Murder at the Marina: Large Print Edition

Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery #1

by Ellen Jacobson

A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse.

Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to.

When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea.

Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigates an alien abduction, eats way too many chocolate bars, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.

Can Mollie discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?

A Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery - #1

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Amazon, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller

421 pages, Paperback

Published June 16, 2018

About the author

Ellen Jacobson is a chocolate obsessed cat lover who writes cozy mysteries and romantic comedies. After living on a sailboat for many years, she now travels around in a teeny-tiny camper with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon.

Her Mollie McGhie cozy mystery series, featuring a reluctant sailor turned amateur sleuth, is inspired by her own sailing adventures and misadventures living aboard sailboats in New Zealand and the States.

Her Smitten with Travel romantic comedy series is inspired by her life as an expat in Scotland and New Zealand and love of exploring new countries and learning about new cultures.

You can find out more about Ellen and her books at:
https://ellenjacobsonauthor.com/

Subscribe to her newsletter for updates on new releases, works in progress, sales / promos & live on the road in a teeny-tiny camper at:
https://www.subscribepage.com/m4g9m4

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mollie and Scooter were out celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary and when Scooter presented Mollie with her anniversary gift, she was shocked to see a dilapidated sail boat - Marjorie Jane - in front of her. She knew nothing about sailing, had no plans on learning, but Scooter was excited. When a dead body was found on the boat, Mollie hoped that would change Scooter's mind. As she started questioning everyone about the dead person, she obviously had the murderer watching her. After a second murder, it seemed that Mollie would be next...

Murder at the Marina was going along okay until the introduction of aliens and abductions! That turned the cozy mystery into something quite different. 1st in the Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery series by Ellen Jacobson, it's set in Coconut Cove, Florida, which would be a beautiful spot to visit. But unfortunately I won't be continuing the series.

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light, humorous and original cozy mystery! New author, Ellen Jacobson, debuts with protagonist Mollie McGhie, a wife who wants diamonds for her anniversary and instead gets Marjorie Jane; a dilapidated sailboat, from her husband, Scooter. The boat is moored at a marina where some fishy business appears to be going on. Mollie and Scooter are innocently trapped in the midst of some criminal activity when a man is murdered on their boat. Mollie is strong-willed and observant and soon begins to piece together who done what. There are many comical moments throughout the story as the suspect list is whittled down. I enjoyed the surprise ending. Cat lovers will like Mrs. Moto.

I reviewed an ARC provided by the author. Thank you.

[Jennifer Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Sweet Potato Sleuth

What a charming debut novel!

Mollie McGhie is an intrepid journalist who has just moved to a Florida coastal town with her husband, Scooter. Scooter has some endearing nicknames for his wife, like, My Little Sweet Potato, but his 10th wedding anniversary gift is not so endearing: a ramshackle sailboat. Neither Mollie nor Scooter possesses the skills to rehabilitate the boat, much less sail the open sea.

Mollie’s disdain for the sailboat multiplies when she finds a dead body on deck. Who murdered the victim? Suspects abound in the town’s colorful cast of characters.

After Mollie overhears one suspicious conversation, her clueless question cracked me up:

"Wait until those new marks of yours find out what you sold them.”

He shook Penny by the shoulders. “You better not say anything, you hear me?”

I was left with one question—who were these new marks she was referring to?

Chocolate is Mollie’s fuel for sleuthing. Not only is she trying to identify the murderer, but also she believes one woman in town suffers from alien abduction. Good thing her “journalist” job is for the Federation of Alien Research, Outreach, and UFO Tracking. She’s determined to beat out another woman for promotion.

Mollie’s investigative efforts do not impress the police chief.

”Mrs. McGhie, what a surprise to find you here. You seem to specialize in finding bodies.” Chief Dalton raised both of his eyebrows. “That makes two bodies in just four days, doesn’t it?”

His math was correct. I guess the ability to be able to do simple arithmetic was an important skill for police officers. That’s probably why I never joined the force. I struggle with math. I’m also scared of guns.

I found Molly, the female version of Inspector Clouseau, to be fun and entertaining despite the danger swirling around her. A great read!

[Roland Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book four stars on the basis that the other reviews are a more accurate reflection of its worth.

I've realised that 'cosy mysteries' are not for me anymore - although this had plenty of humour, chocolate, memorable characters, chocolate, sailing and chocolate.

