Bye Bye Bertie

Ivy Towers #2

by Nancy Mehl

Ivy Towers is working hard to get Miss Bitty s Bygone Bookstore on its feet in Winter Break, Kansas, when she discovers a map hidden inside an old music box. Could the map lead her to the Lost Gambler’s Gold? The legend of the ill-fated 1860s gambler had circulated among residents for as long as Ivy can remember. But when Ivy follows the directions to where X marks the spot, what she digs up uncovers a mystery that leads to more than she ever imagined. Lives will be changed, old secrets revealed, and Ivy will learn that lost treasure can sometimes turn out to be much more valuable than a chest full of gold.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance, Adult

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Nancy Mehl is the bestselling author of over 50 books. She’s won the Daphne Du Maurier Award, as well as an ACFW Mystery Book of the Year Award and a Carol award. She was also a finalist for the prestigious Christy award. Her short story, Chasing Shadows, was in the USA Today bestselling Summer of Suspense anthology. Learn more about her at www.nancymehl.com and on her blog, the Suspense Sisters: www.suspensesisters.blogspot.com.

Reviews

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy Towers is now the owner of her great-aunt Bitty's Bygone Bookstore, and she has decided to stay in Winter Break, Kansas. When she discovers an old treasure map in a jewel box her Aunt Bitty had given her, it leads Ivy into several mysteries that take both her and her boyfriend, Sheriff Amos Parker, to solve. The clues lead them to secrets that had been held by small town citizens for many years, and happiness for some and jail time for others.

Enjoyable second book cozy mystery in the Ivy Towers series.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't liking this book. I realized it was mildly racist and judgmental.
Don't describe a woman as looking almost Asian just because she has a tight ponytail. Hateful description of an overweight woman too. I deleted the book. I'm debating if I will ever read more of her books

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivy is trying to clean up her aunt’s bookstore and house and finds a map. She wonders if it could be the lost gold. She follows it and finds a lunchbox that belonged to a man who disappeared years ago. This leaves her on the hunt for the man. She is also dealing with a visit from her parents.

[Sandra Arbeni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful.

I really love a work of Christian fiction. It was a thriller and romance story rolled into one remarkable book.
Being book 2 in the series, I'm ready to start book 3.
Happy reading.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, heart, warming

[Monica Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for my first time reading a more Christian cozy mystery. Odd Character names and homey setting.

[Deloris Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story

Thank you Ms. Mehl for this great book. Good mystery and lots of twists and turns. Great characters and lots of twists and turns.

[Suzanne Bordwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book in Ivy Towers Mystery book series. Cute little cozy mystery.

[Billie Rayborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

Such a wonderful story about forgiveness and God's mercy. It also proved the verse that says vengeance belongs to God

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is it so hard to find gentle mysteries??!!

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great mystery read. the ending did throw me a bit but it was well written.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet story in the Ivy Towers series. The reader gets to meet Ivy's parents and learn more about other characters met in the first book. While the story line with Ivy's mom ended up feeling rushed and too perfectly finished, the overall story was a nice cozy mystery.

[Ausjenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Ivy Towers Mysteries. I loved the first book and this is no different. I joined up to the Heartsong presents Mystery club and have quite a few books still to read. I am trying to read a book from each state when I remembered this book is from Kansas and I needed to read a book from there so choose this one. I think Ivy has a wonderful job working in a bookstore and enjoying working with books. She comes across a map that she thinks could lead her to the Lost Gamber's Gold. Ivy digs up a mystery and here the fun starts. We also see her parents come to town and see how her Mother thinks she is wasting her life in the small town and its interesting seeing why she feels this. I loved the story and seeing the way the characters develop. A great read.

[Tom Elder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Mehl Book 2.
Bye Bye Bertie.
Set in Winter Break in Kansas, Ivy Towers who is the owner of an old bookshop that belonged to her aunt, Ivy gets involved in some strange happenings going on. Ivy's parents arrive back from China which Ivy is none to happy about, so between them and Amos the deputy they strive to resolve some serious mishaps. This is a brilliantly written book that was a joy to read. Looking forward to the sequel.
5 stars 12 December 2014.

[Janie R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Bk.2 in the Ivy Towers Mystery series,and it's a great a book as the first book! One of the things I really like about this series, is that the plot and characters are created around this bookstore that used to belong to one of the characters who was it's owner and a book lover. Sometimes,as I was reading, I would burst out laughing because the main character could be so darn funny! I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This is Christian literature working for the mainstream mystery reader. I tend to not enjoy 'preachy' books but Ms. Mehl blends the mystery with scripture so smoothly that she had me bringing out my Bible to remember some passages.

The mystery was fascinating and cleverly plotted out. I was never bored.

Off to the next in the series.

[sandra sprenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun read

Story moves along nicely with twist and turns. You feel like the characters are people you have known for years. Story within story keeps you involved. Family problems come into play and you wonder what you might do. Really enjoy this book. Easy to get into and enjoy.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book altho I didn't realize it would have such a religious theme. I thought the relationship between the daughter/mom was handled smoothly and wish I had done more to 'make it so' with my own mom.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute cozy in the series.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the characters in Nancy Mehl's books. This was a great follow up and another easy read by Mehl. The end had a nice twist.

[Linda Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of cozy mysteries, and this was one of the best. It is the second one in a series of 4, so I will have to go search for the rest.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable, silly mystery,very easy reading. Quick and light.

[Virginia]

kept me reading till I finished

[Julie Durnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good follow-up to In the Dead of Winter, but I enjoyed the first book more. I figured out the mystery quite easily. The Ivy Towers storyline is entertaining though!

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much emphasis on religious matters for me, but otherwise a pretty good mystery.