I love reading and writing, particularly with a cup of Lady Grey tea and an orange-glazed scone. This word-loving discovery started as a youngster. Picture this: 8 years old. A quiet corner of a quiet room. Beanbag. Thunderstorm booming. My first mystery. A brother and sister crime-solving duo, attempting to scale the slippery stone walls of an old, spooky estate. I was hooked!
I still love a good cozy mystery. And so, I naturally leaned into this genre as my life pivoted to allow more creativity!
Also, I am a wife to my highschool sweetheart, mom to 3 adult kids, and groveling attendant to 2 entitled cats and a wet-nose-nudging dog. I am blessed to call the beach my home & thankful for the creativity it spurs. Many a plot develops at the rising of the Texas sun over the gulf coast— just saying!
I hope you love Bessie Barr Cozy Mysteries as much as I love writing them!
Find my Facebook Bessie Barr Books for a F•R•E•E novella!
I’d rate this between 3 and 3.5/5 stars. It’s a cross between a cruise ship and a manor house mystery. It’s not a bad book, it’s not the best book either. At times it’s quite pretentious with the wording and somewhat repetitive with the multiple recaps of the search so far. What saves it is the actual capture of the culprits and the very good twist as to who they were. I suspected one the other complete surprise. The ending made me curious enough to want to read more.
Get ready to dive into the deep end of mystery with Death, Deceit and the Deep, where waves of suspense and humor crash together in the fourth installment of Bessie Barr’s delightful Pelican Shores Cozy Mystery series.
In this adventure, amateur sleuth Finn Dockrey finds herself swept out to sea during a storm, with her loyal dog Beau, best friend Birdie, and Birdie’s cat Queen Bean rushing to her aid. The situation takes a chilling twist when Finn’s makeshift flotation device turns out to be a dead body. Their rescue by the luxury yacht, the Merry Merrow, reveals that everyone aboard has ties to the victim, with secrets bubbling beneath the surface. With the storm disabling the yacht’s technology, Finn must rely on her instincts and her companions’ keen observations to unravel the tangled web of deceit before the murderer strikes again.
I was enchanted by the vivid descriptions in this installment, from the opulent yacht to the mouthwatering food, like the Green Rusty Fish Tacos—although Finn and Birdie longed for their beloved Pelican Punch and Shrimp Besitos. The setting isn’t just a backdrop; it propels the suspenseful narrative forward. The humor and wit throughout the story provide delightful levity amidst the tension. The brewing storm mirrors the escalating mystery Finn and Birdie must untangle, and the story’s pacing is like a "ticking clock," creating urgency that kept me hooked from start to finish. The characters are as vibrant as ever, from Finn and Birdie to the intriguing ensemble aboard the yacht. Each, including the yacht’s staff, is complex and adds layers to the mystery as Finn navigates through their conflicting stories and motives. True to the series’ reputation, this book is a delightful blend of lighthearted mystery, culinary temptations—like the delectable Lost at Sea Canapes (recipe included)—and small-town charm, even when set at sea. While it stands alone as a thrilling read, those familiar with the series will enjoy the evolving dynamics between Finn, Detective Pace Stringfellow, and the quirky residents of Pelican Shores. Bessie Barr has once again proved her knack for crafting twisting mysteries that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had the murderer figured out, I was delightfully proven wrong. The strategic clues and distinctive suspects made for a superb and satisfying conclusion, leaving me eager for the next adventure: Death, Pageants, and Pie.
Prepare to be swept away with Death, Deceit, and the Deep - it’s a must-read voyage where each chapter is as unpredictable as the ocean.
It’s a gray day with some rain possible a little later, but Finn sees no reason not to go ahead with her plans for a little kite-surfing. With her best friend Birdie and their four-legged companions observing on the shore Finn sets out. Unfortunately, the storm moves in quickly and she gets swept out to sea, but Birdie, Beau, and Queen Bean come to her rescue. They have no chance to make it back to shore in their little vessel, and thing take a back turn when they find a dead body. Salvation comes in the form of the Merry Merrow, a luxury yacht on a pleasure cruise. A yacht that lost all ability to communicate with the outside world due to a lightning strike. Once aboard, the captain agrees to let Finn and Birdie investigate the murder of, shall we say a former passenger, and the two women quickly realize that all of the passengers and the crew are potential suspects since the man was not very well liked. With the storm still raging it will be a race against time and the elements to find the murderer before Birdie and Finn themselves become food for the fishes. I get such a kick out of all of the wonderful characters in this book. They are all very well written, quirky and realistic and such a joy to get to know. I always get a laugh or two. Mystery, suspense, and enough twists and turns in the plot to keep a reader engaged from the first page to the last. I loved this book, I have read and enjoyed every book in this series, and quite frankly if I hadn’t I would not have read them, so I will highly recommend this book to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC received from Book Sprout.