Moody, dark &/or gritty seems to dominate my reading inclinations - and this was not for me. So, even though I love sailing mysteries and this ticked that box, I'll have to let Mollie resolve more mysteries in her own inimitable style without me - well, until the next one sails my way offering chocolate and a cute cat.

Anyway, she has some amazing friends - and they like chocolate.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A UFO researcher's husband buys a sailboat for their anniversary. She wanted diamonds.

The boat is at a marina, populated by kooky residents. Along the way, the man who sold them the boat is murdered...on their boat. Our UFO enthusiast investigates, and eventually gets to the bottom of things.

Includes sailing tips, which is unique for a cozy.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the first book of this cozy mystery series. Set in Florida, on the beach, boats, chocolate, calico cat, possible aliens, what’s not to love? Can’t wait to read book 2.

[Crystal Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHOCOLATE.

This book made me crave chocolate.

First of all, I'm not huge into reading mystery. Just so that's out there. However, I do enjoy a good plot and fun characters. This one started with wonderful tension, and if Mollie was a little more like me, she'd probably have decked her husband for getting her a boat instead of a "real" anniversary gift. (You know, just so he really got how she was feeling. And no, I've never decked my husband. He gets me.) So as I said, it opens with great tension.

That tension continues from there. We meet a fun cast of characters who are easy to picture and distinct. There are a few chuckles as more of Mollie's character traits and pursuits come to light. There are fun moments as people at the marina interact. I shared in Mollie's frustration when no one wanted to believe the evidences she was bringing to light, but she was a wonderful (bumbling) sleuth. Favorite character was definitely Mollie. Least favorite, Scooter. LOL. He was so oblivious its a wonder he was still married. To his credit, he did love his wife, even if he couldn't supply his own stash of chocolate for intense moments.

So how about that murder mystery? I liked that this book kept it light. Yes, people got killed, but there was no dark and gruesome aspect to it. Mollie discovered two dead bodies, but she didn't crumble under the emotional shock. Nope. That was left to Scooter. (He's the comic relief, right?) As motives and evidence come to light, there are a number of red herrings and a good selection of suspects. On that same note, I appreciated that the cast wasn't so large that I lost track of people. I had the villain figured out at the 50% mark, but it wasn't an easy find. I usually have the villain (or big plot twist) figured out at the 20 to 30% mark.

This was a fun read. The story was well told, the characters memorable, the tone light, and the mystery well constructed. Although I have never craved life on the open seas, I found myself asking the hubby what he would think of renting a houseboat for a little bit. It was fun having a glimpse into the marina life, and I look forward to more fabulous books from this author.

[J.H. Moncrieff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book and could not put it down, reading it in one (very long) sitting. I adore cozy mysteries, but could never find a series that didn't suck in some way...until now. Ellen has managed to create an amateur sleuth who is funny instead of cheesy, curious instead of nosy, and instantly likeable. But the real hero of the story may just be Mrs. Moto, one of the best characters I've discovered in a long time.

There is so much to love about this book. The sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humour. The artfully placed red herrings, where almost everyone in the community had a realistic motive for the murder. The character development. The writing style. Ellen writes like someone who's published dozens of books, not a single debut. I can't wait for other cozy fans to discover her--her book is so much better than all the bestselling series I've read. I did guess the killer soon into the book, but only because I'm so familiar with the cozy formula--this didn't detract from the fun of the story.

There's only one problem...waiting for the next book! Highly recommended. And where is the recipe for those award-winning brownies?

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

When your husband surprises you with his new girlfriend for your anniversary, it's never a good thing. Much less when you realize his new girlfriend is actually a sailboat and it's not the diamonds you were hoping for as your present. And then there's a murder on-board...could this gift get any worse?

I'm rather shocked at myself for giving this story 4 stars. When I first started reading, I did not like any of the characters and that impression hung on for three-quarters of the book. I stuck around for the fascinating descriptions of life at the marina. In part, it reminded me of various campgrounds I visited in my younger years with all the various personalities that populated such a place. But then, everything started to click and I began to enjoy following the ones we'll probably see on future trips to the waterfront. And so, I ended on a positive note.

The mystery was unnecessarily obscured by Mollie's quirks. Her sleuthing attempts were downright terrible and her questioning technique was excruciating. It was her first time out as a detective so some of that can be excused, but I really hope she'll improve in future books.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thing you should know: I'm not a fan of murder mysteries. Second thing you should know: I absolutely LOVED this book.

