cozy-mystery, pacific-coast, Oregon, hospitality-industry, ghosts, murder, murder-investigation, small-business, small-town, verbal-humor, pet-dog, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, series,*****

A fun cozy that filled an overbusy time with ease.
The mystery is well done and the characters certainly are. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers, just enjoy! I really enjoyed reading it even if it did force me to stay up way too late!
The audio is narrated by experienced voice actor Tavia Gilbert ( )

I won this in a GOODREADS giveaway. A very good cozy little mystery! Kate Kingsbury is definitely an author to keep on eye one! Toss this one in your tote for that weekend getaway or just curl up on the couch later tonight to read while you nibble your hidden cookie stash. ( )

As blustery Fall winds cool the Oregon coast, Melanie West and her grandmother, Liza, open the Merry Ghost Inn. They didn't expect to have the grand opening so late in the year, but their new business venture was delayed by six months after a fire damaged a large part of the building. With all the repairs and renovations finally completed, Melanie and Liza welcome their first guests, a senior citizen group from Portland. The six seniors are members of a book club and all live in the same retirement community. After just one day at the Inn, things go drastically wrong when one of the group, a cranky troublemaker that none of them really liked, is found dead in the driveway outside. When the police discover that Walter Dexter's fall from the second floor balcony wasn't an accident, Melanie, Liza and their assistant, Cindi, start investigating. Who sawed the balcony railings so that Walter would fall to his death? Could one of their seemingly harmless elderly guests be a murderer?

Doom With a View is the second book in the Merry Ghost Inn series. I haven't read the first book yet, but easily followed the characters and plot of this new book. I adore Melanie, Liza and Cindi. They are all different, but very strong, determined and intelligent women. I also enjoy how Liza is sure their resident ghost (they call him Orville) is real....but Melanie thinks it's some defect in the house. That sound of laughter they all hear....Melanie contends it couldn't possibly be a ghost. It has to be the house settling.

The book is a quick read at less than 200 pages. The mystery is fast paced and doesn't bog itself down in fluff and unnecessary details. It gets right down to business with the dead body popping up in Chapter 1. Boom -- dead guest. Right to the point. I have no problem with that. I don't like it when I'm reading a mystery novel and get through almost half of it before there is any mystery. This book cuts to the chase immediately. It doesn't just focus on the deceased guest and investigation though...there is plenty of speculation about Orville the Ghost, quite a bit of character development, interaction with side characters...good story building. I liked the fast pace, and the setting. The characters are quirky and interesting. The mystery had plenty of suspects and surprises. Max the dog is the required loyal fur face, helping his owners solve the crime and barking at empty space -- or is it Orville? :)

All in all, a fun cozy mystery! Once I started reading, I moved book one, Dead and Breakfast, to the top of my TBR pile. I want to enjoy more Melanie and Liza antics while I wait for book 3!

Kate Kingsbury is a pen name used by author Doreen Roberts Hight. She also writes the Pennyfoot Hotel series and Manor House Mysteries under the same pseudonym. For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://www.doreenrobertshight.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

I have not read any of the other books in this series but that was fine. This was a great cozy mystery with all of the criteria that I love in a cozy: setting, quirky but endearing characters and a great mystery. I couldn’t figure out whodunnit! I will definitely read the other books in the series. ( )

The renovations on the Merry Ghost Inn are complete, and the first group of guests has checked in. Unfortunately, the first night they are in residence, one of the guests falls off the balcony and is found the next morning dead in the driveway. This time, the guests are all suspects, so can not leave the Inn until the case is solved. This leaves Melanie and her grandmother, Liza worried about their next set of guests due in a week. Time to put themselves into investigator mode again.

The storyline is well plotted and the characters were believable with interesting pasts of their own. I love the characters of Melanie and her grandmother, Liza. They love each other and share a very touching relationship. It is a realistic relationship with Melanie worrying about her grandma and Liza playing matchmaker. Their bickering and banter were fun to read about and it brought a lot of humor to the book. I love the British expressions that creep into Liza's dialogue. I enjoy the burgeoning romance between Liza and the hardware store owner as well as the one between Melanie and the police detective. Their lighthearted teasing is cute. I can't forget about Orville, the resident laughing ghost. He adds additional humor to the series and drops hints for Liza to interpret. The ladies have found out that his name in life was Arthur, but they like Orville better and it seems he does as well. The plot was smoothly written and well-paced with just enough twists. The mystery will keep you guessing through the entire book. There were several suspects and enough clues to sift through that it was difficult to figure out who the culprit was. I did not figure out the murderer until it was revealed in the story. I am also enjoying the ongoing side mystery of what happened to Melanie's mother. Melanie is beginning to ask questions and I hope this mystery is eventually solved. This is a fun, cozy series that has enough mystery surrounding it to make for an interesting series. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it. The narrator does a great job with the story and the voices of the various characters. When she says "bugger" I can see Liza speaking those words. I definitely recommend this book, and if you enjoy audiobooks, this is a good one to listen to as well. ( )