Guidebook to Murder

Guidebook to Murder was my first cozy mystery by Lynn Cahoon. I was immediately drawn in from the start and continued to be enthralled to the end. My imagination embraced the setting of a small California coastal town called South Cove. The primary character, Jill Gardner, owned and operated Coffee, Books and More; the only book store/coffee shop for miles around. Jill was a divorced attorney who visited the town of South Cove while on vacation and loved it so much that she decided to move there and open her store. Part of the town's allure was the friendship she immediately forged with a kind old lady who initially welcomed her and made her feel right at home. Her name was Miss Emily, and Jill became like a daughter to her. Since Jill show more was devoid of a romantic relationship at the time, and Ms. Emily lived alone with few if any real friends, the two shared a special bond. But then the unthinkable happened. Ms. Emily was murdered and Jill was devastated. Who would do this? Ms. Emily was being continually pressured by the city council about infractions on her property, and shortly before she died the council was threatening to demolish her property if she didn't repair the fence, fix the lawn, and take care of many other eye sores related to her parcel. Ms. Emily's property was the lone obstacle to plans for a new development project, a commercial venture that could presumably net the town a considerable amount of money. Even the mayor was intent on dispossessing poor Ms. Emily. But would the developer or a city council member resort to murder? Jill wonders, but when her best friend Amy goes missing, and Ms. Emily's unsightly house begins turning up very valuable hidden treasures and secrets, is there more to this Murder mystery than Jill realised?

Lynn Cahoon has been added to my FAVORITE COZY AUTHORS list. This mystery was beautifully paced, the characters were interesting and varied, and the details surrounding Miss Emily's murder kept me guessing until the revealing at the end, which was both fulfilling and plausible. Thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly. show less

I love cozy mysteries with settings in bookstores and libraries so the beautiful cover indicating a bookstore was an immediate draw to me. I was also interested in reading a cozy mystery by Lynn Cahoon as her name is frequently mentioned as a favorite author in many Facebook groups highlighting cozy mysteries.

I loved the name of the bookstore, "Coffee, Books, and More" and that it was an established store for the past 5 years. Jill's life is turned upside down and inside out by the murder of her dear senior friend, Miss Emily, especially when Jill learns that she has inherited the bulk of Miss Emily's estate. It added interesting character interaction that Jill was able to call upon her Aunt Jackie who owned a coffee shop in San show more Francisco prior to her own retirement. With Aunt Jackie's experience she has no hesitation in taking over Jill's business and implementing changes even before they are discussed with Jill.

The most frustrating aspect of the plot was for the reader to learn from Jill in Chapter 2, referencing Detective Greg King that "He’d been married at the Methodist church down the street. He was one of them." Only to read of Jill's surprise in Chapter 6 in conversation with Detective King's brother Jim...
Jim King: "He’s my brother. In fact, I was the best man at his wedding."
Jill: "He's married?"
If one can forget that Jill was perfectly aware of the detective's marital status prior to Chapter 6, then you can give this annoyance a miss.

I understood Jill's delight in planning and executing all of her home improvements but for a young woman who makes daily to-do lists it seemed a little off that it took her so long to go to friend Amy Newman's apartment especially since Jill has her own key.

For those that aren't tired of amateur sleuth/detective pairings, you'll definitely want to meet Detective Greg King. I enjoyed the cozy but I'm not sure I'll continue reading the series. show less

First in a new series, Guidebook to Murder shows promise, but started off a bit wobbly at the beginning for me.

Jill has left behind a bad marriage and her career as a family law attorney to open a bookstore/coffee shop in the little tourist town of South Cove. A local friend, Miss Emily, is fighting the town council and a developer, trying to keep her house; she's let the house get run-down though, and the mayor is threatening to condemn it as a way to get ahold of her property to build condo's. When Jill stops in to check on her, she finds Miss Emily dead. Grieving the loss of her first friend in South Cove, Jill finds out she inherits everything and that it's not a small sum, in spite of outward appearances. But someone really wants show more her out of the house and is quite ambivalent about whether it's by her own two feet or in a body bag.

So, the characters. I think I like Jill. It's hard to say because from the beginning (the death happens quickly in the story), Jill is overwhelmed: by sadness, by her inheritance, by what she's learning about her friend Miss Emily and the life she led, by trying to keep her business afloat and at the same time, do what's necessary to keep Miss Emily's house (now her own) from being condemned. The author does a great job portraying Jill as a woman trying to keep it all together without making her a martyr. The loss of Miss Emily was emotionally written and I got a bit teary - which I hate but was still done well and with a thankfully light touch. Jill has another close friend, Amy, who I think will be very likeable, but while she plays a part in the plot, we don't see much of her at all to get to know her. Jill's Aunt Jackie comes to help, and while she started off a bit pushy and unlikeable to me, she become more likeable as the story progressed.

