If the Shoe Kills

A Tourist Trap Mystery #3

by Lynn Cahoon, Susan Boyce (Narrator)

The tourist town of South Cove, California, is a lovely place to spend the holidays. But this year, shop owner Jill Gardner discovers there’s no place like home for homicide. . .

As owner of Coffee, Books, and More, Jill Gardner looks forward to the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers. But when the mayor ropes her into being liasion for a new work program, 'tis the season to be wary. Local businesses are afraid the interns will be delinquents, punks, or worse. For Jill, nothing’s worse than Ted Hendricks--the jerk who runs the program. After a few run-ins, Jill’s ready to kill the guy. That, however, turns out to be unnecessary when she finds Ted in his car--dead as a doornail. Officer Greg assumes it’s a suicide. Jill thinks it’s murder. And if the holidays weren’t stressful enough, a spoiled blonde wants to sue the city for breaking her heel. Jill has to act fast to solve this mess--before the other shoe drops. . .

"Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true." --Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries

72,500 Words

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Christmas, Mystery Thriller

7 pages, Audiobook

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Lynn Cahoon, writes the Tourist Trap, Cat Latimer, Farm-to-Fork, Kitchen Witch, Survivors' Book Club, the Haunted Life, and the Bainbridge Island cozy mystery series. No matter where the mystery is set, readers can expect a fun ride Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the Shoe Kills is the third book in Lynn Cahoon's Tourist Trap Mysteries, which I began reading last month after finishing a few of her other collections. Set in a seaside California town, the books focus on a 35ish single woman named Jill who's dating the Greg local detective, running a book-and-coffee shop, and serving as a liaison between the town leaders and its people. Lots going on in her relationships, and in this installment, she's working with a difficult and sleazy man to provide interns to all the local stores for the season. Thanksgiving is coming up soon and they need to prepare for Christmas, but someone kills the director responsible for the intern program. Was it his secret ex-wife, underage girlfriend, a family member who didn't like his philandering ways? I enjoyed this trip to South Cove, and the characters are taking shape nicely. The relationship between Jill and Greg is very admirable, plus her banter with her aunt who runs the shop keeps both on their toes. Even the town psychic and mayor have some great lines and add to the dramatic flair behind the scenes. More to come as I catch up in the series throughout the next few months.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Spending the holidays in South Cove sounds wonderful if you can look beyond finding a dead body or two. Book three in this series introduces us to Ted Hendricks and a program that matches businesses up with people looking for work. They work as interns as they gain experience to land them a full time job in the future. We quickly learn that Ted is a real creep and had someone not put the people of South Cove out of his misery he would have been headed to jail. It looks like suicide but Jill knows is was murder and is out to prove it.

Cahoon has brought back the characters we loved in the first two books, Jill, Aunt Jackie, town detective/Jill’s boyfriend, Greg King, Officer Toby/barista, and more. We meet Marie, the owner of the stained glass shop across the street from Coffee, Books, and More. No one knows much about her past but she and her store are a welcome addition to South Cove. We also deal with Greg’s ex-wife, the mayor’s wife because she decides to take over planning the holiday festival, both women cause chaos. We also meet all the interns working through the holidays at several businesses.

She has immersed these characters in a story with a bit of romance, the aforementioned chaos, some humor, and plenty of stuff for Jill to poke her nose into so that trouble soon follows.

I loved that the intern working Coffee, Books, and More starts Aunt Jackie’s marketing juices flowing and that she comes up with a fabulous way to promote reading for a group of people that are unable to purchase books.

This was a very fast read for me, the title had me thinking I knew who the killer was and I was waiting for a connection to be revealed only the more I read the more I realized I was wrong.

A very entertaining read and I look forward to more Tourist Trap Mysteries coming soon!

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s holiday time in South Cove, California and Jill Gardner has her hands full. Not only does she have her own bookstore/café to run, but she’s asked to be the liaison for a new work program which is run by Ted Hendricks. Each business in the tourist town is assigned an intern to assist them, but the store owners are afraid the interns will turn out to be delinquents and not trustworthy. It’s up to Jill to convince them to participate. The big problem is that Hendricks is not a very nice guy. When Jill finds Hendricks dead in his car, she figures that’s one less problem to deal with. Her detective boyfriend thinks it’s suicide, but Jill suspects something much more sinister than that and she intends to find out what really happened to the creep.

This is the third book in this delightful series. I love re-visiting Jill and her friends. I wish I lived in South Cove…it sounds so quaint (except for the murders, of course). The author does a great job in writing the dialogue and creating a believable and idyllic setting. You can’t help but feel you are visiting this small town.

It’s a fast-paced story. A cozy mystery at its best! This book has all the ingredients you need or want for a few hours of enjoyment - mystery, romance and a cast of characters that will make you laugh and cry. The characters have quickly become friends of this reader. I couldn’t put this one down and look forward to the next installment of this fun series.




FTC Disclosure: Netgalley provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Rosemarie Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been on my TBR for, well a long time. I wanted to read a little cozy mystery and decided to go with If the Shoe Kills, although it's the third book in the series, it's also okay as a standalone read.

I have to say I was smitten with the story, especially with the protagonist Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More. I really enjoyed reading a book with a character that also reads a book every chance she got, just like us book lovers. Hence her opening a book store yeah! I totally want a book store like hers. We even find her crying over a book she's reading, classic book dragon with a mushy heart. She's a big Harry Potter fan too. One of her and her Aunt Jackie's fundraising endeavour is a Book Drive for a Children's Center, love it.

So here we are in a Coastal California tourist town in South Cove. Jill loves solving mysteries, I mean I think the woman lives to solve mysteries, and when she's the one to stumble upon a murder, she immediately wants to solve it even though her detective boyfriend warns her to stay away from any investigations going on. Speaking of her boyfriend, he's the handsome detective Greg King (well you guys can find out more about Mr. Handsome with a big-ass heart for yourself). I love the relationship between these two, it reflects a relationship that can be found in reality. Although the book isn't about Jill and Greg, it's still nice to get the little moments with them.

Noteworthy quote mention
"I think any reading is good reading, even if it's commercial fiction. A good story well told is worth the time." Jackie had come to the store with the same mindset. She'd wanted to cut the romance section by half and add a larger classics shelf, but when she saw the figures on the actual sales, she changed her mind, fast. Now I even caught her reading the romance category books we carried. Just for research, she claimed."

Anyway, with the town participating in a Work Back Program with the City, we are introduced to the handsome but rude-ass Ted Hendricks, Director of the program. Giving us quite a few interesting characters throughout the book. Not to mention Mayor Baylor and his bitchy wife Tina.

There are a few twisties to enjoy and quite a few characters to have as your suspects. With Ted being the jerk he was who could it have been that hated him enough to murder him?

This cozy mystery was light and fun, it kept me quite engaged, trying to figure out who the murderer/murderess was, along with all the quirky and interesting characters, was a lot of fun. I recommend this one to all you mystery, cozy mystery lovers out there. Think I'm going to have to check out the rest of the series (I don't know what's with me and starting series in the middle or end lately, LOL).

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lynn Cahoon is back with If the Shoe Kills (A Tourist Trap Mystery #3) with Jill, Aunt Jacklie, Greg the hot detective and love interest, and the gang at South Cove Merchant’s association.

This time when they try and do the right thing, all sorts of mischief and happenings as they prepare for the Christmas season; from small town dirty politics, murder, a not so pleasant mayor, a work program which turns deadly, an ex-wife, Santa, and a new store owner, Marie Jones of The Glass Slipper.

Set in South Cove, California, Jill runs the Coffee, Books, and More, and heads up the merchant association. A lot of small town business owners who like to have their nose in everyone’s business, from the antiques shop, book shop, the winery, the B&B, the shoe shop, and the café.

This season, the mayor kind of pushes her to support a work program (interns) as a way to help out delinquents and store owners during the holiday season. (not a bright idea if they are into stealing or killing), or perhaps have ideas getting boozed up at Darla’s winery.

The worst part is the guy, Ted who heads up the welfare to work program, Work Today. Of course he quickly creates plenty of enemies and winds up dead. There are many who would like to see him dead and the investigation begins as to whether it was suicide or murder? A whodunit begins. Of course there is always drama when you get this group together with a capital D. In addition, Jill is the president of the I Hate the Mayor-Baylor Club.

If you enjoy a little murder mystery with your eggnog and the cozy small town charm, would recommend The Tourist Trap Mysteries.

JDCMustReadBooks

[Gary Sundell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another really good entry in the Tourist Trap series. This one was a bit lighter on the investigation than the first 2. Probably 4.5 stars. The towns cast of characters grows a bit in this book. Jill, the main. character, seems to be a trouble magnet. She discovers a dead body on her way to see her boyfriend at City Hall. So who killed the scumbag director of the work fare program? Was it a suicide or a murder.

[Mary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

If The Shoe Kills by Lynn Cahoon is the third book in A Tourist Trap Mystery series. I have read all three in the series and I have enjoyed all three.

