The Inn at Holiday Bay #24
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Holiday Bay, Maine
  • Main Character: Abby, Georgia
  • Other Characters: Shelby, Amy, Colt, Alex, Lacy, Calista, Phinneas Potter, Jeremy, Mylie, Annabelle, Jovana, Carlos, Geselle, Stephan, Efren, Aldo, Viveca, Gwenevere, Megan
  • Stars: 4

This latest Inn at Holiday Bay book is the 24th in the series and it doesn’t disappoint! The author has a way of telling an engaging story.

This installment of the series is dedicated to the upcoming wedding of Jeremy and Mylie. To commemorate the event, Jeremy’s mother, Annabelle, and her new husband, Carlos, are arriving from Spain to attend the nuptials. The presence of Jovana, Jeremy’s sister, has caused a stir in the Inn, as well as the presence of a suspicious guest. In the meantime Georgia and Amy participate in a cook-off competition where there is speculation that the food has been tampered with. Following the discovery of a deceased body behind a dumpster, Local Police Chief and Abby’s boyfriend, Colt Wilder, is on the case to find a killer. With Abby wanting to back her friends at their cook off, wedding chaos, an Inn bursting at the seams with guests, a deceased body, and now trying to solve a murder with the help of Colt’s deputy Alex, it’s all been a little bit too much. Just another day in Holiday Bay!!

I really do like this series. The characters are empathetic and relatable. I love the atmosphere of the small town and the relationships formed between the residents. If you enjoy of a good clean cozy mystery that is captivating and full of surprises, then this is the type of story for you.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Clue in the Carriage House by Kathy Daley

  • Title: Clue in the Carriage House
  • Author: Kathi Daley
  • Series: The Inn at Holiday Bay #23
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Holiday Bay, Maine,
  • Main Character: Abby, Georgia, Jeremy, Mylie, Nikki, Colt
  • Other Characters: Alex, Gabby
  • Pets: a big cat named Rufus and 2 dogs named Molly, Ramos, Alex’s Emotional Support Dog Cooper.
  • Stars: 4

This is the 23rd book of The Inn at Holiday Bay series. We once again visit Holiday Bay, Maine at the beginning of Summer. Colt is looking forward to his niece and nephew coming to stay with him for the summer. In the meantime, Colt has hired a new Dispatcher and another deputy so with all he has going on, there hasn’t been able to spend enough time with Abby, which has caused some concern.

Jeremy and Mylie’s wedding is quickly approaching, so Lonnie is preparing their cottage so they can move in. It’s upsetting that they’re thinking about moving the wedding date to accommodate Annabelle’s mother’s schedule. They discover some ancient trunks while tearing down a wall in the cottage, which leads to a mystery that several inn guests are determined to solve.

A dead body is discovered by the crew tearing down what is left of Velma’s diner, which heightens the tension.

A lot is going in the 23rd book in this series. I really do like this series and I love all the characters but 23 is enough. There comes a time when we know there has been enough done to this story. It has gotten to where I am not looking forward to another one. I am not sure there will be another one but, in my opinion, this should be the last. I know there is a spinoff coming out called Bookstore at Holiday Bay. The first book is coming out at the end of June 2023 with number two not far behind, in October 2023.

If you have read this series, let me know what you think.

Happy Reading,

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Riddle in Review by Kathi Daley

  • Title: Riddle in Review
  • Author:Kathi Daley
  • Series: The Inn at Holiday Bay #22
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Holiday Bay, Maine
  • Main Character: Abby, Georgia, Jeremy Mylie, Lou
  • Other Characters:
  • Pets: a big cat named Rufus and 2 dogs named Molly, Ramos
  • Stars: 3

I was really looking forward to the 22nd book in The Inn at Holiday Bay series and I must say I was a little disappointed. It seemed to be all over the place with a lot of characters. I needed a score card to keep up. And the mystery concluded with a suspect who wasn’t even part of the plot and seemed to come out of nowhere. I like a whodunit that I can try to figure it but this would have been almost impossible to figure out.

The story starts with a missing bilingual parrot that Beck has been hired to find. This story kinda dropped and we didn’t hear about the parrot again until much later in book. I had almost forgotten about it.

Vanessa is out of town and has left her feisty Aunt Lou to take care of the bookshop. Someone is leaving one star reviews for several of the small business around town. At first it is just an inconvenience and a bit unsettling since the reviews seem to be bogus. Then these same small business start to be vandalized. It seems like the person giving bad reviews is also responsible for the vandalizing. For now, this still seems to be more of an inconvenience and the loss of some profits due to some businesses having to temporarily close until the can repair any damage. That is until there is a fire at one business and, the police find a body. Now it becomes a mystery to find out if this was murder or or did someone accidentally end up dead.

Colt, the chief of police and Abby’s boyfriend, is out of town so the women business owners in town take it upon themselves to try and solve this mystery. With the help of the town bartender/computer hacker, they trace the reviews back to someone in town. Is this person also the one who is vandalizing the business and have they actually committed homicide? Or was it an accident that someone died in the fire? Is all of this connected in some way to the reviews? You will have to read to find out.

Other highlightsin the story are Colt dealing with issues concerning his nephew, a couple gets engaged, Georgia and Tannerreevaluateeevalute their relationship, a new character may be staying in Holiday Bay.

This was not my favorite in the series and I struggled at times to finish it but I did. I will still read the next book in the series once it is released but if this had been the first book in the series, it would not have convinced me to finish the series.

If you read this, give me your thoughts in the comments.