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Lighthouse Inn Mystery #4
Room for Murder
Agatha Award Nominee and IMBA National Bestseller!
Alex is thrilled when his best friend, Mor Pendleton, is engaged to Emma Sturbridge. He and his maid, and budding love interest, Elise Danton, are already talking about holding the wedding at the base of the Hatteras West Lighthouse, but those plans are ruined when Emma's ex husband is found murdered on the grounds of the inn.
Alex is thrilled when his best friend, Mor Pendleton, is engaged to Emma Sturbridge. He and his maid, and budding love interest, Elise Danton, are already talking about holding the wedding at the base of the Hatteras West Lighthouse, but those plans are ruined when Emma's ex husband is found murdered on the grounds of the inn.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published September 2, 2003
8 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Tim Myers
114 books152 followersAlso writes under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Chris Cavender, and Jessica Beck.
Tim Myers is the author of dozens of short stories published in mystery magazines and anthologies. He lives with his family near the Blue Ridge Mountains he loves and writes about. He is the award-winning author of the Agatha nominated Lighthouse Inn mystery series as well as over seventy short stories. Tim has been a stay-at-home dad for the last twelve years, finding time for murder and mayhem whenever he can.
Series:
* A Lighthouse Inn Mystery
* A Candlemaking Mystery
* A Soapmaking Mystery
Tim Myers is the author of dozens of short stories published in mystery magazines and anthologies. He lives with his family near the Blue Ridge Mountains he loves and writes about. He is the award-winning author of the Agatha nominated Lighthouse Inn mystery series as well as over seventy short stories. Tim has been a stay-at-home dad for the last twelve years, finding time for murder and mayhem whenever he can.
Series:
* A Lighthouse Inn Mystery
* A Candlemaking Mystery
* A Soapmaking Mystery
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 11, 2019
If I was lenient in my rating of the last book, then I'm afraid I'll be severe here. This series is getting increasingly generic.
There were unheard of expressions peppered throughout the back and forth of the people, and it exasperated me, though such use of language has its charm. But not in our book.
The one realistic occurrence in the book was the solving of the murder. There was little to go on but the main character connected the dots the same way I did twice in my life. That's it for now.
There were unheard of expressions peppered throughout the back and forth of the people, and it exasperated me, though such use of language has its charm. But not in our book.
The one realistic occurrence in the book was the solving of the murder. There was little to go on but the main character connected the dots the same way I did twice in my life. That's it for now.
August 16, 2021
I enjoy this series. The lighthouse inn setting is fun. The characters are likeable and you can’t help but root for them. The mystery was good too. #readforkimberly
September 8, 2024
Its been a while since I visited the Lighthouse Inn and I hadn't realized how much I had missed it. I love Alex and I hope he can convince Elise that their friendship could be so much more. I also love all the other characters like Mor and Emma. The story line was one that kept me guessing till the very end. I didn't expect it at all. A great story and wonderful characters. I will be making my visits to Lighthouse Inn much more frequent.
January 7, 2013
Another great Tim Myers mystery yarn. I'll have to say that this one only kept me half-guessing, as it was pretty obvious who killed one victim, but I couldn't figure out the second killer until it was revealed. Also, the Alex/Elise relationship takes another step, but it's such a baby step you just want to slap the heck out of them both. Good characterization of small town life, as always.
December 5, 2015
You have to like Elise and Alex and hope they get their dating act together. good mystery--lots of trouble in romance between not only Alex and Elise but also Emma and Mor--one of them gets worked out by the end---the other is still u-p in the air
July 12, 2017
I really like this series and I have enjoyed all the books so far. I noticed that there is a new book this year and I'm so glad because it seemed that the series was ending in a few more books, but the lighthouse is shining on!
April 28, 2019
3 - Good
December 15, 2019
Eh. This story was okay. I really liked the weather at the end.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
July 2, 2023
Love all Tim Myers' books. This one is no exception a wedding, a full inn and a mayoral race. Throw in a body and strange guests and you have a great read.
December 6, 2017
Room for Murder is the fourth in Tim Myers' "Lighthouse Inn Mystery" series. It takes place in the fictional small town of Elkton Falls in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. (I'm assuming it's fictional; a quick Google Maps search did not point me anywhere near NC.) The main setting is the Hatteras West Inn and Lighthouse, run by Alex Winston. The landlocked lighthouse on the grounds is an exact replica of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on NC's east coast.
As I remember thinking the first time I read this, you can tell that this is a story in a series; but the author does a great job of alluding to previous occurrences in Elkton Falls or outright catching the reader up on some of the details that would be familiar to a return reader. He does this in a very casual way that does not detract from the rhythm of the story and really made me want to go back to the first three books to see what adventures I missed.