I can hardly believe this a debut novel by an indie author. The writing is strong and witty, the characters, though sometimes archetypal (as befits a murder mystery) are believable and endearing, and I found myself rooting for Mollie, the "nosy lady with a penchant for diamonds that acts as the story's POV. She's funny and annoying and quirky and adorable all at once. I really liked how, even though the story is told in the first person, it never felt contrived - Mollie is endearing, but not without flaws, and the first person narrative helps highlight that in a way that's funny but also relatable.

I'm really thankful to the author for sending me a free copy to review. I can definitely say that I'll happily pay to read the next book in this series (coming out by the end of this year). Even if you're not into murder mysteries I'd advise you to give this one a try. At the very least, I promise it will make you smile while you read it - it's escape literature at its best.

(I'm editing to add that apparently "cozy mysteries" isn't the series title but apparently a book genre. A whole new world is opening up in front of me.)

[Christine Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Mollie's husband gets her a ramshackle sailboat for their 10th anniversary, she uses chocolate to help swallow her disappointment. It's nice he's happy but there aren't enough M&Ms in the world to help when she finds a dead body on their new boat. Her investigative side kicks in, and Mollie searches for clues within the small sailing community in Coconut Cove. It may or may not have anything to do with aliens, but she finds herself in deeper than she ever expected.

This cozy mystery utterly charmed me. I was pulled in right away with Mollie's disappointment with her anniversary gift. Her husband is rather clueless, but he adores her and their new boat! This is not a romance, though. It's a quirky mystery that made me laugh from page one all the way through. And yes, I did find myself eating M&Ms as I read it. While much of it was light-hearted, there was plenty to keep my brain chugging along trying to figure out who was the murderer. I'm usually good at that, but I didn't guess it. I love it when books can stump me! I cannot wait for more from this author.

I received an ARC of this book with no obligation to write a review.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is ok. There is talk about an alien abduction and it just seems strange or forced. The main heroin was hard to relate too. I would rate it close to 2.5 because I did finish it.

[Barb Taub · Rating 4 out of 5]

What genre of amateur sleuth is Mollie McGhie, heroine of Ellen Jacobson’s new mystery, Murder at the Marina? It’s easier to say what she isn’t. Mollie isn’t an eccentric little old lady who offers tea and crime solving over her knitting. She’s not a hardboiled private eye, although she does aspire to the (unpaid) position of Investigative Reporter for FAROUT (the Federation for Alien Research, Outreach, and UFO Tracking). Nor is Mollie a super sleuth, technology expert, police investigator, or damaged detective. And the one single element these detectives have in common—the ability to ask the right questions —is not precisely Mollie’s strong suit. In fact, she’s not the brightest light in the harbor.

[begin quote] Chief Dalton looked at me with surprise. ‘Abduction? We haven’t had any reports of an abduction.’

‘Oh, that’s interesting. No other reports of bright lights, unexplained bruises, that sort of thing?’

‘What exactly are you talking about, Mrs. McGhie?’

‘The classic signs of abduction, such as sleepwalking and strange dreams. Nosebleeds, like yours.’ He looked confused. ‘Don’t you guys get training in this?’

‘Come again?’

‘Alien abduction. What else could I be talking about?’ [end quote]

Mollie McGhie is, in fact, a short, chocolate/caffeine-addicted wife who is expecting to receive a diamond for her tenth anniversary. Instead, her husband—who apparently answers to ‘Scooter’ even though he’s a forty-something software developer reluctantly retired from the successful company he helped found—surprises her with the boat she’d never wanted.

Mollie suspects the anniversary boat, the Marjorie Jane, is a serious rival for her husband’s affections. She refuses to speak to Scooter, a punishment which might have been more effective if he’d noticed it. Or if he didn’t offer to make her a mocha.

[begin quote] “I could have just nodded in response to his question, but I noticed that he wasn’t putting nearly enough chocolate syrup into my cup. After the events of last night, I deserved an extra chocolaty start to the day. This required words.” [end quote]

Molly accompanies Scooter to the Marina, still unhappy about her nautical rival. And that’s even before the bodies start turning up. Mollie, whose investigative training only includes the signs of alien abduction, is hilariously out of her depth, forced to rely on ever-increasing amounts of chocolate, caffeine, and charm. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures, even if it means store-bought brownies.

