At Wits' End: A Doyle Cozy Mystery

Wits' End #1

by Kirsten Weiss

A laugh-out-loud mystery that’s out of this world…

Men in Black. Conspiracy-crazed old ladies. Can a clueless innkeeper catch a killer … and stick to her carefully crafted schedule?

When control-freak Susan Witsend inherits her grandmother’s UFO-themed B&B, she’s ready to put her organizational skills to the test. She knows she can make the B&B work, even if there is a faux-UFO in the roof. After all, what’s not to love about a Victorian nestled in the high Sierra foothills?

But none of her carefully crafted policies and procedures can prepare her for a corpse in room seven – the body of her small-town sheriff’s ex-husband. Good thing Susan has her own plans to solve the crime.

Is there a government conspiracy afoot? Or is the murder a simple case of small-town vengeance?

Susan must keep all her wits about her. Because the killer isn’t finished, and if she isn’t careful, her fate may be written in the stars…

At Wits' End is book one in the Wits' End mystery series. Get cozy and beam up this hilarious mystery today!

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

315 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2017

About the author

Kirsten Weiss writes laugh-out-loud, page-turning mysteries. Her heroines aren’t perfect, but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed. Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. Or for a visit to the local pie shop.

She is best known for her cozy and witch mystery novels. So if you like funny, action-packed mysteries with complicated heroines, just turn the page…

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter at kirstenweiss.com

Feel free to follow her on Twitter @KirstenWeiss or Bookbub, get in touch on Facebook, post a picture of this book to Instagram and tag her @kirstenweissauthor, or send her an email. She’ll answer you personally…which may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

At Wits' End
By Kirsten Weiss
An enjoyable mystery with interesting characters. I will probably read more in the series. It's just strange enough that I found entertaining!

[Sabine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this mystery and would love to come back to the Wits' End Inn soon. The UFO enthusiasts are an interesting bunch and there was a lot going on with lots of twists and turns and some good chuckles.
I just wish the disappearance and reappearance of the group of people that happened in the past would have been better solved...or maybe that is something that will be picked up again in future installments?
I will be back for more.

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cozy mystery with all of Kirsten's talent with likable characters and a good mystery. I did guess the bad guy but still enjoyed the whole book. The UFO slant of the book provided a unique side plot that should continue to provide fun in this series. Of course there are a couple of cameos from her other Doyle series. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but nothing special. Doubt I will continue with the series. Too many other things out there to try,

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan inherits a UFO themed B & B from her Grandmother, along with her cousin Dixie who her Grandmother employed as a part time cleaner. Several times a day, Susan fantasizes about firing Dixie as her cousin's haphazard cleaning is doing her no favours but when the chips are down, family stick together. So when Dixie is arrested for the murder of a deadbeat customer, Susan pulls out all the stops to try to clear her cousin.

A first in series and an enjoyable read. Although I like the way that Kirsten has introduced the characters, bringing them in as the story progresses instead of laying them all out in the first couple of chapters, there are one or two back stories that could have been followed up a bit more, like how Manaj fitted in etc. It made me feel that if I had read the previous book, I would have a better picture of what is going on with the characters, except that there is no previous story. However, all in all, it is an easy and enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more about Susan and her friends.

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Amy Driver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish

Made it to chap. 24, but had to give it up. Felt like I was reading one of my 6th graders' stories. One who had been told to use more description. Plus, how many times do we have to be told Dixie is a cousin and has almost black hair with purple tips? Or that Bailey is a beagle? Sorry, just too juvenile for me.

[Andree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This doesn't quite work? I mean, I like things about it. The crazy UFO-obsessed town is fun, for example. But I found cousin Dixie annoying for too long. Also, the main character's got kind of no justification for getting wrapped up in the murder, and is really not great at investigating in any way. Also, the local sheriff (refreshingly a woman, and not a love interest), keeps telling her to but out, after asking her for information. And the thing is, at a certain point the constant, "Do not get involved in the murder investigation" becomes tedious in a cozy. The main character *needs* to get inappropriately involved. That's kind of the point. I don't know. Maybe if she'd been more competent at it, it would have been less annoying.

Realized midway through that I've read another book in this series... Not that I remember it.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

I really liked this author's Pie Town and Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series, so I had high hopes for this series as well.

I like Susan, the MC, and most of her friends and the B&B's staff, but here's yet another business owner who doesn't like confrontation. How do you expect to stay in business if you're reluctant to demand payment from a guest who has already stayed a week beyond his planned check out date? The UFO-themed B&B is a unique setting, but the town's obsession with UFOs seems a bit over the top - but I guess it would appeal to UFO hunters, so why not?

The murder was not surprising, and there were several potential suspects on my list. I started to piece it all together shortly before it was revealed in the book, but I wasn't expecting the motive. Overall, this book was good enough to make me want to read at least one more book in the series before committing to reading all of the remaining seven books.

[Ira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I couldn't really get into this story. It is cute, right, but despite the fact that a lot of things happen, it feels a bit as if nothings really happens. I took me several tries to read the book. The story itself had a lot of potential and after having read the blurb, I was looking forward to something like a cross between, well, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams but somehow it was completely different. Susan is rather clueless and has no idea what exactly she is doing when she tries to play detective and solve a murder. Never a good idea when there is still a murderer on the loose, right?
I can't really say what I was missing because the story has it all. It is unique and witty, has a bunch of quirky characters and a good story line. I just couldn't get into it.

[Dixie Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. One of the characters even shared my name! The mystery kept me guessing up to the end. A couple of characters were truly evil, and some were rather selfish, and it all worked out in the end. Even a touch of romance was like a breath of sunshine. Very entertaining.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. An enjoyable mystery but I did know who did it relatively early in the story. I hope to visit again.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable mystery.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kirsten Weiss has quickly moved into my top ten favorite writers. She had me at The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum and I found she had several other series. I added at least one of each to my Nook and dove in. Each series is a unique flavor and I love them all.
The non-paranormal ones each have the single woman starting a business from scratch and making it work. Wits' End is a bed and breakfast with a UFO theme. Still mayhem and suspicious death and main character, Susan Witsend, gets involved in the investigation. This one made me laugh out loud and I do love when that happens while reading.
Do yourself a favor and read anything that Kirsten Weiss writes.
I can definitely recommend this book, series and author.

[Bhamini Pande · Rating 2 out of 5]

Getting a hold to this story was difficult despite it being a murder mystery. The recital got so many plots, but all seems directionless. I tried to skim to know who was Tanner's murderer but was disappointed with the conclusion. I would not consider it an exciting Murder mystery. The UFO theme used was insubstantial, Also if Sus can solve a murder mystery on her own and help find the assailant the presence of sheriff and FBI agent was a joke.

Arsen was a filler, Dixie distraction- I could not understand the point of having so many characters- maybe that's the way to keep readers hooked? Or more appropriately confused.
The murderer -was unconvincing.

[Sally Lindsay-briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy mystery with 2 murders and a guilty culprit that was pretty easy to figure out. There were several yummy recipes at the end. Sue worked hard at her B&B. Her dog Bailey was her constant companion and was mentioned in every paragraph. There’s a close companionship with Arsen but unfortunately nothing ever develops unless it’s in another book.

[Erin Robison Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, my favorite characters in a long time! My only issue with the book was that it was too short. I felt like part of the book and did not want it to end. I am ordering the second book right now and can not wait to be with Sue and her friends and family again.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found myself skimming just to get through to the end. Did not draw me in or keep my attention. If I could skim through and still get the gist of the plot you know most of the dialogue is superfluous. Very little to no character development. The characters just are present but we don't get to know there personalities, they are just people that exist in the book. Don't know how this book has 4.5 stars. I can't believe that many people thought this was that good.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan the main character has inherited a UFO themed B&B along with Bailey the beagle in Doyle, California. When a murder happens in her place she grabs her ever present planner and gets involved. She is too ditzy and shouldn't be a sleuth. There is a touch of romance that she is too ditzy to realise. I do like how the mystery weaves this way and that. I would sure like to read the next book to this series.

[Candy Lawless · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The who done it was great, I was not sure who the murder was until the end. Loved Bailey the beagle. The small UFO obsessed town was fun and interesting. The main character, Susan is delightful and relatable. Altogether a fun read.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chaos and fun at a B&B

I enjoy Kirsten Weiss cozy mysteries. At Wits’ End is an entertaining read. It has offbeat, interesting characters and murders to solve. Having read the first 3 Witches of Doyle books, I understood the back story but, if you haven’t read them, it isn’t necessary in order to enjoy this cozy. I will continue with this series. I recommend any of Ms Weiss’s series.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I understand there are other books about Doyle, but this was the first that I read. I have to say it was interesting, however many issues seemed to be skirted by the author. What had happened to those people a year ago? Have there ever been any UFO sightings in the area? And what is the deal between Sue and Arsen? Why was Manaj sent to Wits' End and was she a "Man in Black" or not.

I liked the town being a UFO attraction and the characters who were visiting the B & B. I thought the mystery aspect had a lot of interesting clues. It was hard to understand What Tanner-Davin-Cherie all had to do with each other at first.

