Heron Heights Homicide

Luna's Lunchette Cozy Mystery #1

by Nikki Hensley

A dead body is never good for business.

The exclusive Heron Heights subdivision of Pineview has the best of everything to offer; magnificent mountain views, luxury mansions, countless amenities, gated security… a mysterious dead body.

A frosty Rocky Mountain winter is in full swing. Luna Beazley, Pineview local and beloved owner of Luna’s Lunchette—the area’s favorite lunch destination—unexpectedly finds herself solving more than menu problems when she winds up in the middle of a murder mystery. Stumbling upon a dead man is only the first shock of the week. Unbeknownst to her, a new detective has rolled into town, and he’s a man Luna could never forget. Cole Preston was her brother’s best friend and the boy of Luna’s childhood dreams. But that was all just a silly juvenile crush. At age 29, she’s outgrown those feelings. She’s determined to solve the murder and prove her investigative prowess to the new detective.

Luna’s heart rate does seem to involuntarily speed up in Detective Preston’s presence… but, surely, that’s mere coincidence.

Book 1 of the Luna's Lunchette Cozy Mystery series
More in the

Book 1: Heron Heights Homicide
Book 2: Spring Fair Fatality
Book 3: Summer Slope Sabotage

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Novella, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 9, 2023

Reviews

[Reviews from Ju to Bri · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a treat to myself because I’m so ahead on my reading goal I DNF’d this book at 50%. I just couldn’t. Four pages in I was already watching the page numbers counting down to the end.

There is SO much unnecessary description in this book it’s like listening to my Nan trying to tell a story but she gets sidetracked describing the fabric of the slipcovers she made for the couch in 1963 that Uncle Henry’s girlfriend at the time picked out but they’re not together anymore even though she was a lovely girl and Margie mentioned at church that the ex-girlfriend’s mother was diagnosed with diabetes recently by that lovely Dr. Liu who always has such colorful ties that are gifts from his wife who works at the high school with Allison. No not that Allison, the other one. No, the one that did lacrosse with Cousin Laura.

25% of the way through this book I knew every detail of this town’s architecture, foot paths, infrastructure and how each business owner on the high street came to own their business whether it was relevant to the story or not (spoiler: none of it was relevant). From amount of pages the author spent describing the ~amazing~ renovations the main character had done to her A-frame cabin I can only assume the author renovated a cabin in real life and has now been barred by family and friends from talking about it anymore so she wrote a book to find new unsuspecting victims, I mean readers, to brag about her breakfast nook to.

By the time we get to the actual murder waaaay too late in the book, I genuinely didn’t care who was dead. I was hoping it was all of them - some sort of avalanche or town-wide gas leak.

Once the mass-murder thoughts started getting a little scary in the old brain I decided to call it a day on this one. If I ever want a similar experience in the future I can have Siri do an image-to-voice description for a Jackson Hole ski brochure.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Coziness: ☕☕☕☕/5
Mystery: 🔎🔎🔎/5

This was a definite no for me. I hit 50% and just couldn't keep reading. After the crime was laid out and the detective she had the hots for told her to just leave it alone, she refused. And not in a I'll keep you posted on anything I hear while still actively investigating. It was a I have to prove myself to him. I was a bit confused why she needed to prove herself to someone she hasn't seen in years. He wasn't challenging her, or anything close to the sort. But that was the bug that got in my crawl and I couldn't get it out. So I quit. And I'm glad because I don't want to read something I'm not enjoying.

[Lori Leaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great start to a cozy mystery series! I loved this book, the characters, the mountain ski town setting and the food descriptions from Luna’s Lunchette. Somehow I actually guessed the killer and was so excited I was right. Great investigation and clues laid out!

I also really enjoyed the writing style. It was very casual like I was hanging with my friends.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the first book in a series, I thought this was an excellent start. It has all of the elements of a successful cozy mystery: likable main character with her own interesting business (a lunch window in a former rail car), snow resort/small town, family and friends support system, cat companion, cozy cabin, potential love interest/childhood crush. The parenthetical comments the main character threw in were humorous. I’m looking forward to book two, which will be released soon I hope.