It is Thanksgiving time in South Cove, California. The business community is participating in a work program where interns will help in their shops. Many of them are not happy about this because they are afraid that the interns will be trouble makers and delinquents. And most of them do not like the man in charge, Ted. He is unfriendly and obnoxious and only worries about himself. Someone disliked him enough to kill him.

Jill Gardner owns a coffee shop and bookstore in town and she is also the business liaison with the city. She is unfortunate enough to be the one who finds Ted’s body. Although she did not like Ted, she cannot keep herself from investigating the murder. Her boyfriend, Greg, who is a detective, wants her to stay out of it and leave the investigating to him. But that is not something that Jill can do, so with the help of her friends, she sets out to solve the mystery.

Jill is also planning on hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner for her family and friends and she is stressing out about it. She is also stressing out because Greg’s ex-girlfriend is back in town and trying to get him back. And did I mention that her coffee shop/bookstore is hosting a children’s Christmas book party for the less fortunate children in the area? Will she be able to juggle all of it or will everything come crashing down around her?

The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. Since I have read all three books in the series, I can see the growth of all the main characters. They are people that you can relate to and care about. The friendships seem real and they are people I would like to know.

The mystery is carried on throughout the entire book. There are many twists and turns and a lot of possible suspects to consider. Although I was pretty sure who the killer was, I did not figure out the reason behind it. There is a bit of surprise concerning the reason.

The writing style flows smoothly and this book was an easy read. The writing was descriptive and I felt like I was right there watching the action instead of just reading about it.

I would recommend this book (and the other two in the series) to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy. Although this book could be read as a stand-alone, to enjoy it even more you should read the first two books. They are all very good and I’m glad that I found this author and series to enjoy.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Katherine P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love being back in South Cove! The town is lovely with cute shops and full of characters. Most are likable and the few that aren't definitely make it interesting! I like hearing about all the town council stuff and the shop owners' revenue worries. It's not overdone - just enough to add a little bit of realism and interest. I always dislike when characters in a cozy never actually work the job they're supposed to be doing. Cahoon does a good job with balancing this so that I feel that Jill actually works but it isn't overload on details. I enjoyed this 3rd entry into the series more than the last book which had felt a little rushed and disjointed. While this is a fast paced mystery the pacing was great. The mystery was as usual well done and I was relieved that Jill wasn't a suspect this time. I like Jill and Greg's relationship. They have their problems with Greg's job and Jill's nosiness but they don't get their feelings hurt too often or hold grudges for too long. I really liked that Jill made a conscious effort to not get involved and respect Greg's wishes. It didn't exactly work out but she tried!
The ending did feel a little rushed and while I found all the subplots interesting I probably would've been okay with 1 or 2 less.
This is a fun cozy mystery series that just seems to be getting stronger. I'm really looking forward to my 4th visit to South Cove and seeing what Jill's up to next.
Full review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot...

[Micky Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book in the series and an interesting twist to the plot. While there are multiple plausible suspects, it is pretty well set up to lead the final suspect. Great characters, although I did struggle a bit with the personality development of a few characters in this installment. The glass shop owner apparently hates Jill, yet trusts her? While it is a little thing and did not detract terribly from the storyline, it doesn't sit quite right. Overall the story line was good, characters are good. I'm just hoping for a bit more consistency in personalities as they develop and really hope to be over the is he or isn't he over his ex-wife nonsense soon.

[Victoria Colotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth Time. I have never read anything by Lynn Cahoon, but this time I judged a book by its cover…and its name. If there was ever a murder mystery title for me, it would be If the Shoe Kills. Luckily for me, I hit the jackpot with this book. It is a classic small town murder mystery. Move over Jessica Fletcher! Jill Gardner is giving you a run for your money.

In the small tourist town South Cove, Coffee, Books, and More shop owner Jill Gardner is getting ready for the holiday shopping season and preparing the other local businesses for a work program to help people who “need job experience.” Though most businesses are uncertain of bringing these people on an intern basis, it all turns out to be a good experience for all…except maybe the director, Ted. He is found dead in his car by none other than local amateur sleuth Jill Gardner. And so begins the journey of murder, hidden identities, and secrets in If the Shoe Kills.

The cast of characters is just what you would expect from a small town. As always, I love the smart ass and quick witted ones such as Amy and Aunt Jackie. However I also love me my crazies! Tina, the mayors wife, and Sherry, Detective Greg King ex-wife, make appearances that make you cringe and laugh at the same time. All in all, this small town residents do not disappoint in the drama, the humor, the tender moments, and of course … the coffee & books!

In If the Shoe Kills, author Lynn Cahoon gave me exactly what I wanted. She crafted a well told small town murder that kept me guessing who the murderer was until the end. I will definitely have to take a trip back to South Cover and maybe even visit tales of Jill Gardner’s past in the previous two Tourist Trap Mystery books.

I do love a holiday mystery! And with this book, so will you.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so enjoying this series and am thankful that I've been able to receive a complimentary copy from the publisher and NetGalley to provide an honest review.

I have now read all three books in this series so far and have found them to be well written and with great characters and plots. "If the Shoe Kills" didn't seem like the best title to me, but the story itself was great, Jill and Greg are great together and the remainder of the cast of characters were interesting and fun. I like that the author adds new characters each time while continuing to center the storyline around the main characters.

[Cassandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so over all the fat phobic stuff. Then there is this don’t generalize men! And then they immediately go and generalize men! Every person not super skinny is bursting out of their clothes and one step from death. I just hate the main character.

So much ridiculous protecting men. They are more than just body parts! But talking down about her bfs ex wife because she is ultra feminine. And his joke about how maybe she will come around cause then Jill wears dresses. Pukeeee

[Mystereity Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun holiday read, and a series I really enjoy. Always a pleasure to be back among Jill and her friends, and the plot was fun (if a little easy.)

I have to say, though: Who the hell is dumb enough to mistake a baby's cry for a stray cat?

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun small town mystery.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75. I felt like this one really rushed the ending, if that makes sense. It is a fun series.

[Tammy Lunsford - Escape to Books By Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is #3 in Tourist Trap series, and I have to say that these books just keep getting better. Jill is the main character, and trouble seems to find her or rather she finds dead bodies. This was a good mystery with a lot of characters and several twists that I never saw coming, which makes for an enjoyable mystery for me as the reader. I really like the characters in the series. The romance is progressing with Detective King, and I really want to throttle the mayor (what a royal pain). There are some mysterious characters that I am beginning to more fully understand the reason for their mystery. This is a fun series to read. I also dearly love Jill’s mischievous pup, Emma. Emma is an added bonus to the story. Looking forward to #4!

[Caitlin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters just keep getting richer and I feel like I sink more in to the setting every time I read another one. Jill and Greg's relationship is progressing and the shop is thriving. It's Christmas time and the town is participating in a work program, which gives the participating store owners an employee for the season. The program is run by an annoyingly rude man named Ted.

Ted ends up dead and Jill just can't help but investigate. Greg's ex-wife, Sherry is also back in the picture and trying to weasel her way in to Greg's life again. I did struggle a little bit with some of the characters, just remembering who they all were. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I will keep reading this series.

[Jenn Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first one of these books I had figured out almost from the beginning. Usually there's enough mystery that if I just read without thinking about it too much, I'm surprised at the end.

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved If the Shoe Kills, too. The story starts just before the before the holiday season and Jill's aunt Jackie has a project rolling before Jill has time to blink, but one again it is a great idea, raise money to provide books for the children's center in nearby Bakerstown. Who can say no to that! The local businesses rebel when the mayor places his wife in charge of the town's decorating! That has been Darla's job for years.

Businesses in town have agreed to accept short term interns for unemployed people for whom the program director has had trouble finding jobs. It soon becomes clear that the trouble is with the director instead of the workers. He immediately makes himself so unpopular that it is no surprise when he becomes a murder victim. But he sure does leave the field of candidates wide open.

While trying to balance her first ever Thanksgiving dinner, with almost a dozen guests no less, with the extra work of the holiday season, overseeing the work program, and helping get a party together for the kids of the center, Jill still can't resist looking into the murder even though Greg wants her to stay out of it, of course.

Tourist Trap Mystery series if a wonderful cozy series.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, the appeal of "cozy" mysteries is twofold: A book I can polish off in a couple of hours and a cast of recurring characters I come to view as friends. In these books, the developing relationships are as much a part of the story as the mystery plot.

This latest entry in the Tourist Trap Mystery series was a fun return visit to South Cove. Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books and More, is still frustrating her cop boyfriend by getting involved in murders and Mayor Baylor is still a pain in her neck. Lynn Cahoon weaves an entertaining mystery into the day-to-day lives of this beach community's residents. Her characters fit nicely into the broad stereotypes of people we all have in our own lives, so the reader feels comfortable with them. In this series, the mysteries have involved the business owner or the business itself in the tourist haven of South Cove. With her boyfriend's over-the-top shrew of an ex-wife setting up shop in the next book, 2015 should bring another entertaining entry into this series.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secret s Revealed!