This is the 4th book in the Pelican Shores Cozy Mystery series with the fun characters in Finn and her best friend, Birdie and their pets, Beau and Queen Bee. Finn decides she wants to try her hand at kite flying and she and Birdie can film it for a potential Vlog they are contemplating. But when the weather turns bad, Finn is blown out to sea and Birdie, Beau and Queen Bee take a small boat out to save her. But in the water with Finn is a dead body. When the yacht, Merry Merrow pulls them in to safety, they find the dead body was one of the yacht's passengers and the Captain said that Finn, Birdie and Beau and Queen Bee could investigate. Apparently, the victim wasn't well liked so there were so many suspects from the first mate to the yacht's doctor. But our girls always hit the problem head on with the incredibly intelligent pets despite the danger they always put themselves in. This 4th book is a real treat fast paced with some humor and lots of fun to try and guess the surprise end. Not only do I highly recommend this book, but I highly recommend the entire series so far and can't wait for more! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
Finn Dockery and her friend Birdie Black are back at it—this time with a plan to launch a vlog featuring Finn’s kite-surfing skills. But things take a turn when a sudden storm leaves them—and their pets, Beau and Queen Bean—adrift in open water. As if that weren’t enough, they stumble upon a dead body floating in the ocean, later identified as a passenger aboard the yacht that eventually rescues them.
With the Coast Guard delayed due to the storm, Finn and Birdie find themselves caught in a high-stakes whodunit. Could the killer be the First Mate who clashed with the victim? Or the doctor whose explanation for the death doesn’t quite add up? With danger all around them and limited time, the duo must solve the murder before anyone else ends up overboard.
This fourth installment in the series is a fast-paced, offbeat mystery filled with quirky characters and a suspenseful plot that keeps you guessing. The story zips along with just the right mix of humor and tension, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended for fans of cozy mysteries with a nautical twist!
*I received a free ARC from the author and BookFunnel. All opinions expressed are my own.
A huge THANKS to the author for letting me be on her ARC team! I LOVE this series! Finn has taken up kite surfing and has gotten quite good at it. Birdie decides that she needs to blog about it, and agrees to be her photographer. A sudden storm blows up and Finn is washed too far out to get back to shore. Birdie, Beau, and Queen Bea get in Birdie's small boat to try and find her. Finn has managed to find a dead body in the water, and Beau manages to locate them in the fog. All of them are stranded on the boat, not knowing which way is back to shore. They tie the body, which appears to have a stab wound, to their boat. They they nearly crash into a huge yacht that is dead in the water due to the storm taking out all of its electronics. They are all helped on board and the dead body turns out to be a former passenger who was a hated journalist. Finn and Birdie immediately decide to find the murderer and they have an entire cast of suspects. Really glad that Pace finally asked Finn out! Very hard to put down. I really enjoyed it! And I'm looking forward to more adventures with "Shorelock Holmes and Agatha Birdie!"
Finn Dockrey has shown some talent with her kite surfing so Birdie was going to photograph her efforts for a blog. But a storm occurs and Finn ends up far away from shore. Of course Birdie, Beau and Queen Bea take Birdie’s boat to find Finn. They do so, and find her with a dead body she had discovered in the water with what looked like a knife wound. They almost collide with a yacht stranded when their power was damaged. They climb on board and the dead body is identified as having been a passenger on board that no one liked. So Finn and Birdie decide to question the other passengers and see if they can find the murderer… who is still aboard! Will they figure it out? Will anyone else be harmed if they cannot identify the killer in time? And is it time for Detective Pace Stringfellow to find his own way to thank Finn if she makes it back home alive?
Can Finn and Birdie solve the mystery of the floating body?
When Finn decides to take up a new hobby, with Birdie’s help, they end up in the ocean with a floating body during a horrible storm. Lucky for them, a yacht just happens by and rescues them. Turns out the floating body just happened to be one of the guests on the yacht. I really do enjoy these books. There’s humor and murder and danger and maybe a hint of romance as well. They’re all exceptionally well written and pull me in from the first page. Not to mention just how engaging all the characters are, but none as great as Queen Bean and Beau.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When Finn is kite surfing and Birdie is recording her on shore with Beau, and Queen Bean, bad weather strikes. The four individuals end up on a luxury yacht, along with the dead body they found floating next to them before they were rescued. It appears the dead body was a passenger from the yacht. With no chance for a coast guard rescue any time soon, Finn and Birdie set out to solve the crime.
There are plenty of suspects to choose from and few clues to follow. Several passengers seem to be hiding secrets. Can Finn and Birdie solve the crime before anyone else winds up dead?
A fun whodunit with several quirky characters, lies, secrets, twists, turns, and more!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Finn and Birdie are at it again, with their furry friends, Beau and Queen Bean, along for the ride. Finn is kite-surfing when a storm whips up, and she starts getting pulled further and further from shore. Birdie comes to the rescue - sort of! They find a floating, dead body and get lost in the fog and storm. Thankfully, a yacht arrives and rescues them from the water. But now they are all stuck on the yacht, and can't go anywhere in the storm! They find out that the dead body was a guest on the yacht, and someone on board is a murderer!!
This story really kept me guessing until the very end. I loved it. This cozy series is my newest favorite, and you need to read it. What are you waiting for?!!
