Corpse in the Camellias: A Claire Whitmore Cozy Mystery

by Adeline Krupp

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2026

Reviews

[Kellyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corpse in the Camellias is an excellent, highly recommended entry in a superb cosy mystery series. The story follows Inn Keeper Claire Whitmore and her exceptionally clever Maine Coon cat, Gatsby, as they attend the Annual Garden Tour. Following the tour at their Inn, Claire, Gatsby, and her Uncle Walt shadow the route, only for one of the hosts to tragically die. Claire, suspecting foul play, assists Sheriff Marina Vega in the investigation with the support of her close-knit, "found family": Walt, Doris, Ruby Jean, and Amelia.

The novel is a superb read, rooted in a small town with secrets, misdeeds, and criminal acts that surface after nearly 60 years. I particularly enjoyed the diverse characters and the intricate weaving of their relationships. A heart-warming element, despite the core themes of murder and rumours, was watching the main character deepen her understanding of her mother and grandmother while helping the Sheriff. Her enduring bond with her family was truly endearing.

I highly recommend that you add this to your TBR pile.

Note - I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stephen Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Saltcliff Cove’s annual Garden tour, it’s a walking tour of the best gardens in the town. As everyone converges on the garden of the 15th year in a row winner, town matriarch Vivienne Ballon, she suddenly drops dead, right there in the camellias. Once again, innkeeper amateur sleuth Claire Whitmore and her trusty Maine coon Gatsby are on the case and determined to catch the killer. Was it Vivienne’s estranged daughter who turned up mysteriously three months ago? Was it her nurse, or her best friend of 60 years, Lillian Ashford? Or was it someone from her past with a score to settle? Read Adeline Krupp’s Corpse in the Camellias to find out.

This book is a textbook cozy mystery, murder in a small town, an amateur sleuth with a clever pet, secrets and lies, a cast of suspects, and a race to the finish to find out whodunnit. This is the fifth book in the Claire Whitmore series and equally as entertaining as the previous four.

[Emily Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 - Well-written cozy mystery that is set in a small town with years of secrets, misdeeds, and criminal acts. After about 60 years, these came to light with the death of one of the town matriarchs. The characters were well-developed and their relationships were intertwined and, at times, complex. I loved Gatsby, Claire’s intuitive Maine coon cat. I enjoyed how the main character learned more about her mother and her grandmother while helping the sheriff investigate the murder and uncover the misdeeds in the town. Even though the story is about murder and other secrets going around, there were also some heart warming storylines as well. One of those was the relationship that Claire and her past relatives had with Pearl, whose sister, Dorothy, died at the young age of 22. Everyone in “the circle” said it was an accident but the truth was brought to light. She found out what her relatives did to right a horrible wrong. I would recommend any of the books in this series to a cozy fan!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. Great cozy mystery set in a small town with several years of secrets, misdeeds, and criminal acts that finally come to light about 60 years later. I enjoyed the diverse characters and the way their relationships intertwined with each other. I especially loved the Maine coon cat in the story because yes full disclosure they are one of my favorite cats. I also enjoyed how the main character learned more about her mom and her grandma thru helping the sheriff investigate the murder and misdeeds going on in the town. She seemed to have a great relationship and bond with her family and I found that endearing to her character. Even though the story is about murder and other secrets and rumors going around I felt there were also some heart warming moments in the story as well. A couple of the quotes that kept appearing in the story is “Some secrets poison everything they touch. Others when finally spoken, can set the living free.” “The roots go deeper than anyone knows.” I believe everyone involved truly understood what those words truly meant after all the secrets and lies started coming to fruition. I also enjoyed the relationship the main character and her past relatives had with Pearl whose sister died at the young age of 22 and everyone in “the circle” said it was an accident but the truth came to light about that. She ended up finding out some good secrets and good deeds her relatives did to right a horrible wrong. The truth can’t bring a murdered relative back but justice will prevail in the end.

[Mrs K.Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corpse in the Camellias is a Superb story about Claire Whitmore an Inn Keeper and her very clever cat Gatsby. The Annual Garden Tour was taking place and Claire, Gatsby and her Uncle Walt follow the tour after people have visited the Inn. But unfortunately one of the hosts on the Garden Tour dies. So Sheriff Marina Vega investigates as Claire mentions that she thinks it may be a suspicious death. Claire helps Sheriff Marina to investigate with the support of her found family Walt, Doris, Ruby Jean and Amelia.
But can they discover the whole truth?
Excellent story and series that I have enjoyed reading very much and I highly recommend that you read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ilene G> · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay.

The plot is good. I like how Claire is investigating a current murder , and crimes committed decades earlier. Some things I could accept. One was a lawyer with his client, allowing a civilian to be in the interrogation room with the police. I can't even see the police allowing that.

[Cathy Pierson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire 4 book series is entertaining, interesting and easy to read. This self-made family/ cast of characters are engaging and relatable. Jumping into her family home brings Claire to the center of a multitude of mysteries that she solves along with her cat, Gatsby.