I fell in love with Molly, whose innate cheer makes her willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt (except for aliens and gift-boats, of course). She’s a sweet, funny, self-absorbed, and completely unreliable narrator who stumbles haplessly between dead bodies and clues even as the danger gets closer. Told in the first person, we get to know Molly’s slightly snarky sense of humor, her exasperated affection for husband Scooter, her dedication to documenting alien abduction, and her complete inability to ask the right questions.

Unfortunately, the other residents of the marina were both numerous and less well-developed. At times the stock characters and dialog seemed so much like a game of Clue (or, for my UK readers, Cluedo) that I expected to hear, “Colonel Mustard on the poop deck with a boat hook”. But the book more than makes up for this with the wonderful setting of the Palm Tree Marina, and Mollie’s hilarious nonstop narration. The pace is brisk, so full of action that neither Molly nor her readers has time to reflect, or worry about pesky little details like whether any of the murders has a particularly believable motivation.

But the answer to my earlier question about what kind of amateur detective Mollie is? She doesn’t assemble the clues into a coherent theory, she doesn’t figure out the murderer, and she especially doesn’t gather all the suspects together for the big reveal. Instead, Mollie is the kind of detective who has me laughing out loud as she is consistently amazed by unfolding events, even while gathering up clues that let the reader figure who-done-it well before Mollie ever has…well, a clue.

If you like your mysteries fast-paced and funny, with great settings and a likeably charming (if unreliable) narrator, I’d not only recommend you preorder Murder at the Marina, but join me in hoping for a sequel.



**I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

[Kassandra Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. Let me start with the positives.

Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her wedding anniversary. Instead her hubs, Scooter, buys her a fixer-upper sailboat. This premise definitely caught my attention, since I was raised in a family of boaters. I spent many a weekend as a preteen and teenager hanging out at marinas.

And what married woman hasn’t gotten at least one disastrous present from her husband? (Like the ugly yellow robe mine bought me for Christmas one year.) Mollie’s internal reaction to the boat and her attempts to get her hubs to sell it add some humor to the story.

Also, the mystery itself is very well crafted, and the book is well-written. (Only a few typos and one small inconsistency, which is in the subplot). I did not suspect the person who ended up being the killer, and yet my first thought was that it made perfect sense. That’s the way it should be in a good mystery!

The mystery was what kept me reading, even though I was having trouble relating to this couple. And I struggled to pin down why that was. At first I thought is was because of a lack of physical descriptions. I’m a fairly visual person (as are 65% of the American population) and I need at least some basic physical details to form a mental image of a character.

So I went back and re-read the first two chapters. Actually there are physical details about these two, and they are very artfully woven into the narrative of the story. So why did I have no internal image of them?

I realized it was because I had no clue how old they were. They’ve been married ten years, and there’s no mention of previous marriages. Yet, Scooter is “retired,” but only because his business partners forced him to sell his part of their company to them, and he made enough money from the sale to live independently.

Most of the folks they hang out with at the marina are middled-aged or older. But I had trouble visualizing a man called Scooter as middle aged.

Another factor in the “having trouble relating” category—the subplot of Molly competing with a coworker for an investigative reporter position... for an online publication about alien abductions. Molly is even convinced that one of the women at the marina is a victim of such abductions, but that very much remains an aside and isn’t really developed.

Bottom line, I think the author worked a little too hard to make the main characters quirky, and they ended up not all that believable. There were plenty of other more realistically quirky folks at the marina though, including a Japanese bobtail cat that adopts Mollie—although she thinks it’s the other way around.

But having said all that, I’ve downloaded Book 2 in the series and plan to read it soon. And there are 7 books total, so far. A nice satisfying number for those of us who like to get to know characters and visit them periodically, like old friends.

[Victoria Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not only hooked by end of the first page, I was laughing out loud! The humor in this book is an equal partner to the mystery, and both are wonderful. Molly is a character you have to love, especially her not-so-secret sin of eating too much chocolate (or is it too much?). Her husband is wimpy but lovable and together they seem to be the perfect match. Molly isn't afraid to find out what is going on after she finds a body on her anniversary present boat, even if she does step on a few toes. I love the addition of the kitten, too. Can't wait to see what Molly's next adventure will be.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. The main character, Mollie seems to find herself in the middle of everything. She loves chocolate!

[Gwen Hight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at the Marina

A good cozy mystery about a woman that finds not one but two bodies and finds the killer after an attempt on her life

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun read!
I really want to hang out with Mollie and have a few drinks and dessert

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy mystery set in small coastal town on Florida Gulf. Main character is an investigative reporter whose husband presents her with the gift of a dilapidated sailboat for their anniversary when she was expecting diamonds. Mollie doesn’t swim well and neither of them have ever sailed. Bodies are found. Mollie investigates to the annoyance of the police chief. Quirky characters at the marina are suspected. Mollie uses chocolate as a help in stressful situations. Reading this book may lead to consuming large amounts of chocolate in any form.

