Start a heartwarming cozy mystery series with endearing friendships, puzzling mysteries, and a little romance, with the first four books in the bestselling Dune House Cozy Mystery Series in this box set.When Suzie inherits a grand, old house on the beach, she together with her best-friend, Mary, go to see the dilapidated structure. With Suzie looking for a new challenge and Mary’s impending divorce, the friends decide to refurbish the old house back into its former glory as a majestic B&B. What started off as a few days away turns into a new beginning. In their fifties the two friends never expected the exciting adventures their decision would lead to. They love life in the beautiful beachside setting, filled with fun, new romances and a bit of sleuthing.This box set Seaside SecretsBoats & Bad GuysTreasured HistoryHidden HideawaysIf you like page-turning cozy mysteries with strong female sleuths, baffling mysteries and a long list of suspicious characters, you'll love these heartwarming whodunnits by USA Today and WSJ Bestselling Author Cindy Bell.Get the Dune House Cozy Mystery Box Set and start solving the mysteries today!
Ms. Bell needs to spend less time writing and more time editing. The stories are predictable with grammar and punctuation errors (not to mention wrong words) on every page. The books were free. Every one in a while, a free book is a wonderful surprise. Not this time.
I read two of the four books hoping the writing would get better, it didn't. The author 'told' us nearly everything, there was very little 'showing'. It's difficult to stay interested in a book when you can't get involved in the story. Not going to bother with the other two books.
I love the premise of 50 something women sleuthing, but the main character, Suzie, kept being dumb. I like my heroines to have at least a modicum of smarts. Her friend Mary was smarter, but never over road Suzie.
All the elements that should make up a good series: beachside b & b, two single female friends in their 50s to fix it up and run it, mysterious happenings. But the books need more editing and seem to be all writing to a formula. Ok, but not really good.
Book one is interesting and a little quirky. A small town with a person who appears to have his hands in everything related to the town and people. A mysterious heart attack with no signs of health issues or drug use. A son who was estranged from his father and an old house in need of some love and care. Two friends who are at a bit of a crossroads when one is left the house. But she has a background of being very determined in investigating stories. I enjoyed it, it's well written and has a nice flow and wonderful characters, clues popping up all over the place so a fairly easy one to solve.
Book two Only short but interesting with a treasure map. A mystery surrounding the suicide of a local artist inspires the friend duo into investigating, but the finding of a map puts them in the sights of a couple of undesirables. Didn't take long to read but the series is fairly light so makes a change from most of the books I read. There is a hint of romance in this one as well. Reasons I enjoyed this book: Easy-to-readOriginalPage-turnerRealisticTwistedUnpredictableWittyWonderful characters
Book three
Wonderful characters with crazy hidden agendas arrive to stay at Dune house on opening day, they certainly keep Susie and Mary on their toes. A damaged pipe leads to another mystery to solve with at least two out four guests as suspects. A possible connection to the civil war is just one of the clues for the amateur sleuths and police detective Jason to look into. These stories only take about an hour to read but they fairly light and easy reading, well written with a little romance thrown in.
Book four
Boy! This got a bit worrying for a bit, suspense and some action in this close call mystery. Plus the romance moves on between Paul and Susie. The sleuths take on rescuing and proving someone is innocent as a body is washed up on a nearby beach. I loved Paul sticking up for Susie, Trent was out of order, Jason I know was only doing his job but I think if he had been there at the start he would have done the same, these two women have worked their way into several hearts in the few months they have been at Dune House. I love that each mystery has been very different and interesting, these stories are only short, more novella size than anything, but for readers who like different and a little quirky as well as fairly light, then this series is ideal. Well written with some fun and banter so not all heavy, this does have it's serious side but I found it a wonderful read.
This is the first four books in the series. Mary inherited an old mansion, converting it into a bed and breakfast with the help of her best friend Sylvia. Together they run into multiple problems: murders and drug runners. Solving the problems they found new friends and helped clean out corruption. A fun read for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and short stories.
The writing was a little wooden and I struggled with that. I found some of it a bit tongue in cheek and there was way too much description of how darn jolly their friendship was. Felt a bit forced at times and the plot would have benefitted from the time put in to stroking the characters and probably fleshed them out better. Solid plots but just not expanded enough. A Sunday afternoon read really. Lots may love it so don't be put off by me.
