This Way to Murder: The Board Game Cafe Mysteries

The Board Game Cafe Mysteries #1

by Shelley Shearer

Remi McKenna is co-hosting a letterboxing event, but her weekend plans are not all fun and games when best friend Trace Cooper is the target of a stalker. An inheritance of a stone manor house means she hopes this will be the start of her new life in Northern Virginia. Can Remi juggle the event, start planning her game-themed BnB, and solve the mystery of Trace's strange messages? Things escalate into a real-life game of Clue when Remi finds a dead body in the garden.

The first book in The Board Game Cafe Mysteries series.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2024

Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise. Good murder mystery.

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remi McKenna quit her job and left the state when she inherited a huge old home from her late aunt. Along with her is her best friend Trace Cooper, and they're off to their new adventure...somewhat. It seems that Trace's downstairs neighbor has been found murdered, and that's not a good start. Even though neither of them knew him, they had no idea this was just the beginning to a bigger mystery...

Remi has agreed to cohost a letterbox event with her friends Alice and Jason at their farm, which they are trying to turn into an inn. Unfortunately, there's also an alien event going on in town, which means the inn is full, and the barn and yard is full of tents with people who are attending one event or the other. Remi only hopes she can keep up with it all.

But it's soon apparent that Trace has a stalker who knows her every move, even here at their getaway. Trace acts nonchalant, but Remi is worried, and doesn't want her to go anywhere alone. Then 'accidents' are occurring to people who are around Trace, and Remi is more than alert, especially when she finds the body of a man who hit on Trace. Can she find the killer and get through the weekend unscathed, or will this be her first -- and final -- event?

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I have to say that I enjoyed it. I know nothing about letterboxing, but the best way I can explain it is that it's like Geocaching, but with written clues instead of coordinates, less intricate, and using rubber stamps.

That being said, it was an interesting plot line and I thought that it was written well with enough intrigue to keep one interested throughout. There are plenty of suspects, and also a lot of red herrings. After all, there is only one killer, but they are not that easy to figure out, which I appreciated. I love a good mystery that keeps me on my toes.

When we discovered the murderer, it came as a complete surprise, which it should, and the reason for the killing was insane; but then again, this is a killer and they never make sense anyway! The only thing I have to wonder is if a gaming B&B could make money; but you see, when I go to one, I do so to relax and just enjoy what is around me, not to do what it is I do all the time anyway. Those, of course, are just my thoughts and we will have to see what the author does in the next book, right?

In the end, very good mystery, surprise of a killer, and very good writing. I will read the next in the series.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cozy with an interesting mystery, fun location and concept. Full review to come.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

This was an interesting start to a new-to-me series. It didn't seem like the first book in a series, though, jumping into the lives and relationships of MC Remi and her friend Trace without much introduction. Add almost too many characters right from the start, and it was hard to get into the story itself.

Once the hook was set, though, I enjoyed the story. There was a puzzle and a murder to solve, and I guessed who the culprit was relatively early in the book, but didn't quite figure out the motive until it became obvious.

There aren't any more books in this series at this time, but I'll keep an eye out for future installments.

[Adria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute cozy mystery with a twist

This is a quick read. Not complicated nor in depth, but fun to read. The mystery evolved differently than I expected it to and I enjoyed the concept being based on gaming. So many cozies are either romance or food based, which is ok, but I appreciate this different point of storyline.
One problem for me were the number of editing errors. Not the author's fault and as I read this through Kindle, I did report them to the publisher. Unfortunately, errors can make the reading a bit jarring.
I hope Shearer decides to continue the series for a bit and develops the characters more.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might’ve given up on this book if the mystery hadn’t become so compelling. since I just couldn’t get interested in the letterboxing game the characters were playing. I guess I goofily thought the B&B was gonna be a regular board game haven for fans of classic board games which people seem interested in again. I even had to look up the term for the name Remi came up with for her new place lol.

