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Dead and Breakfast Cozy Mysteries #1
Family and Felony Murder
Welcome to the town of Maplewood, where the inn is cozy, the gossip is juicy, and murder is afoot…
Emily Hartley loves her life as the owner of the Sunny Side Inn, a charming bed and breakfast nestled in the heart of Maplewood. But when a bizarre... and possibly hilarious... accident with a waffle iron leaves her with the ability to talk to her cat, Mr. Whiskers, her quiet life takes a turn for the mysterious.
The drama unfolds when a renowned violinist checks into the inn, only to be found dead the next morning, her priceless violin missing. The police rule it as a natural death and a case of theft, but Emily and Mr. Whiskers suspect foul play.
From nosy guests to town gossip, Emily must sift through the clues, all while managing her bossy sister Rebecca, who's taken over the inn in her absence. With a music festival on the horizon and a killer possibly on the loose, Emily must solve the case before the final note is played.
"Family and Felony Murder" is the first book in the "Dead and Breakfast Cozy Mysteries" series. It's a delightful blend of humor, heart, and a dash of the supernatural, making it a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries. Tune in for a tale of music, murder, and one very insightful cat!
Emily Hartley loves her life as the owner of the Sunny Side Inn, a charming bed and breakfast nestled in the heart of Maplewood. But when a bizarre... and possibly hilarious... accident with a waffle iron leaves her with the ability to talk to her cat, Mr. Whiskers, her quiet life takes a turn for the mysterious.
The drama unfolds when a renowned violinist checks into the inn, only to be found dead the next morning, her priceless violin missing. The police rule it as a natural death and a case of theft, but Emily and Mr. Whiskers suspect foul play.
From nosy guests to town gossip, Emily must sift through the clues, all while managing her bossy sister Rebecca, who's taken over the inn in her absence. With a music festival on the horizon and a killer possibly on the loose, Emily must solve the case before the final note is played.
"Family and Felony Murder" is the first book in the "Dead and Breakfast Cozy Mysteries" series. It's a delightful blend of humor, heart, and a dash of the supernatural, making it a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries. Tune in for a tale of music, murder, and one very insightful cat!
- GenresMystery
221 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 2023
116 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Sara Bourgeois
234 books344 followersSara Bourgeois is a Midwesterner through and through. She spends her time writing, reading, herding cats, and standing in her driveway during tornado warnings. (You can't see them from the basement.)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 26, 2025
Cosy and cute mystery story
March 5, 2024
I loved meeting Emily, Mr. Whiskers and eventually her sister Rebecca. I wasn’t sure what to make of Rebecca at first but she proved to be a good partner for running the inn. It was cute how Emily had some newfound abilities and could communicate with animals which proved to be really useful at one point. At a later point it was just downright awesome and very cute.
One thing that got me confused was the lack of continuity as far as Charlie’s character was concerned. He was first talked about and to by Emily at the hardware store where she asked how his wife and kids were. Then later in the book, poof! It’s like they never existed as Emily continued to toss around ideas of having feelings for him which seemed mutual. Wait, what? Maybe the first part was just an editing error that wasn’t fixed, and someone might need to take a second look at it.
One thing that got me confused was the lack of continuity as far as Charlie’s character was concerned. He was first talked about and to by Emily at the hardware store where she asked how his wife and kids were. Then later in the book, poof! It’s like they never existed as Emily continued to toss around ideas of having feelings for him which seemed mutual. Wait, what? Maybe the first part was just an editing error that wasn’t fixed, and someone might need to take a second look at it.
June 29, 2024
a very cute book
This was very cute. I enjoyed the aspect of understanding animals. A very fun twist. Solving the murder was methodical.
This was very cute. I enjoyed the aspect of understanding animals. A very fun twist. Solving the murder was methodical.
January 6, 2024
Disappointing and that’s a surprise to me
It starts with an inconsistency about walking with a tray of waffles and then saying the first batch comes out of the waffle maker. And then it continues with little inconsistencies like that. Nothing major, but annoying all the same. Like the violinist booking only 2 nights yet staying way longer. And at the start, the day that the victim is found, it’s clear that the victim hasn’t performed yet. I quote: “hours before her long-awaited performance”. But at the end, it’s being said several times that she did perform. And I am the kind of person who gets super annoyed by things like this. I did read an early version, and wanted to check if maybe it had been edited out at the start, but I wasn’t able to use the ‘look inside’ feature that I am normally able to use. So I can’t say for sure that it’s still in there. But I can only rate what I read.
