Tyler Colins

When Jill Fonne, and group of relatives and family friends are invited to spend a week at her deceased haunted aunt’s Gothic estate it seems like an easy way to inherit $200,000, until of course people start dying. Jill begins to suspect that the her fellow guests are connected in ways that they haven’t been forthcoming about and she soon discovers that the house and the grounds hide secrets of their own. What is the motive? It is a race to find the murderer or murderers before they can show more strike again. Will anyone survive to inherit? Classic Story line!

The opening chapter of this book proved to be quite the hook with its description of the Moone estate, it immediately pulled me in. The book couldn’t be anything else but a murder mystery and it delivered nicely on a classic inheritance plot full of world class characters , clever plot twists, fiendish secrets and of course bumbling amateur sleuths who blundered into as much trouble as they did evidence, not to mention a cool creepy house that seemed to grow secret passage ways.

I did find the story entertaining and at times quite humorous however, I do have to admit it often seemed to try too hard to homage the classic Hollywood Whodunnits, leaving it, at times, to read a bit more like a B movie screenplay than a Cozy mystery. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I honestly couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not.

I do think that the three sleuths have a bit of chemistry and that bodes well for future installments of the Triple Threat Series. And, kudos are indeed warranted for the coolest character names in any Cozy ever.

3

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review show less

private-investigators, Hawaii, murder-investigation, punny, snarky, friendship, laugh-out-loud*****

The first body was the object of their investigation.
Three friends decided to be private investigators in Hawaii despite having no licenses, residence, or anything else that you would expect. Their first client is a very wealthy man who wants to divorce his current wife without any excess cost by proving that she is cheating on him. But she is the first body! It's a very punny story full of show more snarks and Hawaiian trivia. Fast paced and twisty, it moves along much quicker than I expected. Loved it!
Cindy Piller is the highly expressive narrator who adds to the general hilarity.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway! show less

inheritance, spoof, situational-humor, verbal-humor, murder, pranks

All of the characters certainly are, including the deceased! Is it a game of clue or the movie Scavenger Hunt? In any case, it's nowhere near as serious as And Then There Were None. It's a spoof or maybe a farce, but in any case it kept me laughing throughout the whole book! It also kept me guessing as to who was behind the murders. Loved it!
Narrator Cindy Piller did a fantastic job of maximizing the fun and the mystery.
I won show more this audiobook in a giveaway! show less

3.5 rounded up to 4. Can You Hula Like Hilo Hattie is the second book in a the "Triple Threat Mystery Series", however, I did not read the first book. This was not a problem as this book could be read as a standalone. There was enough information given through flashbacks and references to the first case that I was okay. Having said that, I will probably go back and read the first book as it sounds fun.

The detectives in this series are three intelligent, resourceful and brave females. We have show more Linda, Rey and Jill (JJ), one fun blond, one intelligent redhead and one organized brunette. They have moved to the Hawaiian Islands to open a detective agency at the behest of Rey. The ladies were looking for a change and boy was this a change. This story is fast paced and interesting with its many characters, suspects, and victims. It was written in such a way that it felt like you were there with the ladies, solving the puzzle, finding a murderer and enjoying the delicious food and drink.

The story is told from the POV of Jill, who seems to be the leader of the group. It is full of puns that make it a fast and fun read. It reminds me just a bit of Stephanie Plum with all the things that go wrong. The dialogue is also humorous and enjoyable. This book borders on a cozy mystery, but not quite. As the ladies travel into the drug world while trying to solve a string of murders, I read quickly to see what was going to happen. I enjoy mysteries where the main characters are actually private detectives by trade, not just a business owner helping a friend, although these ladies have had no training as of yet. This brings another dimension to the stories. One niggle was how Jill reacted whenever Cash came around. For a strong woman, her actions and reactions whenever he was around turn her into a simpering teenager. To be honest, when I first saw this book, I passed as the cover did not entice me at all. I guess it is important not to judge a book by the cover.

I received a copy of this book from the publicist to read and review. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own. show less