Cape Mayhem

Meg Daniels #2

by Jane Kelly

After winning a romantic getaway for two, a single Meg Daniels heads for the Parsonage Bed & Breakfast in Cape May for a long winter weekend alone. The owner George and his friend Hank befriend her during this cold lonely weekend and become her investigating partners in the mystery that unravels at the quaint old bed & breakfast. No one is as they appear or claim to be in this mayhem filled house. The adventures of the strange bunch of guests are culminated by a murder. Can Meg Daniels solve the crime and get to the bottom of this puzzlement before the perpetrators catch up to her?

Genres: Mystery

248 pages, Hardcover

First published June 7, 1999

About the author

Jane Kelly is a native of Philadelphia, close to the Jersey Shore settings of the Meg Daniels mysteries available from Plexus Publishing. Jane is also the author of the Widow Lady Mysteries and the Writing in Time Mysteries, both set in her hometown. She is the past president of the Delaware Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime and served on the board of the New York Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Her next Meg Daniels novel, Last Seen in Sea Isle, will be released in April 2026. In 2025, she launched a series of novellas, the Meg Daniels Mystery Weekenders, in which all the action takes place in a weekend, and the book can be read in a weekend. In addition, she published a stand-alone novel, NIGHTINGALE SONGS, that is romantic but doesn't obey all the rules of a romance. Her latest publication is A DEATH IN SCILLY, a traditional mystery set on a small island off the coast of Cornwall.

Reviews

[Matthew McElroy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel kinda bad doing this because it's a local author writing a story about the area where I live. And there are only 35 ratings, so it ain't exactly like rating Harry Potter. But damn, nothing about this book makes sense.
From the strangely utilitarian nature of the police to the absolutely bizarre chronology, almost nothing in this book feels like it was outlined before Kelly started writing. The book starts with a wildly forgettable main character/narrator witnessing a murder and deciding not to get law enforcement involved. But wait, she meets a hunky cop, who inexplicably says, I'll help you investigate, rather than, what the fuck are you doing, this is a murder investigation. But check it out, the hunky cop is a sex addict and her boyfriend is in town! Don't worry the hunky cop's sex addiction is literally meaningless!
Before I get into spoilers that won't matter, I'll stop. The book is enough stupid fun that it is worth reading if you are a fan of local authors or Cape May. I wouldn't specifically tell someone NOT to read it. Tomorrow, I will take it to school and leave it in the break room. It will probably get read.

[Amy Reade · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like capers filled with quirky characters, a lovely B&B, and a main character who has a penchant for self-deprecating humor and getting herself into all kinds of scrapes, this book is for you. It's a fun read and what I loved most about it was the setting--if you've ever been to Cape May, surely you'll recognize the places in the book. The author stays true to the special landmarks in Cape May, and it's fun to visit them in pursuit of crime-solving!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I laughed out loud more than once while reading it. It's a good mystery story with a main character / sleuth that I really enjoy.

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was amusing and entertaining in parts and had a cast of quirky characters, it was not one of my favorites in the series. The ending was a bit forced.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second in the Meg Daniels series, and it really makes sense (to me, at least) to read the first book, Killing Time in Ocean City, first.

Meg has won a stay in the honeymoon suite of a Cape May B&B, but her boyfriend can't be with her, so she's there alone. For January in Cape May the B&B is surprisingly full. On the night she checks in Meg "meets" another couple. They meet again the next day and Meg is certain that the woman -- using the same name and accompanied by the same "husband -- is a different person.

Meg has to convince her friends that there's foul play afoot and solve the mystery.

Meg's "escapades" are a little more slapstick and over-the-top in this book than in the first, but this series isn't something you read for realism. It's very entertaining and never takes itself too seriously.

The author obviously knows Cape May very well. I'm a frequent visitor and recognized most of the landmarks, streets and businesses that are mentioned in the story.

Recommended if you're looking for a light read and some fun to pass the time.

[Donnajo]

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