[Kathy Sandlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. I haven’t read a book like this in a long time. It is good to stop and take a breather from the drama books or the gritty crime novels and just enjoy a good read. It was light, humorous and fun. I loved the setting in the marina with all of the boat/sailing pieces and parts. It is very accurate to life on a boat. You run into many interesting characters when you live on a boat.

[J.Q. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Jacobsen knows boats AND how to tell an entertaining story. Not only was it a mystery I couldn't solve right away, but also a tall tale filled with engaging characters including a cat! The mystery, the quirky characters, Mollie's antics in solving the crime, as well as trying to discourage her husband's zeal for boating, kept me turning the pages. If you want a fun summer read, this one is for you. I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it for readers.

[Nathanielle Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Skies in Mourn, sailor's be warned
Red Carpet in the boat your husband fell in love with might not rhyme with anything but it sure is where the meat and bones of this story begins.

Mollie McGhie is an independent journalist with an interesting pastime that I certainly can't fault. It definitely puts her on the shelf with the likes of Phryne Fisher in that she is unconventional and entirely unapologetic. Maybe that's why she tries to go along with her husband, who in the middle of a midlife crisis, buys a boat that would go straight to Davy Jones's junk drawer if Mollie had anything to say about it.

It was definitely a fun read that took us to a place that cozy mysteries haven't taken me to before.

[Stephanie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fun and well written. I'm glad it's going to be a series because I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Mollie gets herself into next!

[Susan Swiderski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn't enjoy a good mystery? I sure do. I must admit, amateur sleuth mysteries aren't my favorite kind, but if the characters are likable and the story interesting, I'm happy to hop on board, and this book delivers on both counts. Plus, it's infused with plenty of humor, copious quantities of chocolate, some interesting insights about life in a marina community, and an adorable bob-tailed cat. What's not to like?

Mollie tries to be a good sport when her clueless hubby "surprises" her with a broken-down sailboat for their anniversary, but her enthusiasm isn't exactly off the charts. Can you blame her? Doggone it, she was hoping for something a little more... you know... appropriate... and shiny... like a diamond necklace, but the only thing with much of a shine on that dilapidated boat turns out to be a murder weapon. Um... surprise?

The local law enforcement folks regard her as a bit of a kook with an overactive imagination, but maybe that's what it takes to solve the crime. Question is: will she finger the culprit before she becomes a victim herself?

It's a fun story with lots of possible suspects. Think you can solve the mystery before Mollie does? (I didn't!)

The author provided me with an ARC for review purposes. Bottom line? I think she has a winning series on her hand.

[Janet C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lived on a sailboat for several years so I was really looking forward to reading this book. I enjoyed the setting in the marina and on the sailboats. However, Mollie never really spent any time on her new sailboat except to watch her husband and a friend work on it and to sit in the cockpit for drinks at sunset. While I know it takes a while to learn boat jargon, her perplexed introductions to boat items and what she thought about them eventually made her look clueless. While the mystery part was fun, I became bored with her endless obsession with food and chocolate. The book consisted more of what she ate for each meal and the copious amounts of chocolate than it did about the mystery. The alien abduction part of it was just plain weird and really didn't go with the rest of the story, making Mollie appear even more farfetched. While I did finish the book to see how it ended, I did not find it a very enjoyable read.

[OhioSQ · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book with strong character development and an engaging plot line, this isn’t it. This is a good beach book. It is something to read in between watching the waves, walking on the beach, or feeding the seagulls.

At first, the writing seems witty and interesting, but it quickly gets redundant. If the two main characters ate as much chocolate as the author describes, they wouldn’t both fit on their newly purchased sailboat. There is also the annoying use of “at” at the end of quite a few of the quoted text passages. I’m not a stickler for grammar, however this really stood out.

This book should only take a few hours to read. It took me three weeks, because I really didn’t care if I finished it.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I've read written by Ellen Jacobson; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I loved the characters.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rexine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing far fetched little story. Not very believable. Author needs grammar lessons especially to stop ending sentences with prepositions. ie: where are you? NOT where are you AT?

[Ashley Rutherford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get into this at all.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't ...