I really enjoyed my time with this book as the action took up very quickly and the mystery held tight throughout the majority of the pages. Plus, the sideline plots of the tentative and the mayoral race allowed for the dialogue to really flesh out the characters in a realistic manner. I especially enjoyed that main character is not really acting in the typical mystery book fashion as an over-the-top amateur sleuth who asks all the right questions; Alex seems like a normal guy who is just trying to help his friends and getting caught up in some of the craziness as it happens.
One of the chapters is a pretty hilarious to which the book's back cover summary refers.
Two very big things stood out to me in this book that made me like it even more, though. Firstly, apart from the murders the book is clean. It's very rare to come across an author who understands that you can tell a riveting tale without using profanity or gratuitous sexual scenes. Notably there was a scene where a character was said to swear, but the offending word was not used; and I don't feel the story was any poorer for doing so.
Secondly, the story takes place in a part of the country I'd visited many times and have oft dreamed of living some day. It's very similar to the small-town culture I grew up in along with the interesting characters that really do exist in these types of places. Myers does a great job of presenting the southern charm of North Carolinians with some of the references and figures of speech he used, which based on his bio seems to be because that is where he lives.
I recommend this book and look forward to finding the rest of the series to get more involved in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries.
As I remember thinking the first time I read this, you can tell that this is a story in a series; but the author does a great job of alluding to previous occurrences in Elkton Falls or outright catching the reader up on some of the details that would be familiar to a return reader. He does this in a very casual way that does not detract from the rhythm of the story and really made me want to go back to the first three books to see what adventures I missed.
I really enjoyed my time with this book as the action took up very quickly and the mystery held tight throughout the majority of the pages. Plus, the sideline plots of the tentative and the mayoral race allowed for the dialogue to really flesh out the characters in a realistic manner. I especially enjoyed that main character is not really acting in the typical mystery book fashion as an over-the-top amateur sleuth who asks all the right questions; Alex seems like a normal guy who is just trying to help his friends and getting caught up in some of the craziness as it happens.
One of the chapters is a pretty hilarious to which the book's back cover summary refers.
Two very big things stood out to me in this book that made me like it even more, though. Firstly, apart from the murders the book is clean. It's very rare to come across an author who understands that you can tell a riveting tale without using profanity or gratuitous sexual scenes. Notably there was a scene where a character was said to swear, but the offending word was not used; and I don't feel the story was any poorer for doing so.
Secondly, the story takes place in a part of the country I'd visited many times and have oft dreamed of living some day. It's very similar to the small-town culture I grew up in along with the interesting characters that really do exist in these types of places. Myers does a great job of presenting the southern charm of North Carolinians with some of the references and figures of speech he used, which based on his bio seems to be because that is where he lives.
I recommend this book and look forward to finding the rest of the series to get more involved in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries.
June 19, 2014
Hatteras West sounds like an ideal place to take a vacation. Cozy inn, nestled in the North Carolina mountains, exact replica of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. Yep, ideal. Except that every time we visit there, a dead body turns up. This time it's the ex-husband of one of Alex's closest friends.
Emma and Mor have finally decided to tie the knot and the inn would be the perfect place to do that. If just Emma's ex hadn't turned up dead in the parking lot with she or Mor as the prime suspect. Alex and Elise aren't about to let either one of them be convicted of the crime so they set about to find the real killer.
These books could be read as stand-alones but they are so much better as a series. The characters' relationships really do grow over the course of the books and I think the enjoyment of them would be far greater to see that growth. As with each of the other books in this series, this one is a great way to spend a couple of relaxing hours.
Emma and Mor have finally decided to tie the knot and the inn would be the perfect place to do that. If just Emma's ex hadn't turned up dead in the parking lot with she or Mor as the prime suspect. Alex and Elise aren't about to let either one of them be convicted of the crime so they set about to find the real killer.
These books could be read as stand-alones but they are so much better as a series. The characters' relationships really do grow over the course of the books and I think the enjoyment of them would be far greater to see that growth. As with each of the other books in this series, this one is a great way to spend a couple of relaxing hours.
December 3, 2015
A good read. Reminded me of reading The Hardy Boys books when I was a kid, only better. There is a reason I kept this at my lake house; it is perfect for reading while on holiday at such a venue. I enjoyed it and would probably read another book or two by this author. I especially enjoyed all of the reference to the lighthouse. Just wish there was a little more descriptive verse and history in it.
September 5, 2012
This copy (electronic) had a lot of the things that annoy readers of ebooks. Misspelled words, bits of sentences just hanging there, and incorrect words in places (spell-check curse). But I read over, through and around all that and got on with the story.
August 19, 2014
A gentle, enjoyable series. And only one left, so soon I'll have a real space in my reading list!!
January 13, 2016
Easy read, not enough mystery.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews