Ivy and Mac are in their motorhome, headed for their long-delayed honeymoon. Baja! Beaches! Romance, sunshine, and shrimp tacos! But a panicky phone call from good friend Magnolia, who is, as usual, looking into her complicated family genealogy, changes their plans.Magnolia has found a dead body. She's lost a dead body. Ivy and Mac decide making a side-trip to a desert ghost town won't take long.Wrong!Because In addition to a vanished dead body, there's an old cowboy trying to revive a faded western-movie career, blackmail, a two-million-dollar insurance policy, an ex-model writing the Great American Novel, her artist boyfriend, and a hungry roadrunner named Harry. Plus a killer who is determined to put Ivy and Mac into the category of the missing dead.Join Ivy and Mac for another lighthearted adventure through mayhem and mystery in this third book in the Mac 'n' Ivy Mysteries series.
Mac and Ivy are determined to get to their honeymoon destination until a murder puts a stop to their travels! Magnolia, one of the couple's traveling buddies along with her husband Geoff, thinks she saw a body in a desert ghost town that served as a western movie set. Ivy and Mac's curiosity kicks in and the mystery begins!
I am in "book love" with this series. I've followed Ivy "pre-Mac" and now, if possible, I love the couple even more! The mysteries are fast-paced, complex and filled with "red herrings". Relatable characters, supporting characters who could have their own series, mysteries that are plausible and sleuths that don't go rushing into danger, make for an entertaining series. There is a Christian element, in the books, but it is in keeping with the character's beliefs and enhanced the books without overshadowing them.
Will Ivy & Mac make that honeymoon? Did Magnolia see a body & if so, where is it? What secret is the desert hiding? I loved the answers & you will too!
I just finished reading all three books in the series. I really enjoyed this new version of the Ivy Malone series. I am glad that Mac is now a part of the story in this way. These mysteries have enough suspects to keep you guessing but not so many that it's confusing. They are fun to follow and I enjoy having the distraction of Magnolia and Geoff also. You really don't know who did the deed until the end. There are always clues that point in different directions, which keeps you guessing. It is usually the little things, adding up to big things, that solve the crime. Ivy is really good at catching those little things - which should be obvious to the rest of us - but aren't. That's what makes these books so enjoyable. I don't spend half of the book confirming what I already know. I actually don't know, until the end.
This is the third book in the Mac ‘n’ Ivy series. They are still trying to enjoy a honeymoon trip to Baja, but Magnolia calls panicking. So they decide to help her out. She found a dead body at an old west town in Arizona. Only problem is, the body disappeared. Or did it really exist? I enjoy reading about LOL Ivy and her sleuthing. Age makes you invisible, or at least Ivy thinks so. The stories are well written with a great twist at the end. I had a few chuckles as I followed the story. Looking forward to reading about more of their adventures as they motor on to enjoy their honeymoon. Well done!
I love this series! The settings are always so interesting, Ivy's spent time at a lake house, an ostrich farm, a dinosaur park, and now an old West ghost town (or a pretend one anyway, which only makes it more interesting). Ivy's sweet and funny and brave and curious, and she's found the ideal man to spend the rest of her life with. I hope there are a dozen more books to read about them!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mac and Ivy’s adventures in the Arizona desert on their way to their honeymoon. Betsy flirting with …. Sable running Jenna’s life, at least trying to. Did Magnolia really find a dead body? Kept me on the edge of my seat as the mystery unfolded.
I enjoyed reading about the desert and retired people travelling in RVs. The mystery of who did the murder was a good story. Ivy and Mac make a good pair. This is a good book to read at the beach or waiting for an appointment at the doctor's office.
I have given five-star ratings too all but one of the Ivy mysteries; both the Ivy Malone Mysteries and the Mac 'n' Ivy Mysteries. I will be looking forward to at least one more that she is writing. I hope her other series are as good as these are.
I did notice a few editing issues in this book. I also find the flip-flop between the perspective of Ivy and Mac throughout this series annoying. Otherwise, I do love these mysteries. They are well-written, with great character depth.
I love the Mac and Ivy characters, but the last several books have been disappointing. This one did have a more solid mystery, but it wasn't believable that they would postpone their honeymoon (again) to solve it.
What can I say? I love Mac 'n' Ivy. This story is what I'd call a cozy mystery, an easy, fun read. The characters are in their sixties, newly married after both have lost their spouses. The setting, in this installment, revolves around a movie-set western town in the desert, where a body has been discovered. But when the body disappears, doubt rises as to what Ivy's friend, Magnolia, actually saw. Mac and Ivy work alongside Magnolia and her husband to find the truth. Ivy's sense of justice and her irrepressible fondness for people and their stories keep her within the reach of danger throughout. If you like cozy mysteries, I recommend Lorena McCourtney's Ivy Malone series (4 books) and her more recent Mac 'n' Ivy series (3 books to date). McCourtney also writes in prolifically in other genres.
It's not enough for Mac 'n" Ivy to stumble over dead bodies? Now friend Magnolia has to get into it too? What's worse is that Magnolia's body disappears when she goes back to the nearby motor-home to get her phone! Now she's not sure if it really was a body...
I am a huge Mac and Ivy fan, and this latest book from author Lorena McCourtney has only reinforced that feeling. I love the fact that age doesn't stop them from sleuthing and taking risks. It has been proven (by Ivy) that age can be somewhat of an invisibility shield and often her detecting goes unnoticed. What doesn't go unnoticed is how darn nice and helpful both Mac and Ivy can be-even when it means delaying their honeymoon!
This is a wonderful book full of quirky characters, friendship, faith, kindness, laughter, and love. I wish it wasn't over so quickly, and I am already anxiously waiting for the 4th book in the series! Good mystery and good reading!
Mac and Ivy are an older couple hoping to finally enjoy their postponed honeymoon trip but a friend finding a dead body (which has now gone missing) interrupts. I enjoy Lorena McCourtney's light mystery reads. The Ivy Malone and now Mac n Ivy Mysteries are a nice, enjoyable diversion from heavier reading. The characters are older but still manage to get into solving mystery trouble while enjoying life and friendships together. There is an element of faith but doesn't overwhelm the story. I find the characters quirky and even though I consider this light reading, the stories keep me interested.
Generally love Ivy Malone but not so much Ivy and Mac. Miss the free spirited single lol. Also miss Abilene my favorite character in all the series. Overall a good read but with a few disappointments.
Good but not as good as the original Ivy Malone series. Lots of action and I was guessing till almost the end as to who the actual murderer was. For me, a single lol I really enjoyed Ivy before Mac, now she's just another married woman who noses into murders. I greatly miss other strong characters from the first books, especially Abilene.
As always, when reading books from this series, there is a wonderful light hearted ness to each mystery. I find myself laughing out loud many times. It is an easy and clean read. Lorena's humour about aging hits close to home!! I would suggest this book to anyone that is looking for a little mystery mixed with much laughter - I would even read this with my grands! Well done, Lorena!!
As usual another splendid addition to the Mac and Ivy series. The setting is interesting. The old ghost town holds many secrets, the latest being what happened to the dead body Magnolia found? The twist and turns are plentiful as the pair of sleuths try to figure out the mystery. I enjoyed the book very much and already looking forward to the next.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Ivy Malone mysteries - if you haven’t read them - DO! They are hilarious and suspenseful and entertaining. The Mac and Ivy series are just as fun. Love the new characters brought in along with the old friends. This book is a great read! You won’t guess who did it! Can’t wait for the next one!
This is a brilliant story written from the point of view of the two main characters. I loved it from start to finish. The detail in descriptions is so good I could visulise being in certain places whilst reading it. As it's a mystery you should read it right to the end to discover the whole story. I couldn't put it down.
Read all the Ivy mysteries and now the Ivy and Mac books. There just good wholesome reading. Think Ivy needs to take some defense lessons. LOL and kick boxing sounds great.
I always enjoy Mac ‘n’ Ivy, and I particularly enjoy the connective threads like meeting up with and interacting with friends. I loved the Ivy Malone series, and was thrilled when the author continued with Mac ‘n’ Ivy. I look forward to the next book.
Award-winning Lorena McCourtney writes delightful cozy murder mysteries. She has done it again with her 49th book, and latest Mac 'n' Ivy Mystery. I'm already looking forward to her next novel!!