When the Pineapple Port crew pack up a snake-bus and head to North Carolina for a vaction, the Outer Banks will never be the same...
The Pineapple Port crew takes a road trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, only to discover "body bits" in their vacation home. The nursing home next door is run by some suspicious characters and one of their residents is missing. Hmm...
As the bits o' somebody pile up (and Mariska keeps the neat and safe in a butter dish), amateur sleuth Charlotte Morgan and her friends must solve the murder before a storm blows them all back to Florida!
Amy Vansant is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author who writes with an unique blend of thrills, romance and humor (occasionally with a touch of time travel or fantasy). Check out the Pineapple Port Mystery series or her Urban Fantasy Thriller, the Kilty Series! Website: http://www.amyvansant.com/ She loves interacting with fans when the dog isn't laying on top of her, so stop by her blog or Twitter and say hi!
Pineapple Beach House: A Pineapple Port Mystery Pineapple Port Mysteries, Book 5 By: Amy Vansant Narrated by: Rosemary Benson This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary. This is the strangest mystery I have ever read/listened to! Lol! A group of friends go on vacation and at this house they end up finding a person's finger near the outside trash almost as soon as they get there. It just gets worse from then on! Who's bits are these? A fun read with them trying to figure out what happened! Soon the neighbors are involved! It is a funny story despite a murder mystery story! 😁 Lots of surprises, a little suspense, heavily sprinkled with humor, great characters, and I love the added weird bits of the story such as their vehicle, and in the beginning of the book when they went to the wrong club! The narration was terrific! Truly enjoyed this book!
Ms. Vansant has the crew of Pineapple Port spend Thanksgiving in the Outer Banks of North Carolina to get away for a few days. A "work" holiday turns into something much more sinister as Charlotte makes gruesome discoveries of body parts in the beach house that they are staying in for their getaway. The quirky characters are at their humorous best as they try to solve the mystery.
The hook was immediate—a misunderstanding at a ‘Goth’ book club? Road trip in a ‘snake’ bus? An impending ‘perfect storm’? Amy sets up the group with a free stay at beach house on the outer banks of North Carolina in exchange for some housekeeping and completing a handyman ‘to do’ list. It’s somewhat naive that Charlotte was looking forward to this little getaway with boyfriend Declan when the Pineapple Port crew was in tow; a multi-generational road trip is bound to have some trouble. Trouble! I guess is relative because this page-turner has the weather turning ominous, the neighbors looking geriatric plus, the turkey dinner becoming the dogs’ treat, and all capped off with the discovery of a frozen human finger in the trash. What’s under the bed? Did you unclog the sink? The characters continue to be delightful and the personalities all seem to work together. I can see my own family in many of the quirks and vulnerabilities. The multi-generational theme includes the use of some over 55 crowd stereotypes to provide humor and conflict. I enjoyed it, but some may have an issue with it. “Pineapple Beach House” was a great read culminating with my inner sleuth being stumped at the final “Oh, my!” conclusion.
"Disclosure: A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. However, all of the above opinions are my own.”
I am a big fan of this series and this latest installment didn't disappoint. It had the usual wicked humor and intrigue that always have me reading greedily. My only 'grievance' with it, if I can call it that, is that I missed Pineapple Port in it! Still, it was refreshing to have the characters in a totally different world acting like tourists. Of course, it turned out to be a holiday from hell. Body parts were found here and there, and the author kept me guessing. I was led down the wrong avenue once or twice but didn't feel cheated. It was all done very cleverly and I loved how it all made sense right at the end! The snake bus was the highlight of the story. Highly recommended! (I received a free copy and chose voluntarily to review it)
Another fun, super quick read. Nothing beats the humor of the first novel in my opinion, but the mystery in this one made it a close second favorite for me. It was exciting, suspenseful, and a nice break from all the Stephanie drama of the last few books. Nice to have the whole Pineapple Port gang together and involved in this mystery. Looking forward to the next one!
I had a bit of trouble suspending my disbelief this time around. The situation the gang finds itself in is pretty wacky. Still entertaining though. I also found the ending sudden. It could have taken more than a chapter to wrap things up. I still enjoyed reading it. Just not quite as much.
This one was okay, but not quite as good as some of the others in the series. The mystery was solid, the snake bus was fun, but the idea that they would wait so long to call the police was a big plot hole for me, no matter their reasoning.
Pineapple Port Working Vacation in the Outer Banks.
Not a vanilla group of retirees. Sassy seniors with some wild backgrounds share a beachside retreat with twenty-something Charlotte, who grew up in their retirement community.
I think of the series as Retirement Murder Mystery Cozy with a Twist.
The wicked genius of author Amy Vansant gives us seniors who've lived full, zany lives. These folks have had long lives, in some cases, multiple marriages, and some um, creative careers. Thanks for the advance reader copy so I got an early peek at the fun, murder and mayhem!