[Cadence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and cozy. No need for thinking here, as it's super light. Characters are likeable enough, although the MC's motivation for investigating was pretty flimsy. But really, that's what I went in expecting with something like this.

Wasn't the greatest, but was a quick enough read and a sweet little palette cleanser.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this 3 stars based on setting. It's hard to find Colorado based books. But as for the mystery it was pretty basic with very few suspects and no twist. Also the heroine was selfish. She wanted to solve the crime for her own ego rather than the greater good. She was also stringing a guy along while she gushed over the detective. I'm still not sure if I'll read the other two

[Esther Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost there

Good storyline, good characters, great locations. Just a little too simplified for me. What was Lunas motivation to solve the crime? Just the hots for the detective? Needed more.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luna Beazley would never choose to buy a home in Heron Heights. The houses there read to her as cold and expensive. But her best friend had a gig photographing the open house for the first completed entry into the new subdivision, so she tagged along as moral support and a quasi-assistant. Little did the two realise they would stumble across a dead body, nor that Luna's childhood crush would be working the scene as a detective. A few condescending remarks give the impetus Luna needs to solve her first murder.

There was a sentence in the beginning that had me hooked - so much so that I genuinely laughed out loud. Whenever I got impatient with the main character, that one line flashed in my head and I was ready to go wherever Luna wanted to take me. Luna is a paradox. On one hand, she's savvy with an interesting business model. On the other, she's petulant and childish, only wanting to solve a case to show up her old heartbreaker. She does like cats and hers is a very catlike cat which makes up for a multitude of sins in my book.

The setting is gorgeous. Nestled in the mountains in a village near a ski resort, Pineview sounds both quaint and enchanting. I'm planning my next vacation there, and I'm not even a skier. The scenery adds so much to the story.

Alas, I found the murder to be on the weaker side. Everything was nicely tied up at the end of the story, but I questioned the veracity of the villain's motive. For the most part, Luna's detections were spot on though the tendency to question suspects while alone had me concerned. I hope there will be a shift away from competitive solving in the next books in the series.

Overall, this story was an entertaining treat. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Lisa Malmquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy mystery.
Luna Beasley has a lunchette. A small railcar carry out lunch plan that features one item per each day's lunch.
She lives in Pineview in the Rocky Mountains. It is beautiful views and skiing.
She is invited by her best friend to help with a real estate open house. But when they get there, the house is dark and it looks like none is there. HMMM...well, the two friends stumble across a dead body.
Luna decides she is going to help solve the mystery.
Meanwhile, the new detective in town, Cole Preston, was a guy she had a crush on in school. He has moved back to their hometown and taken eh job as detective in the local police force.
He wasn't looking for a homicide right off the bat either. He was thinking to have a quiet small town easy police job. Cole doesn't want to work with Luna to solve the case but she manages to come up with some good clues.
Nice easy going cozy.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this small town cozy by Nikki Hensley. Luna lives in Pineview where she operates Luna's Lunchette in an antique rail car. Her best friend is Lizzie Cresser who is a photographer. When Lizzie is hired to take photographs at a model home showing in Heron Heights, she takes Luna along. Unfortunately when they get there, they discover the body of real estate developer Scott Lockwood. He was not a well liked person and immediately Luna comes up with a list of suspects. She is determined to solve the mystery before her brother's best friend, Cole Preston. He has recently returned to Pineview and is the detective on the case. (My favorite trope is brother's best friend!) I liked the characters, the setting, and Luna's gray rescue cat--Penny.

[Karen Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're one-third of the way through the book before anything significant happens, except for descriptions of the area and food ideas. I saw a one-star review that really described my objections, so I guess I am being generous by giving it a 3-star (which is lower than I usually give). The book was short to begin with, but the murder mystery itself, and maybe a hint of a possible romance, took up about half of that, so the mystery could have been a novella. I'm not sure what any of the NUMEROUS food descriptions added to the story. I found them boring. As a result, I read this rather quickly, skipping over not just paragraphs, but pages.

[Melonie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cozy mystery set in a picturesque little town set in the Rocky Mountains. I loved all the characters and hope to see them return in the next book. Luna has the neatest little lunchette in a unique place! Such a unique idea. In this book Luna discovers her love for mystery solving. I love how it goes thru her first mystery and making her nitch as a sleuth! And we can't forget Princess P with all her personality!