The first two chapters went fast. Skips of weeks later, 2 months later, and that prevented me from forming a bond with the main character, Emily. Then came ‘normal’ chapters, with normal pacing, but I still didn’t really connect with Em.
But boy was her ability to talk with animals cool! Mr. Whiskers, he was my favorite character! And the squirrels, so cute! In those bits, when she talked to animals, there was lots of empathy and those moments moved me. But that didn’t happen outside these moments. And when Em has a heated argument with her sister, that was the moment when I realized I just didn’t like Em. And that’s important to me.
All in all, just above average, sorry to have to say! And that surprised me. The last books that I read by this author were amazing! So I had expected that here too, but this just wasn’t the book for me. Can happen, I guess.
What kept me reading were the animals and the case itself. The mystery was intriguing. And while maybe a bit easy-to-solve, that was well done.
It starts with an inconsistency about walking with a tray of waffles and then saying the first batch comes out of the waffle maker. And then it continues with little inconsistencies like that. Nothing major, but annoying all the same. Like the violinist booking only 2 nights yet staying way longer. And at the start, the day that the victim is found, it’s clear that the victim hasn’t performed yet. I quote: “hours before her long-awaited performance”. But at the end, it’s being said several times that she did perform. And I am the kind of person who gets super annoyed by things like this. I did read an early version, and wanted to check if maybe it had been edited out at the start, but I wasn’t able to use the ‘look inside’ feature that I am normally able to use. So I can’t say for sure that it’s still in there. But I can only rate what I read.
The first two chapters went fast. Skips of weeks later, 2 months later, and that prevented me from forming a bond with the main character, Emily. Then came ‘normal’ chapters, with normal pacing, but I still didn’t really connect with Em.
But boy was her ability to talk with animals cool! Mr. Whiskers, he was my favorite character! And the squirrels, so cute! In those bits, when she talked to animals, there was lots of empathy and those moments moved me. But that didn’t happen outside these moments. And when Em has a heated argument with her sister, that was the moment when I realized I just didn’t like Em. And that’s important to me.
All in all, just above average, sorry to have to say! And that surprised me. The last books that I read by this author were amazing! So I had expected that here too, but this just wasn’t the book for me. Can happen, I guess.
What kept me reading were the animals and the case itself. The mystery was intriguing. And while maybe a bit easy-to-solve, that was well done.
February 29, 2024
As this book opens, we meet Emily as she prepares breakfast for the guests at her Inn. Almost immediately chaos reigns on the patio as a guest trips over a squirrel and ends up tangled with it in his pant leg.
Of course, that's not the end of that, as the squirrel flees into the kitchen. As Emily pursues the squirrel Mr. Johnson, the hapless guest, attempts to help, only making matters worse. This results in the cast iron waffle maker flying off the counter and knocking Emily unconscious.
As she begins to surface, she dreams of sitting petting her cat Mr. Whiskers. She also hears him speak although his mouth doesn't move. Upon actually waking and finding herself in the hospital, she puts that off as just being a dream. She has to deal with the fact she's actually been out for two months, in a coma from her head injury. That also means physical and occupational therapy.
She gets a couple of surprises when she's finally discharged and arrives home. First when she says hello to Mr. Whiskers and then starts looking through her closet, she hears him speak again. She decides to keep that to herself not wanted people to think she's crazy or something. The second is her sister Rebecca has moved in. Apparently, she lost her job and her apartment and needed a place to stay. Rebecca's been trying to help out, but her housekeeping skills are lacking as evidenced by the dust coating every surface.
Emily is willing to teach her and hopefully they can become close again.
Excitement builds as the Summer Music Festival draws near. Even more so with Isabella Rossi a principal performer staying at the Inn.
It's quite the shock when it's Isabella who is found dead.
It's here that I have problems with this story. There are no police procedures followed at all, other than the sheriff being called. Even though a doctor was on scene, unless Isabella was alive when he started CPR could he call time of death. That point is not clear. The coroner still should have been called in and an autopsy performed.
Then there's Emily's investigation. She does nothing to preserve any evidence she finds with the help of Mr. Whiskers, and she doesn't bring it to the attention of the sheriff. I mean I get that he went with natural causes but really, he shouldn't have.
There's also no clear indication as to the actual festival occurring, only Isabella practicing no performances and arguments the night before her demise over a stage change.
There's also a later reference to when Isabella died placing it at 10 PM not the time of death Dr Grant proclaimed to be 8:32 AM.
I did like the development of Emily's ability to hear and talk to animals, and the sometimes-chaotic relationship with her sister Rebecca. I also like that she recognizes an attraction beyond professional with Dr. Grant, but also acknowledges a possible one with her friend Charlie.