A book book fun curl up and read on a cold winter's night or at he beach on a hot day n summer. South Cove is getting ready for the Christmas holidays. The mayor is at again giving the businesses more work. He agreed that the town would accept workers from government training program. He names Jill as the liaison for the town. Mayor puts his wife in charge of South Cove holiday decorations upsetting the person who usually does it. The owner of the Glass Slippers is reluctant to accept a worker at first but finally agrees. Ted Hendricks, in charge of work program is founded shot to death. Jill curiosity starts exploring Ted' background. Gregg tells her that she is interfering with a police investigation and to stop. What happens the holiday day decorations and will Santa come to town? What secret does the owner of The Glass Slipper have? Who kill Ted a d why?You will keep turning the pages looking for answers.

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill Gardner owns Coffee, Books and More, and runs it smoothly with the help of her Aunt Jackie and part-time employee, Toby. The town is participating in a work program headed by an overbearingly rude man, Ted Hendricks. All the work program employees seem happy in their placements, but are uneasy and afraid around Ted. Then, Ted turns up dead. Jill's boyfriend is a detective, Greg, who continually tells her to leave the investigating to him, but Jill's curious nature keeps her sleuthing instincts always on alert. The mayor's wife is causing trouble. Greg's ex-wife is causing trouble. Plus, Aunt Jackie has volunteered the shop to sponsor a book drive for the Bakerstown Children's Center. The cast of regular characters is strong, but the mystery is lacking compared to the first two books in The Tourist Trap Mysteries. The story is fast-paced, and an easy afternoon's read.

NetGalley and Kensington provided a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily posted an honest review.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great installment in the Tourist Trap cozy mystery series. Lynn has a great series going here and the books keep getting better and better. The town is a place I would like to live (well as long as I am not the one that ends of dead!) with its small town charm and friendly residents. Although the Mayor leaves a lot to be desired, but you have to have some conflict otherwise the story wouldn't be as interesting.

Once again I never suspected this character as being the killer. I guess I should start looking at the least likely character but that isn't always the right choice either! I enjoyed meeting new characters in the town and hope to see more from them. I also like the altruistic side of Jill and Jackie. Hopefully it might also encourage a reader to reach out and donate some time to worthy causes in their own town.

Definitely a fun read and I'd give it 4 1/2 stars (if I could do a 1/2 star here!)

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in this series, this was a fast read that I enjoyed.

The characters were great, I love Jill. Greg annoyed me at times, but overall he was an okay character. I loved the secondary characters and was upset when we never met Toby's new girlfriend.

The mystery was okay, the killer really wasn't a surprise and I figured out who it was awhile before Jill did, but there were some twists that left me gaping at points, so overall not very bad.

The only down points were there were a few inconsistencies and some of the names, for instance Mary and Marie, were had to keep apart in my head, besides that I probably would have added another star to the book.

Overall a good book, I didn't think it was as good as the first two, but it was good, nonetheless, and I will continue this series.

[Kathy Cooley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I've liked other books by this author, and I find the cozy mystery genre to be rather comforting when the brain is feeling overtaxed. However, I found this one just...boring. I kept expecting something to happen, for our main character to be placed in some kind of danger because of her snoopy ways, but nothing. Only the minutiae of her life from pouring her cereal to rinsing out her bowl to taking the dog for a walk, etc., etc., etc. I kept reading hoping that something a little exciting would happen. Alas, no. The culprit ending up the being the person I though it would be when the character was introduced.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice Christmas story in the Tourist Trap Mystery series. This is a cute cozy book with re-occuring characters and a great little California town setting. Jill and her Aunt Jackie are having a Christmas party for the Children's center and in the midst of the planning a man is murdered. Between the party and the investigation, Jill is busy keeping out of Greg's official police probe. Can't wait for the next installment.

[Davec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable light reading - more of a romance / mystery than a mystery / romance. It won't have you on the edge of your seat, but you will find yourself rooting for the characters, and occasionally trudging through some areas. Also, in my opinion, this book is clearly aimed at the mature female audience. Nevertheless I did get through it and enjoyed the journey at times, even though the ending wasn't exactly a shock.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great easy, fun read! There were several suspects and I didn't guess the culprit before it was revealed. Though the story doesn't take place during the holidays, Jill's shop and the rest of the town are preparing and decorating and getting into the holiday spirit. I really like the elements of giving to those in need and helping others in this book! Looking forward to reading #4 as soon as I can get it.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and is fast turning into one of my favourites. I love Jill and all the other characters, and really enjoy reading about how she is developing her business and becoming part of the community. I like the fact that the murder mystery is intriguing and kept me guessing, but doesn't dominate the story completely.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gets better and better

This series just keeps getting better and better! Great mystery, didn't guess the killer either. I love reading about Christmas and how everyone came together and decorated. Ready to continue!