Mission to Murder

One thing this book taught me is never to argue with anyone in public. Once that person turns up dead, you are the prime suspect! This is what happens to Jill after an argument with the obnoxious man who was disputing her claims that the home she inherited is on the ruins of a mission. When he is murdered, even Jill’s detective boyfriend has to ask her if she has an alibi! There is a lot going on in this quaint little tourist town. Jill can’t help but get in the middle of the search for the killer, but what if the killer finds her first? This is an enjoyable tale, more for the delightful characters, especially the quirky Aunt Jackie, and the day-to-day life in this tourist town than for the mystery.

4 STARS

Mission to Murder takes place after Guidebook to Murder. Most of the characters from the first book are back plus some new ones to make it more interesting. It is a charming cast and scenery.
Full of drama, Suspense, relationships, romance, humor and a clean story. I guessed wrong on who the guilty party was but got correct the motive.

I missed the reason for one scene towards the end so I was left wondering why but that was the only complaint I had for the plot. I don't want to give the plot away to say more about that scene. The rest of the plotline worked for me.

Jill Gardner is back as the main character. She owns the local bookstore. Because of what happened in Guidebook to Murder she has more free time on her hands. She is show more working on the house she has, her store, and trying to get the Mission wall documented as being on her property.

I like all the secondary characters that are back surrounding Jill. Her Aunt who has a lot of ideas for her business, her friends. It really adds to the charm of the book and makes you want to come back and see what they are up to next.

Because of the Mission Wall she has made enemies of some powerful people in town. When one of them turns up dead right after she has fought with him in public she becomes the main suspect for some.

The detective in charge is Greg her boyfriend and one of the other cops in town Toby works part time for her in the coffee shop. They don't believe she is guilty but a lot of the others in town including the Mayor does.

Greg does not want her to investigate and keeps warning her.

The setting is a small tourist town of South Cove, CA right on the coast. I would love to visit the town. I would be tempted to swim at the Castle too.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I was given this ebook to read and in return agreed to give honest review of it by Net Galley and Kensington Books. show less

Jill, Jill, Jill. You are silly. But I found you less annoying in this book, slightly. Your boyfriend Greg is amazing and is very much like my husband. You need to lock that down, stat.

Jill finds herself smack in the middle of a murder, and is once again the prime suspect. Seriously? I think there are 400 people in this town, and Jill is always stepping in it. Add the Scooby Doo-style wrap up with the villains at the end and I had to deduct a half star.

However, I am a sucker for a quick mystery, so I will of course read book 3. Feel free to judge me! 2 1/2 stars, rounding up to 3 because I love Greg and her dog Emma.

Jill Gardner, coffee shop owner and recent inheritor of a house and property from a local friend and customer, has discovered a wall and Spanish gold on the property. She is trying to get it authenticated and made an historic site. But obnoxious Craig Thomas, who has been trying to keep his historic home as the sole venue for state funding has been blocking her. After a couple of public arguments, when Craig is murdered, Jill becomes suspect number one. Lots of people did not like Craig and Jill needs to find the one who hated him enough to kill him. Good side stories involving Jill’s aunt and her best friend.

Mission to Murder, the second in the Tourist Trap Mystery series by Lynn Cahooh, is a quirky mix of mystery and romance. After reading it and the original in the series, Guidebook to Murder, I’m not sure which genre wins out.

Mission to Murder is light reading. It’s not a complex mystery that requires thinking. In fact, it’s probably best read when you don’t want to think.

We follow the continuing saga of Jill Gardner, owner of a coffee shop/book store in the central California coast as she gets mixed up in murder and various other crimes. Her boyfriend, the local cop, teases her about being suspect number one after she fights with the manager of a local attraction about the old brick wall in her backyard – that she thinks is show more from an old Spanish Mission. He tells her is going to destroy her. She yells (in public, of course) that “No matter what I have to do, you’re not getting away with this.”

The manager, naturally, ends up dead and the race is on to find out ‘who-dun-it’. Jill decides he “couldn’t have died from a heart attack because he had no heart. And if he’d slipped and fallen [into one of the Grecian baths], the eel part of his nature would have saved him from drowning.”

The book follows Jill, the amateur sleuth, as she tries to cross suspects off her list. Add in Amy (the town’s city planner, Jill’s best friend and “a California girl through and through” – “she reeked granola”), Esmeralda (the local fortune-teller and police dispatcher), Jill’s Aunt Jackie (who came out of semi-retirement in the last book to help run the coffee shop after losing her money in a local Ponzi scheme), Eric (the sleazy real estate developer who wants to build condos on the land where Jill lives) and his ‘lying, stealing, murdering girlfriend’ and a host of other colorful characters who make the reading easy on the eyes and really quite enjoyable. “Everyone did whatever they could to make ends meet in the small tourist town.”

Calhoon writes so casually that you almost think you’re there, watching the characters playing out their roles. “It’s not a rumor. Cindy told me and she heard it from Gladys, the church secretary. She’d overhead the girl’s folks telling Pastor Bill.” And then consider Esmeralda’s warning to Jill – “The Spirits are trying to contact you.” “I haven’t missed any calls…”

Quirky. But fun. And not so heavy on the romance that a guy can’t enjoy the story.

This review is based on a preview of the Kindle version set to be released on July 21, 2014. show less

Some time seems to have passed since the debut of this series. Jill is no longer quite as annoyed with her Aunt Jackie's marketing ideas for the cafe/bookstore. In fact, a mystery mystery author event seems to be just the ticket to bring lots of customers into her store. Jill's relationship with Greg has continued, and seems more constant. And of course, the crumbly wall in Jill's new backyard is still a source of historical interest, the question of whether or not it's one of a true California mission wall still unsolved. When Craig Morgan, who is challenging Jill's petition about her wall is found murdered, Jill is not only a suspect, but embroiled in trying to help discover the real murderer. I liked the fact that the story has show more settled in a bit, and really like South Cove as a setting. There seems to be a lot of offer there, in terms of both story and interesting historical tidbits. I look forward to more in this series, a third title is slated for later this year. show less

Jill inherited a house with an old stonewall in the backyard that could be the remains of an old mission. She’s running into roadblocks in getting it declared a historic landmark from real estate developers and the local politicians. Her biggest opponent is found murdered and she becomes the prime suspect. With the help of her boyfriend, hunky police detective, Craig, her aunt, her daughter, coffee barista and cop, plus her daughter they are determined to prove Jill innocence and find the killer.