With so many discrepancies and plot holes, I feel this is not up to the standards I expect from Sara. I haven't yet decided if I will continue with this series.
Of course, that's not the end of that, as the squirrel flees into the kitchen. As Emily pursues the squirrel Mr. Johnson, the hapless guest, attempts to help, only making matters worse. This results in the cast iron waffle maker flying off the counter and knocking Emily unconscious.
As she begins to surface, she dreams of sitting petting her cat Mr. Whiskers. She also hears him speak although his mouth doesn't move. Upon actually waking and finding herself in the hospital, she puts that off as just being a dream. She has to deal with the fact she's actually been out for two months, in a coma from her head injury. That also means physical and occupational therapy.
She gets a couple of surprises when she's finally discharged and arrives home. First when she says hello to Mr. Whiskers and then starts looking through her closet, she hears him speak again. She decides to keep that to herself not wanted people to think she's crazy or something. The second is her sister Rebecca has moved in. Apparently, she lost her job and her apartment and needed a place to stay. Rebecca's been trying to help out, but her housekeeping skills are lacking as evidenced by the dust coating every surface.
Emily is willing to teach her and hopefully they can become close again.
Excitement builds as the Summer Music Festival draws near. Even more so with Isabella Rossi a principal performer staying at the Inn.
It's quite the shock when it's Isabella who is found dead.
It's here that I have problems with this story. There are no police procedures followed at all, other than the sheriff being called. Even though a doctor was on scene, unless Isabella was alive when he started CPR could he call time of death. That point is not clear. The coroner still should have been called in and an autopsy performed.
Then there's Emily's investigation. She does nothing to preserve any evidence she finds with the help of Mr. Whiskers, and she doesn't bring it to the attention of the sheriff. I mean I get that he went with natural causes but really, he shouldn't have.
There's also no clear indication as to the actual festival occurring, only Isabella practicing no performances and arguments the night before her demise over a stage change.
There's also a later reference to when Isabella died placing it at 10 PM not the time of death Dr Grant proclaimed to be 8:32 AM.
I did like the development of Emily's ability to hear and talk to animals, and the sometimes-chaotic relationship with her sister Rebecca. I also like that she recognizes an attraction beyond professional with Dr. Grant, but also acknowledges a possible one with her friend Charlie.
With so many discrepancies and plot holes, I feel this is not up to the standards I expect from Sara. I haven't yet decided if I will continue with this series.
March 19, 2024
What has happened to Sara Bourgeouis? I loved her Wicked Witches of Coventry series up until Book 6 when the quality of the writing suddenly went downhill. From the very beginning, I didn't understand why she had no visitors during her long hospitalization and stay in a recovery center. Then she comes home to discover the inn has not been well cared for. What happened to her staff? Why is her sister the only one there? Do we ever find out? I don't know because I got as far as the death of the violinist in this one before I bailed out. There is no way a woman from out of town dies unexpectedly and a doctor who had never seen her before is allowed to declare her cause of death with no information about her medical history. As soon as I saw how badly that whole scene was botched, I knew I couldn't stick with this book or this series. It was so obvious who would have done it that I skipped to the ending to confirm that I was right. Maybe the middle of the book was brilliant, but I doubt it. The book read as if it were middle school fan fiction. It makes me wonder if Sara Bourgeois is a pen name for a group of young writers, some more talented than others. If negative ratings were possible, this one would be minus 5 stars.
July 22, 2025
This was a sweet and cozy story to read quickly. I enjoyed the opening scene very much as the waffle descriptions were just delicious. I do think the author had very many instances of re-using phrases such as “interest piqued”, “their tone ___, but guarded”, and “What has Mr. Whiskers found now?” Something else I felt wasn’t too strong was the character development. Emily’s “best friend” was mentioned once and never again. Suddenly she had two love interests, including one that didn’t seem very obvious until suddenly it came out of the blue. HOWEVER I enjoyed this for what it was; a heartwarming story to enjoy and go “aaaawww” to. I love cats so this was perfect for me. I’ll be reading the rest of this series and Sara’s books!
June 29, 2024
Not a bad read but not the greatest.
Emily runs an Inn and one day when serving her guests a squirrel rattles a guest who runs into the kitchen followed by the squirrel. In an effort to keep her kitchen in preparation mode she and the guest collide knocking several things to the floor as they also land on the floor near each other. A cast iron skillet tumbles off the counter landing on Emily’s head causing a concussion and lengthy stay in the hospital.