Yup, another fun cozy mystery that I truly enjoyed reading. Finn, Birdie, Martha, Beau, Queen Bean, and handsome Stringfellow are awesome characters that make reading these cozy mysteries so good. I am rooting for a Finn and Stringfellow romance..This mystery takes Finn, Birdies, Beau, and Queen Bean out to the middle of the ocean and onto a yatch where they try to figure out how to solve another murder mystery. The cliffhanger has me hoping for a cozy mystery surrounding this anonymous Jesse James and why is this individual after Finn.... I think we are in for a wild ride in the next addition to these cozy mysteries. I am loving every minute of these stories and recommend them to everyone!
This mystery is well crafted by Bessie Barr and plays right into a deep seated fear of mine: being confined in limited space with life-threatening situations and little chance of law enforcement intervention. Throw in a dead body, many suspects, two amateur female detectives and possibly more victims to come and this is where we find Finn, Birdie and their dog, Beau, and cat, Queen Bean, first being rescued by a luxury ship...then being drafted to solve the mysteries without law enforcement assistance available. But I don't want to spoil it for you, so read the book!
Love this series where Finn, her dog and Birdie and her cat are so very entertaining, best friends and pure joy. They are always trying something new and this time it is the Instagram blog thing, but this turns dangerous and eventually lands them in the ocean and finding a murdered man. We are off on a new adventure that is intriguing and full of emotions. Dangerous, murder and secrets creating a wonderful page turning murder mystery.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great colourful characters! Birdie is such a free spirit living her life in a van on the beach!🌊 Finn is well organized and together they are quite the sleuthing team! In this mystery they go through the entire crew/passenger list methodically investigating what's very much like a jigsaw puzzle for them. One by one the suspects are eliminated ~ but definitely not before giving the reader a sensationally suspenseful mystery! Awesome! Loved it! Wouldn't say no to some recipes for the yummy canapés they got to eat on the Merry Merrow‼️
This is a marvelous read for mystery lovers who enjoy well developed characters with intriguing quirks with a main attraction of murder. Two beach loving females with pets solve the twisty murder aboard a yacht of highly entitled people. Folks may enjoy the banter and slight sarcasm which runs as a ribbon throughout the saga as well as carefully crafted clues which lead the sleuths to search multiple avenues. This is a book to relish while drinking tea or sipping fine wine .
When 2 friends and their canine companions find themselves lost at sea the last thing they expected to find was a dead body floating beside them. Then the fog rolls in and large luxury yacht almost runs into them but avoids them at the last minute and rescues them instead. Once on board Birdy and Finn realize that the dead body had been on the yacht. The yacht gets hit by lightning and loses communication and navigation so they are just dead in the water. They must figure out who the killer is before there are more bodies. This is a great mystery with a surprising culprit! Cherie
Finn goes kite surfing and ends up in the water and finds a body. Luckily, she is right besides a luxury craft. The dead man had been a passenger on the ship. Finn and Birdie and their pets wind up asking all those aboard questions in order to find the murderer. The characters and the ship are well described and one can feel that they are on the ship in the middle of the storm. The ladies are good detectives and solve the crime before the book ends. I liked this cozy and would recommend that my friends read it and enjoy.
This is a super fun mystery series. I love each installment and this is no exception. Finn gets in more trouble and the gang from Pelican Shores is sleuthing again. Excellent cast of characters, including a dog and a cat you'll want to meet. Finn seems to have everything together finally and then a kite surfing plan goes wrong. Read them all, but don't miss this one! This is on my must read list, I've fallen hard for Pelican Shores mysteries! It's a page turner for sure!
This is a good cozy mystery. Finn and Birdie along with their pet companions, Beau and Bean, once again are tasked with solving a murder. They find the body when Birdie rescues Finn in her small boat. However, the boat gets tossed about in the storm and they are rescued by the boat the person was murdered on. There are lots of people with motive and very few clues, but our heroes come through.
Another fun book in this series (all can be read standalone). I just love the characters, so much fun and quirkiness. And as always the storyline will keep you entertained throughout. I can only recommend these books, they are perfect to relax with.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed reading this book! The books storyline will keep you guessing who did it. I can't wait to see what happens next. I received this book as a Free ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.
Death at sea during a terrible storm. Finn, Bernie, and pets are once again drawn into a mystery. Everyone's nerves on edge due to the storm and heavy fog. Everyone with a suspicious behave. can the mystery be solved before something else happens
Finn and Birdie wind up on the Merry Merrow after wind surfing when a sudden storm hits. As if the raging storm isn't enough add a dead body floating in the sea. Can they figure out who the killer is while enjoying the fancy ship? Another great story from Bessie Barr.
Great read with twists and turns in every chapter.great characters and dynamics throughout. This book.enjoyed till the end. Can't wait to go on to the next one.
Birdie Black and Finn Dockery and their pets finds themselves in a dangerous adventure once again on the high seas . There is murder, threats, secrets to deal with in this nail-biting and captivating read . This book has you engaged from the start. I received this ARC copy and recommend this book to other readers.