[Manda| Little Bitty Delights · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the setting of the book. I might be partial since it’s set in a small mountain town in Colorado 😉. Nikki captured the small town feel wonderfully, made me long for a perfect snow day and had me drooling at the Luna’s Lunch offerings. I need pretzels with cheesy potato soup STAT! I love the set up of former boy crush now a detective back in town storyline and I’m eager to see how that plays out.

[Ashley Lang · Rating 3 out of 5]

📚BOOK REVIEW‼️
Heron Heights Homicide • Nikki Hensley

3/5 Overall
4.5/5 Writing Style
2/5 Thrill

🕵️‍♀️ Murder Mystery
🔍 Who-Dun-It
🏔️ Small Town


👥CHARACTERS👥
•I think the characters were so-so. They were fun to get to know but I didn’t really connect with any of them.

✨PROS✨
•Twists & turns
•Cozy mystery feel

❌CONS❌
•The FMC sleuthing seemed far fetched
•The ending was abrupt

Overall, I think I’d continue reading this series but it wasn’t a home run for me.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute cozy mystery. Was sort of able to guess who done it near the end.

The main female protagonist has her moments; it seems like with a lot of these types of mysteries the female protagonist always seem to have the same demure yet slightly stubborn personality with a taste for the local detective.

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

a short pleasant read

Nothing too exciting or emotionally involving in this story.
Yet it was still an easy enjoyable read. Should really be 3 stars for the main character’s simplicity, or perhaps it’s just the way the authour made the bulk of the story all about her. I felt sorry for the maybe boyfriend Nash.

[MARK T JANES · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book difficult to finish. The characters were forgettable, the main characters motivations to solve this mystery felt shallow. She just decided to solve the murder with no real reason other to impress someone, this felt very insignificant. Dialogue lacked emotion and depth, making interactions feel forced. Overall, the writing resembled a rough draft more than a refined novel

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

A small mountain town, a new elite building development, a murder and a new detective give Luna the challenge of solving the murder first and as the owner of a lunchette, she has the time. Let the adventures and competition begin.

[Lynette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just why?

Why does the h feel the need to best the Detective? Her reasoning made no sense…was there one?
I skipped most of the book and just read the last 3 chapters and didn’t care enough to go back (stopped at chapter 12].

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 1 of "Luna's Lunchette Cozy Mystery" series. out on March 9. 2023. amateur sleuth mysteries. cozy animal mystery. cozy animal mysteries. fun times. i gotta read. bye. i love this book cover. fun!!

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little stuck on the idea of all the food sellers being in disused railcars. Maybe that's normal (somewhere) but not for me. She works by and for herself which means that she's working 7 days a week.

The practicalities confused me.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!! Glad I read it.....a great story line, well written and the author kept the pace going, no over explaining. None of this describing EVERYTHING in detail....just a good story and makes me want to read more of Nikki Hensley books.
Thanks for a good read!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun cozy read. I'd give it 5 stars except I feel the author didn't give us enough info to have any chance at deducing who the killer was.
But that's me, and it doesn't take away from the fact it was still a good read.

[Marcia Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read

Lead character was annoying with lame reason to help investigation. We didn't need the police with her super smarts. No suspense at all. Her boyfriend was a throw away character and not needed. Won't try book 2.

[sharon check · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luna plays detective

This cozy mystery was a bit too cozy for me. It read like a junior readers book. Not bad but not very exciting. I won't be exploring more in the series but perhaps if you want a really easy read it might be entertaining for other readers.

[Michele Northrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loveable characters

This was a great first book in a series! The main character is loveable and fun. I can’t wait for the next one!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Time Read

Really enjoyed it. On to the next in the series. Found it very easy to read. Liked the characters. Held my interest.

[Kali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fast lighthearted read. Not really any twists or turns. Small town with a touch of Romance.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun first installment!

Introducing Luna, her lunchette, her small town and a hunky potential boyfriend. Did not guess the culprit till very near the end.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for Me

This was just ok. And very unbelievable even for a cozy mystery. I found the characters weak as well. But for some others Im sure it’s good.