When she is finally released and returns home she finds herself renewing her relationship with her sister, having a guest die on the premises, and being able to communicate with animals!
Emily runs an Inn and one day when serving her guests a squirrel rattles a guest who runs into the kitchen followed by the squirrel. In an effort to keep her kitchen in preparation mode she and the guest collide knocking several things to the floor as they also land on the floor near each other. A cast iron skillet tumbles off the counter landing on Emily’s head causing a concussion and lengthy stay in the hospital.
When she is finally released and returns home she finds herself renewing her relationship with her sister, having a guest die on the premises, and being able to communicate with animals!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2024
This cozy was so enjoyable. Instead of the rush to find the killer this story went full circle to the sleuths medical condition that caused her to understand animals. I also liked how the sleuth didn’t come across as perfect and had a true roller coaster relationship with her sister. Although I found the story revolving the violinist to not be anything of interest to me this book was thoroughly enjoyable and makes me want to proceed on with the series
January 1, 2024
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked how Emily got her special ability albeit a bit nasty. It was an interesting investigation aided by her new and old friends that was publicly solved for safety. It was nice that the bond between Emily and Rebecca grew stronger.
January 2, 2024
Arc review I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I love these crime stories in this one at the sunny side inn Emily Hartley finds herself injured and comes home right before the summer music festival where there is a murder and we get to follow what clue she finds.Fantastic
January 3, 2024
the Sunny Side Inn is s family endeavor that hits a few bumps in the road due to injuries, intrigue, mayhem and suspected murder
special skills with clever animal friends and neighbors are insightful and important
sleuthing that benefits the community- and provides some great whodunnit reading
special skills with clever animal friends and neighbors are insightful and important
sleuthing that benefits the community- and provides some great whodunnit reading
June 27, 2024
Connections are often not obvious.
A thought provoking puzzle when a famous violinist staying at the B & B is found dead. The owner felt that the death was more than an accident and she and her cat were determined to prove it. Mysteries and unexpected connections are not as they seem. On to book two in the near future.
A thought provoking puzzle when a famous violinist staying at the B & B is found dead. The owner felt that the death was more than an accident and she and her cat were determined to prove it. Mysteries and unexpected connections are not as they seem. On to book two in the near future.
November 23, 2025
good story but lots of sawdust filler.
I kind of enjoyed it, but it just takes forever to get through and I found myself skimming lots of parts that were very unnecessary and repetitive and repetitive and repetitive. I won’t read another book by her, but I don’t regret reading one.
I kind of enjoyed it, but it just takes forever to get through and I found myself skimming lots of parts that were very unnecessary and repetitive and repetitive and repetitive. I won’t read another book by her, but I don’t regret reading one.
June 7, 2024
It seems like there was a lot of misleading information & facts in this book. I found myself asking if anyone believed even half of the information. Really poor judgement by the main character leads to a fantasy investigation which is mostly creative license. But then, there is a talking cat.
June 17, 2024
I enjoyed this book. It was more a journey book than a cozy mystery. Oh, she solved a murder but it was secondary to her life coming back online after a coma and a long healing process. Definitely will check out more of this author’s work.
June 20, 2024
Overall this was a good story. The beginning was a bit rough; there were some aspects of the story that were not explained or developed enough about her accident, recovery, and her sister. But it was still enjoyable.
June 21, 2024
I tried to like FAMILY & FELONY MURDER but had to force myself to finish it. It was just too unbelievable. There were too many paragraphs of introspective thoughts, etc. about the animal situation, the clues were too vague, and the main character took chances that were simply insane.
June 25, 2024
An Entertaining Mystery
There were a few surprises leading us up to who dun it, but I wasn't surprised by it. Emily uncovered a lot of clues, with help from Mr. Whiskers. I do have questions, but no spoilers so I won't get into it.
There were a few surprises leading us up to who dun it, but I wasn't surprised by it. Emily uncovered a lot of clues, with help from Mr. Whiskers. I do have questions, but no spoilers so I won't get into it.
July 27, 2024
A better editor is needed. Author uses the same phrases too often, like “warm glow” and “layer of mystery”. The animal angle is intriguing and different. Plot is good. A better editor could have turned this book into a five-star review.
February 10, 2024
Who killed Isabelle and why??? Her violin??? The money??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
April 12, 2025
This book made no sense
May 16, 2025
This was just too silly for me.
June 11, 2025
I hate this book and don't know if I can even finish it. The characters have no depth and even her communications with the animals are boring. I can't believe this is a series.
July 7, 2025
a little too fluffy
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews