Restless Natives

A Coffee & Crime Mystery #1

by Nan Sampson

The weekend before her coffee shop’s Grand Opening in the small Wisconsin town of Horizon, former Chicago marketing exec Ellie Gooden opens the back door to her business... and finds murder. The former owner is dead in the middle of her kitchen, tied to a chair, covered in syrup and feathers, with a butcher knife sticking out of his chest. Alone in a new town, she climbs immediately to the top of a suspect list of one. To make matters worse, someone is vandalizing both her new shop and her new home, delaying her opening. As she struggles to launch her new business and salvage her reputation, she digs into the murdered man’s past, unearthing long-buried small town secrets – secrets that have driven someone to kill. And turned Ellie from suspect to potential victim herself.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2014

About the author

Nan has been writing stories since she was old enough to hold a crayon. She is an avid (if not always successful) gardener, reader and fan of countless cancelled-too-soon TV shows. She lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband, daughter and Admiral Horatio Nelson, the VERY pushy poodle.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Highly recommended for those that like their crime mysteries cosy-like but novel length and with a bit more bite.

[Emmalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow… Ellie is a terrible person. I haven’t disliked a character this much in a loooong time. She’s rude, condescending, boorish, easily angered, mean. Irritating, judgmental, with occasional insight into her behavior. She’s had some trauma, no doubt, but her behavior towards others at times is just unacceptable. Her internal dialogue about Charlie, for example, gives insight into her judgmental nature. This was a 1.5-2 stars because I disliked Ellie that much. The mystery wasn’t bad, it’s also not very cozy, as there are themes in the book that are way outside the cozy genre. With a better character, this book would have been more enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read books with “unlikeabld” main characters that I still enjoyed, this ain’t one of them.

Anyway, Ellie is starting over in a weird little town, she finds a body, soon accidents follow her, bodies are dropping around her, the town is filled with secrets, some she must uncover before she’s DOA.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not as comedic as Nina Wright's Whiskey Mattimoe series, this series also features a strong female protagonist solving crimes in a midwest resort community.

[Anika Willmanns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy mysteries are not my usual go-to genre, but when a trusted friend showed me the book, I just had to read it. After all, I'm a huge fan of crime shows (NCIS, the Mentalist, Murder She Wrote, Person of Interest, Castle) and I love everything supernatural (Ellie is a Wiccan).
Growing up with shows like Buffy and Charmed the supernatural aspect piqued my interest, too, so I gave it a go.
The story starts with Ellie driving to the town of Horizon to get everything ready for her grand opening in seven days, just to find the former owner dead in his shop, covered in feathers and syrup.
The author brilliantly laid out false trails throughout the book and then proceeded to kill my murder suspect near the end.
The characters are well rounded, Ellie was a bit passive in this first book, but I reckon she will take charge more in later books, when she learns to trust her instincts better. There were quite a few characters so it was at times a bit hard to remember who was who, but that's no fault of the author, I tend to read too fast and miss details. I especially liked Charlie and Kate and wished they would appear more frequently. Maybe in book 2? I feel like Ellie might end up with Charlie, which would be great, because he's cute.
The author has updated the cover and the book since my purchase, so I'll buy myself the new edition soon. I'm rather fond of matching covers on my shelf.
Can't wait to see what happens in book 2!

[Elizabeth Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun cozy mystery about a coffee shop owner and amateur sleuth in small town Wisconsin.

[djt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and think this was a debut novel, not sure. Cozy mysteries are not something I ordinarily read, but it did keep my interest. While I didn't read it straight through, but over a period of time, I did pick it up again & continued reading until the final reveal. The author did a good job of keeping the identity of the murderer hidden until nearly the end. I did think the author developed several characters in an interesting way, with the exception of a lack of a consistent voice for some. It seemed there were an inordinate number of characters meeting a bad end. In the setting of this small town where everyone knows everyone, this seemed out of line; but then, it's fiction, so maybe it worked okay for this genre. All-in-all, I liked it well enough to give it three stars.

[Daryl Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally read mysteries but i had read the synopsis for this book a few years ago and was intrigued. I finally bought a copy recently and was thoroughly entertained by it. The characters in the small town are fun and have their own quirks, definitely reminding me of various people I've met in similar environments so it all rang true. That made it really easy to get caught up in the mystery and story itself that newcomer Ellie Gooden must contend with the week she moves there to open her new coffee shop. As things escalated, especially towards the end, it was nearly impossible to set down.

I may not read mysteries much but i think I'll definitely be checking ot the rest of this series.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was afraid that it would be fantasy woo, which is probably okay in its own right, but it's not what I wanted nor did it fit the description. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, although my own beliefs are not those of the main character, the book itself was not based on those beliefs, although it did point them out – not inappropriately! I enjoyed the book; it had a complex but true sounding foundation, and the characters were likable and believable. I'm not convinced that I particularly cared for the ending, but that doesn't make the book!
I'm looking forward to the other books in the series!

[Judith Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie Gooden is a Wiccan and a vegetarian, who leaves Chicago to open a coffee shop in a small town in Wisconsin. She can be prickly and outspoken, and that made me like her all the more. This is a good solid mystery with plenty of action and lots of intriguing secondary characters. Charlie McCallum doesn't get as much page time as I'd have liked (he's a cutie), but I sure hope he's Ellie's love interest in the next books. A fun read with enough twists and turns to hold your interest.

[Leta Hawk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the characters and the small-town setting in this book. The plot moved at a good pace and really ramped up at the end, so much so that the "just one more chapter" went right out the window, and I had to finish the book. Then when I thought I had it figured out--BAM! Plot twist! Can't wait to get the next book.

[Paulette Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This book grabbed my attention and ran with it. The clues to the mystery were like a maze. Truly a great mystery.

[Shelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I didn't care for this one. The main character was not likeable at all. She seemed to resent everyone and I found her very tiring to read about.

[Ldeiterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a chapter or two to really start enjoying the book. Will definately read the next one.

[Amy Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy fun

Not my usual genre but the characters drew me in the the small town feel, perfectly executed, kept me there.