This next bit is a tiny bit spoiler-ish - not to the plot, but to the character development and I mention it because it's the one area I just did not understand and why this read was a 3.5 star and not a 4. The romantic interest is Detective Greg King. Blond, blue-eyed, beautiful, he seems to be quite interested in Jill and Jill is pretty damn interested in him. But then she meets his brother, who mentions Greg's wife. So, Jill decides he's off-limits. But he spends all his time with her and it's obvious to anyone reading the book he's not just there to protect her against death threats. Jill's ready to give in several times and here I say kudos! to the author for making Jill a human being instead of a saint. Is it right to contemplate kissing another woman's husband? No. Does that mean it never happens to good people? No. I like that Jill is written to be subject to moral dilemmas. But here's what I don't understand: she NEVER says anything to him about being married! She acts like it would be insulting to him or embarrassing to her to say "Hey! You're brother mentioned you have a wife. What's up with that?" This goes on for most of the book and it drives me nuts.

As for the murder plot, I have to say, the plotting of cozy mysteries has really taken a turn for the better lately, or maybe I've just been lucky. After a streak of books where I had the murderer correctly pegged in each one, I've been reading some excellently planned murders recently. This one is no exception. Miss Emily had a much broader life that Jill knew and it's garnered a varied list of suspects from dissatisfied heirs, to the mayor, to the possibility of treasure hunters. There's a bit of everything here and ultimately, the murderer was a surprise. A detail or two of the plot were a bit unrealistic, but nothing that ruined the enjoyment of the story overall.

By about halfway through the book I was hooked and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning to finish it - always a good sign of an enjoyable book, and I'll be on the look-out for the next one.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. show less

Jill Gardner embarked on a new career as a bookstore proprietor in a California town. She had befriended an elderly woman called Miss Emily. Miss Emily is in a fight with the city over property neglect. Everyone assumes the woman is near broke. Miss Emily dies under suspicious circumstance. Her will leaves her estate to Jill. It turns out to be rather large. Jill learns a property developer wants the house and land. Suddenly another close friend goes missing. What is going on? Who killed Miss Emily? It's an okay mystery, but it didn't really draw me in enough to commit to prioritizing getting caught up on the series. I listened to the audiobook. Susan Boyce is a capable narrator.

Jill owns and runs a combination bookstore and coffeeshop, but as a former lawyer, her elderly friend often calls on her for help, especially when she has issues with the city government. Her property ownership and her home are being threatened by some people who want to tear it down for a development. Jill is willing to straighten it all out for Miss Emily, but before she can, Miss Emily dies. And Jill is in for a big surprise. There is plenty happening in this tale to keep readers engaged in the story. More than one crime and more than one criminal, but only one solution. And can Jill - and the police detective she’s crushing on - figure it out before Jill becomes another victim? Good writing, great characters, and an intriguing show more plot combine for an entertaining mystery. show less

Found this cozy series as an Amazon Kindle deal and decided to give it a try. Sometimes you find a lovely surprise in these discounted reads, and such was the case with Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon. The story centers around Jill Gardner, a local coffee shop owner in a small California town. When her elderly friend, Miss Emily, is found murdered, all clues point to the town council and their plans to force her to sell her house for a new development. With the help of Detective Greg King, Jill works to solve the case.

The mystery was enjoyable and the clues cleverly planted. The setting and characters had a wonderful small town feel without being overly cliche, which is a personal pet peeve of mine. Overall, this was a fantastic show more start to a new series that I look forward to reading more of. show less

guidebook to murder: a tourist trap mystery:
I knew right away I was going to like this book. What a hoot. I don't take notes while reading, that would so wreck the book buzz I get but, upon reflecting for the book review I could not stop chuckling!
Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books and More in the small town of South Cove, California is just like all the rest of us, she is plagued with self doubt, yet strong and tuff when she needs to be. She fantasizes about food constantly and really enjoys eating yet, is aware of it and of course always thinking about losing those extra 10 pounds. Of course she wants a good man yet, doesn't really want to want one. I related to and very much enjoyed this character. The confusion and sexual tension show more with the very handsome Detective Greg King is quite fun.
We meet Jill in her book & coffee shop one morning when she gets a phone call from her neighbor down the street, her dear friend 80 year old Miss Emily who is very upset that yet again she is being pestered by the town council to sell her beloved but very run down home so they can build an apartment complex. Jill wants to help her so she enlists her friend Amy who just happens to work for the city to look over the paperwork and maybe clear up these problems for her friend and neighbor.
The next day on her way over to Miss Emily's house to tell her what Amy found out, what Jill finds out is a dead, possibly murdered Miss Emily! Jill soon finds out Miss Emily had no family...or does she, so she left everything to her and with so much to do and sort out, she calls her aunt to come and help her out at the Book & Coffee shop. Jill and Detective King are on the case of who killed Miss Emily and what they find turns out to be a treasure trove of excitement! There are some thrilling and scary near misses when they and people they love come close to getting hurt but what they do find ultimately is an attraction for each other. I loved Aunt Jackie and I'm hoping she will be in the next book too. I Loved the storyline, characters and the humor but, most of all I liked Jill.

I got this book for a review from Net Galley show less