In the end I enjoyed Sue and her planner and regimented handling of the B & B. I liked how she came round to liking the sheriff, to standing behind Dixie, to standing up for Ethan, and her kindness to Bailey. It seemed like I had a hard time getting into the story, but once I did, I enjoyed it. But one question. Who was Madame X anyway?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. I didn't love it. The premise was good but a couple things bothered me. For one, continuously we were told that Susan's parents were controlling and she had broken away but that's really all we know about her and her family dynamics, beside her cousin Dixie, who leaves a lot to be desired. I like some background info on characters. And her muscular friend, Asten- she never noticed before how well-built he is? She literally drools over him but keeps insisting that he is just a childhood friend. And is her cousin her responsibility? I don't think so. I figured out who the bad guy was a little over halfway through the book. This book had a lot of potential (despite the kitschy UFO theme) but it didn't quite get there for me. I will try another book, though. The setting could lend to a lot of great mysteries. I hope that happens.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Julie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new author for me but I am so glad that I discovered her because I loved this book. The cover is what attracted my attention in the first place (a ufo in the roof, I just knew it wasn't going to be your usual cosy mystery). Then once I read the blurb I just had to give it ago and I really enjoyed it. The characters are fun, likeable and quirky (and even has a dog, although I have never met a beagle that well behaved) but it is the unusual ness of the story that held my attention until the end. By unusual I mean the setting of a ufo B&B, in a small town. It was written well, with plenty of UFO talk without it being weird or strange but highly amusing The mystery unfolded nicely and despite guessing who the killer was I didn't want the story to end. I will be looking out for the next book in the series and checking audible too.
Susan has inherited her Gran's slightly unusual B&B. The small town is famous for its strange sightings of ufos in the night sky and her Gran has capitalised on that by making her B&B a ufo themed retreat. Susan has never seen a ufo or little green men before and the only strange thing she discovers is the dead body in room number seven. The sheriff is taken off the case, as the dead man is her ex husband and the FBI is called in (or is it the men in black?). With the B&B filled with guests Susan is surprised to find she and her cousin Dixie are the prime suspects. Dixie because she was a troubled teen and had access to the room and Susan because The dead man refused to pay his bill. The dead man had a past with the town and a number of towns folk had plenty of reasons to kill him including a few of her guests. But which one and will he or she be caught before Susan or Dixie is arrested? Susan doesn't think so and sets out to find the real killer, with the help from her friends and day planner. The problem is by doing this she makes herself a target and maybe one of the accidents might just bring her investigation to a crashing holt.
I was given this free review copy book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Dahrose · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author took a great set-up - a B&B set in a UFO sighting hotspot area and completely ruined it. Am not sure I have ever hated a story and main character as much as I did with this book.
The writing was plodding, and so intricately detailed I was beyond bored. If Susan wasn't explaining every single thought in her head to the dog, she was writing it down in her day planner.

Let's start with Susan, our main character - assume she is in her 30's somewhere - but she acts like a teenager. Performing stupid stunts - like breaking into an FBI agent's room, yeah that's not smart. Walking up to every suspect and basically just asking - did you do it? Then kind of shocked when every one clams up on her. She was like a bull in a china shop. Worse, she was nervous, paranoid and a drudge. Taking on all the world's woes, never standing up for herself or putting her foot down - yet throwing herself into this murder investigation - it just made no sense character wise. The woman was bi-polar.

Not one other single female character was nice - not the loafing cousin, the sharp tongued Sheriff, the FBI agent, the doctor guest - or any other female she interacted with. Weird.

And none of the characters reactions made any sense. The Sheriff telling Susan to keep an eye on the FBI agent, then balling her out every time she contacts her with any new evidence. And the FBI agent acted beyond badly. No one acts so rudely all the time.

The story was disjointed and boring - at the 40% mark I began to skim, then I began to skip blocks of chapters. What could have been an excellent story was just awful on every level.

The only story that should have been told was about the Disappeared and the returned hikers. Now that was story worth telling - but unfortunately I have no faith that this author is capable of telling it.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather a fun mystery. Susan Witsend has inherited her grandmother's B&B Wit's End which has a UFO theme. The B&B is in Doyle, California, where there have been a lot of UFO sightings and a few years ago, a whole pub disappeared, with people inside and when they turned up months later (the people, not the pub) a lot of hikers who had been lost in the mountains were with them. The B&B has a fake UFO sticking out of the roof. It is a small b&b, which Susan could run by herself, but she has a cousin, Dixie, that used to work for her grandma and Susan has kept her on at her grandmother's request. Dixie was rather a wild child, always in trouble. Susan was completely under her parents' thumb and also most sold the b&b at their insistence, but backed out at the last minute and escaped their control. So, she is learning to trust herself and her instincts. Her best friend as a child, Arsen, lives in the town and works as a tour guide = leading hikes into the mountains to spot wildlife and also night hikes to watch the night sky for stars and UFOs. He ran away at 18 to join the circus and has wandered the world doing various things. Susan worked for her grandmother during the summer months growing up. Then, a deadbeat boarder is killed in her b&b. Which brings down the sheriff on her. She did not realize the sheriff was her boarder's ex-wife. Then a woman from the FBI checks in to the murdered man's room to take over the case. Dixie is arrested and Susan decides she has to investigate - with her trusty planner that she carries everywhere with her.....she writes down everything. Someone does not approve of Susan and her planner and she finds herself in trouble.......

[DJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh Out Loud Fun and Mystery in Northern California!

At Wits'End by Kirsten Weiss is a first read for me. This zany cozy mystery set in an UFO themed B&B in small town Northern California provided many laugh out loud moments. Kirsten Weiss demonstrates a wonderfully creative imagination with a cast of quirky characters from Men (Women) in Black FBI agents, a female professor with ties to organized crime and an older than God Madame X. She pairs these up with the town's long term residents, who possess the usual menagerie of small town- big personality characteristics. Then she sprinkles in the B&B guests --UFO hunters and outdoor enthusiasts-- with a murder mystery and the result is a hilarious good time! It was really fun realizing I had grown up very near a town in California like the one she created for this start of a series. To say I found this book delightfully entertaining seems so inadequate!

Like the game of CLUE, a reader can't help chasing down all the clues with the inn owner Susan Witsend, (even the name makes me smile). There are plenty of plot twists that keep you guessing until the very end. And to add to the suspence is that a romance brewing between Sue and her childhood best friend? What a great technique to keep a reader wanting more by hinting at possible romantic interlude in the future!

At Wits's End is a masterfully crafted cozy mystery that will have you in stitches one minute and holding your breath ,quietly on edge the next. Well worth taking time to escape your everyday reality and lose yourself in the going -on in Doyle and Wits' end Inn!

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in this series that I have read. I have read another series (Pie Town) by this author in its entirety. As I laughed my way through that series, I was hoping for more of the same in this one.

I laughed and laughed and then, for a change, I laughed myself silly. I wanted to share bits and pieces with my husband but I knew he would want to read it for himself. Boy, it’s tough to keep a straight face with he’s around, so I read it when he wasn’t sitting right next to me.

Doyle is a very odd but quaint small town. It has had it’s share of supernatural occurrences which seem to be connected to visitations by aliens.

Susan Witsend has inherited, from her beloved grandmother, a B&B called At Wits’ End. It is located, of course, in Doyle and has the distinction of having an alien spacecraft hanging halfway out its roof. Not to worry, the spacecraft isn’t real but it fits the vibe fo the town and brings guests who are interested in UFOs.

Susan is a control freak and wants everything just so. She has a part time help in her cousin Dixie, who isn’t in control at all. She also has a best friend in Arsen Holiday, who has a well stocked trust fund and a propensity for taking off and for changing jobs as the mood takes him.

When a murder occurs in a room at the B&B, Susan feels she must help the sheriff figure out the whodunnit before the reputation of her place is destroyed.

There is a lot of misdirection and funny hijinks. I’ve found another series by this author and will be reading the books in order.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

B&B owner Susan Witsend just inherited a UF0-themed B&B from her grandma. While trying to keep her business afloat, a guest (and the sheriff’s ex-husband) is found murdered in his room. She has her hands full with entertaining conspiracy-crazed UFO enthusiast B&B guests, being eyes for the local angry sheriff, and trying to avoid the “woman in black” FBI agent that is a mystery of her own.

This cozy mystery has a funny premise, it takes place at a UFO-themed Bed and Breakfast. The old Victorian mansion even has a faux-UFO in the roof. The main character Susan is an accountant turned B&B owner that likes to use her trusty black ledger/planner to document and notate everything. Besides inheriting the B&B, she has also inherited a “cousin” named Dixie that is supposed to be the B&B’s maid but isn’t around much to do her job. Susan’s childhood friend Arsen is always around to lend a hand and could eventually be a love interest.

This is a fun well written cozy mystery that has a great potential of becoming a much-loved series.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are authors who become immediate favorites and I will read whatever they write. Kirsten Weiss is one of those authors for me and she writes a lot of books in various genres. And I am very happy about it. I've read books from three of her five series and highly enjoyed them all.
The setting of a B&B that's UFO-themed in a town where they have what the residents call 'the Disappeared'. This is not a paranormal cozy/amateur sleuth. It's pretty straight-forward cozy mystery with intriguing characters, setting and story. I liked it quite a lot.
The fact the murder takes place in her B&B has Susan investigating with her trusty day-planner and organizational skills at hand. Her involvement happens naturally which is key to my enjoyment of cozies.
There is a lot to enjoy and I already have book two, PLANET OF THE GRAPES, on the Nook. I hope Kirsten is writing more in this series soon but I also have her other series to read and enjoy too.
I can definitely recommend this book, series and author.