Peggy Darty (–2011)

Another very good mystery story in this second book in this series. I like the fact that I am solving the "who did it" right along with the main character in this story, Christy Castleman. And solving the mystery is not as easy as you think.

Christy is a mystery writer by profession (when she isn't too busy trying to solve real life murders). Her Aunt Bobbie "storms into town" and shakes things up in the quiet community of Summer Breeze, Florida. Aunt Bobbie enjoys restoring beauty to show more cast-off items and wants to open a shop in town. But when a dead body (her ex-husband) is found in her storage unit, Bobbie is the prime suspect. Christy must figure out who is framing her for murder. There is some more romance going on between Christy and Dan (who you met in book one) which is also a complicated relationship. This story kept and held my interest all the way through. Looking forward to reading another "cozy mystery" with book three, "When Zeffie Got a Clue". show less

Peggy Darty knows how to write a very satisfying mystery. This story (along with the first two in this series) takes place in the Gulf Coast town of Summer Breeze. Christy Castleman is a mystery writer by trade, but finds herself solving real life mysteries. Zeffie Adams is a young girl who brings into the "I Saw It First" trash-to-treasure shop a jewelry box to sell to Christy. She will find hidden beneath the lining a clue to a "cold case murder" from 8 years ago. Although she is warned to show more let the authorities solve this mystery, you know by now that Christy has to step up and solve it herself. This will mean finding who murdered someone she cared about 8 years ago.

I like the fact that although you have a lot of clues, you don't really know who did it until right at the very end. There is also a romance going on between Christy and Dan Brokman, which satisfies those wanting a little romance. But the mystery and danger and suspense part is the major theme of her stories. An author who can keep you guessing, fill you with suspense, but also makes you feel good after having read her stories. show less

This truly was a "cozy mystery" with a touch of romance. It made me try to solve the mystery of the murder right along with Christy, the pretty , young, novelist who makes her living writing books about pirates and mystery herself.

Christy finds a bottle along the beach in the seaside town of Summer Breeze. The note inside says, "Call the police. Someone is trying to kill me." This will begin a search of where the bottle came from, who wrote it and what really happened. Alot of clues will be show more shared with the reader, but I must say, I wasn't expecting it to turn out the way it did. A very good mystery to solve, along with getting to now people of Summer Breeze and the romance that is beginning in Christy's life. Christy is going to discover, that writing a mystery isn't nearly as dangerous as trying to solve a real-life crime. On to book two, "When Bobbie Sang the Blues". show less

Pleasant, light, and cozy are the three words I would use to describe this first in a mystery series featuring Christy Castleman. Christy is an author, single and lives in the same small town where her father is a beloved pastor and she pals around with the father of her deceased ex-boyfriend. All throughout the book Christy is trying to get her next novel finished before her deadline, but that doesn't stop her from delving into a mystery of her own. It all starts with a bottle she finds on show more the beach which has a mysterious message inside. She and her friends surmise that this might have something to do with the mysterious disappearance of a local Realtor. As Christy seeks information she runs across several people who could be behind the mysterious goings on, including a recently returned soldier who also intrigues her for other reasons. Light breezy prose, a mystery that keeps the reader guessing, and a bit of romance combine to make this an enjoyable read. show less