I really enjoyed reading about Suzie and Mary's adventures in Dune House. Being I am about their age, I could relate to them both in ways perhaps others cant. I highly recommend this set to anyone who enjoys mysteries as well as very likable characters. The history of Dune House makes these stories very fascinating. Who doesn't love to hear stories about the old days and the memories of the places.
Retirement doesn’t kill the curious nature of Susie. She inherits a B&B, but can’t let the mystery of why her uncle left it to her instead of his own son. She doesn’t trust anyone, but herself to solve anything so the mysteries keep coming. Great middle-aged sleuthing!
I will be looking for the rest of this story line and anything else by this author. Cindy Bell has a great way with words. Her descriptions and dialogue make you feel as though you were part of the plot. Each book finishes the story line but leads you into the next book. Give this a try for a good old fashioned cosy mystery.
I really enjoyed reading these entertaining stories of Suzie and Mary starting their b and b and the characters that they meet. From the time Suzie inherits the house to the end of book four immerse yourself in the picturesque town and the people that live their. Really looking forward to the next one
Suzy and Mary had been best friends since the met now they both need a change. Mary I’d divorcing and Suzy inherits a former bed and breakfast that they plan to rehabilitate and run. Lots of mysteries to solve and new lives to experience. Fun stories and quick reads. Great series and author. Recommend.
I did read the first 4 books hoping they would get better. They did not. The books were written at maybe a 4th grade reading level. There were so many grammatical errors, I stopped counting. Use of adverbs was non existent Simplistic plots. It was my fault for wasting my time reading these books. I will not continue the series.
Thankfully your books popped up on my Kindle subscription. I like the easy reading these books provided. The stories were captivating and at times thrilling. I like that there were not too many characters in these books. Some book have too many characters keep track of. I look forward to finished this series. Mahalo, Robert Ericksen
I kind of read these out of order but after reading a later one in the series I absolutely had to start from the beginning. Let me tell you it was worth reading. It's a series I plan to follow.
These are great books to read at the beach. Short sweet mysteries that will entertain you without bogging you down. Each book is a very easy afternoon read.
The premise of the story was intriguing, thus 2 stars instead of 1. The writing must get better, as this series has a dozen books; I couldn't get through the first one. Good writers paint me a picture with their words. This book was entirely telling, rather than showing. Boring...
I really wanted to like this box set, but just didn't as much as I had hoped. My biggest problem was the telling, not showing. Also, needs a lot of editing. Fun premise, I like the 50 something ladies as sleuths, but they took a lot of unnecessary risks.
All the four books in this boxed set where: once you start reading you can't stop. There are plenty of twists that you think you know who done it but it then makes you think again.
The initial premise and characters have a lot of promise, but this set of short, forgettable stories falls short of holding long-term interest. The author includes some pathetic foreshadowing in each, so not much mystery here.
This set is a very fast read. Each story is a very typical cozy mystery. It's hard to imagine a person like Suzie being as gutsy as she is in the stories. It was entertaining.
I really liked the pluckiness of the characters. Suzie and Mary were a fun balance of determination and caution. They are a fun team both in running the bed and breakfast and solving problems. Very enjoyable stories.
These are very sweet and enjoyable. “Cozy” is the perfect term for this series, at least so far. I wish I could continue it. It has been a delightful diversion from my usual.
Cindy Bell, you have captured my attention with this book set. Good plot, good characters, good interweaving of storyline. Excited to read Dodgy Dealings next!
A woman in her 50s world experienced. refuses to kiss a m@n who she is very attracted to for a very long time. Just too cautious? This is a "very cute" series of stories. But not romantic in the least. Loyalty is the predominate emotion up until the very end.
Susie, Mary and lead you on a series of exciting and mysterious hunts for the murderer. They all live in a small beach town that has fun, mystery and intrigue at every turn.
Loved this series. Very easy reading. Keeps your attention. Suzie and Mary restore the Historic June House and turn it into a B & B. These are mysteries about some of their guests. Thoroughly enjoyed every one!
I really enjoyed reading these books. I like a mystery that is easy to read and doesn't twist in several directions. I'm looking forward to reading more books written by Cindy Bell.