But I got really tuned into the mystery part and super glad I stayed with it since it was done so well in cozy mystery style and not super creepy style. I would’ve never guessed who the stalker was. What a nut job and a wild showdown! I really liked the key players and the B&B idea a lot, so I’ll definitely read whatever book comes along next in the series.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. It was very interesting and the characters were well fleshed out. But the letterbox part of the story was more dominant than the mystery part. The mystery sections seemed to be more of an afterthought that the point of the book. I would like to read more about what happens next to the main character and her board game B and B.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun new cozy mystery series. Its a bit different than most being as it has to do with board games and a type of geocashing. I did enjoy the first book getting introduced to the characters. It made me wish I had someone to leave me a bed n breakfast!

[Mark Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remi McKenna is hosting a letterboxing event with some friends in the town where she is planning to move. Along for the ride is her best friend, Trace Cooper. However, Trace has brought a problem with her. She’s been getting some weird texts and phone calls recently, and it appears her potential stalker has followed her. Can Remi juggle the event she is running with trying to figure out if her best friend is truly in danger?

This debut had some promise to it. I really did enjoy the main characters, for example. The supporting characters tended to blend together for me. While the letterboxing event was fun, I was expecting a bit more about the board game cafe instead of it being a subplot. The pacing for the mystery is a bit off, but things made sense when we reached the end. I’d consider giving a second in the series a chance, but I’d hope some of these kinks would be worked out.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Regina Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remi McKenna has inherited her aunt's castle and has plans to turn the run down place into a gaming BnB. When her and her best friend Trace head to rural Northern Virginia to get the ball rolling and co-host a gaming event called letterboxing she expects to be busy but murder was never on the agenda! Also her best friend is being stalked (trigger warning).

The mystery was pretty good but I would have like to see more sleuthing but I did like that the letterboxing event which is like a treasure hunt was held the same time as the town's annual UFO Festival but again I felt we didn't get to know any of the townspeople. I don't even think the name of the town was mentioned and I don't feel like I really know Remi or Trace or any of the characters.

But I did enjoy this first book overall.

[Kellene · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a letterboxer, I was super excited to read this book. The author did a good job explaining and portraying the hobby, other than the stealth component, which I guess isn't a thing when the whole town is part of an event. The setting was perfect for the story and the gathering. There were a LOT of characters, and keeping them straight proved confusing, which detracted some from the story. My primary issue with the book, however, was that it moved at a good pace until the end when the resolution seemed to be all crammed into the last chapter, almost like the story could only be so long and was going to go over the page amount. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read and I hope the series continues.

[Amber]

Poison-New Year's Resolutions-a book about getting away from it all-a letterboxing event, an inhrited house and a stalker all in one weeked at the Invasioin of the Rubber Duckie Invasion event. Cute story, fun read.

[Nichole Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I learned about letterboxing, something I hadn't heard of before. (Sounds very interesting!) It was a light fun read, with the mystery and a little romance. Looking forward to the next book!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a good cozy mystery to read when I’m not feeling well and this one fit the bill. I know nothing about letterbox gaming so enjoyed the premise and the heroine is earnest and engaging. Looking forward to getting to know these characters better should Ms. Shearer continue with the series (and I hope she does!). There were minor editing errors in the kindle edition but not enough to throw me off.

[Wbenetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Light and Cozy Murder Mystery

Well written and paced, the story was nicely balanced. It was more like a slice of life story with a side helping of murder — a cozy, low stakes murder mystery. A perfect book to curl up with on a lazy weekend or summer beach day. Strong narrative voice of the protagonist. Nice selection of supporting characters. Looking forward to more.

[Rochelle DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, this had me trying to guess the whole time who was behind the mayhem. I love writers who keep you enthralled to the bitter end. Great book to read…

[Matthew Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lifelong letterboxer, it was delightful seeing the way our culture was integrated into this story. A light, fun page-turner that could have benefited from some more meticulous copy editing.