Sassy Uncle Seamus had always told Carlotte's beau Declan that he was a cop. Seamus was in fact a Police Informant, and a licensed PI. He has boisterous style with flair, and tends to color a bit outside the lines to sweet talk, charm, or snare info or whatever he's after. Gran would have called him a Charming Irish ***- the kind who makes you smile. He's a PI Mentor for Charlotte, much to Sherrif Frank's chagrin.
Charlotte seems to a bit fluffy herself, possibly because her extended network of family-friends kept her a bit away from their really darkest sides. A scary thought, because they all seem to share funky skills and stories with Charlotte.
Cheerful Darla, with her Sheriff husband, quirky holiday decorations, and Turbo the mini-dachshund dog, shares her lock picking skills with Charlotte.
Midwestern Polish gal Mariska develops Carlotte's love of food, and a taste for meat. Not quite up to snuff with Mariska's sister Carolina's bag o meat and loads of potatoes Midwestern diet. Both ladies do their best to give Charlotte hug therapy. Carolina's hubby is an electrician and handyman, so a welcome addition to the work party. Mariska has a lead foot when driving, and a knack for getting in surprising situations.
A favorite early chapter lands Darla, Mariska and Charlotte at a party Mariska says is a Gothic Romance Costume Party. Arriving in crinolines and hoop skirts, the ladies find themselves surrounded by black leather, heavy metal and vampire dressed 55 plus seniors. No serious damage done, except a crinkly old man trying to lick Charlotte on the neck. He desists his efforts when Charlotte threatens to steak him, with a Porterhouse. Mariska tells the hostess she read the invite that said " light S & M" as light Snacks and Meats.
Mariska's Bob seems pretty placid until he joins the boys of the Bourbon Club. Bob has an alter ego Lance, a nickname from Bob's Lance Corporal Days in the Marines. Lance appears as the Bourbon disappears. He's a bit of a ladies man and a rounder.
Charlotte's boyfriend Declan is an alleged hottie, drooled over for his swimmers body by some of Pineapple Ports ladies. He seems fairly tame and boring to me compared to his Sassy Uncle Seamus. He doesn't seem to have the sort of flair of his senior counterparts. Charlotte met Declan when he made his rounds at Pineapple Port. He has a second hand shop located in a former ethnic chain restaurant building: Hock O Bell.
Declan has a colorful new employee who goes by Blade. Blade is a genius as selling odd items to the folks of Charity and Pineapple Port. Blade added an eye patch to a mounted deer head with a damaged eye. He called him Black Deered, and made a quick sale. Blade is unnervingly fond of t-shirts with knives or other sharp weapons on them, which he gives nicknames. He seems to be a sideshow like attraction, and a great draw to Declan's shop. A favorite of the Pineapple Port ladies and gents.
The gang finds themselves at a friend's beach house. They've agreed to help bring it up to snuff for sale, a working vacation that is no free ride.
Weather in November in the Outerbanks is cold and stormy, and takes the used to warmer weather Floridians unprepared and under-dressed for the rain / sleet/ snow storm that greets them when they arrive in their borrowed Snakemobile Converted Bus, courtesy of Seamus. He always makes an eye catching appearance. Who wouldn't notice a bright colored snake parked on the sandy beach?
They catch the attention of the neighboring Care/Rest home. SPOILER ALERT! The owners and residents of the care home in turn come to the attention of the Pineapple Port Bunch as they discover a trail of missing patient bits, and some financial shenanigans leading back to the care home.
A trail that connecting the two houses ends in the discovery of murdered remains of one of the owners of the Beach House in the attic with our crazy Pineapple gang.
A great time was had by the dogs on the trip. The Pineapple Portians always seem to uncover and revel in fun and mayhem wherever they go. Misdeeds by the neighbors uncovered, our friends can enjoy a few days vacation without paintbrush or tools in hand.
A Cozy Murder Mystery with Crazy seniors. There's always a surprise, and lots of ironic twists. The biggest sticks in the mud with this group are the younger couple.
A fun read if you like seniors and other people with pizazz!
Amy Vansant's Pineapple Beach House is the 5th book in the series & newest entry as of August, 2017. For this story, the "Pineapple Crew"- Charlotte, Declan, Marisa, Darla, Seamus, and Bob- travel to North Carolina's Outer Banks for a "working vacation." Darla's friends, Brenda & Phil Scott, own a vacation house, that's apparently also a rental house, that needs some fixing up- paint, minor repairs, etc. They offered it to Darla & company for two weeks for a "vacation" in exchange for them doing the work. Mariska's sister, Carolina, & her husband, Chuck, are meeting the Pineapple crew in NC from their home in Michigan. Darla's husband, Sheriff Frank, isn't able to get away for the 2 weeks- or maybe he just doesn't want to paint!- so he stays home. The Beach house is truly on the beach- they are warned they will need a vehicle that can travel on the sand to reach it, which results in Seamus borrowing a bus with interesting physical characteristics (I'm not a fan of spoilers, so read the book- the bus is hysterical). Next door to the vacation house is a place called Elder-Care-O-Lina-- an assisted living/ retirement home on the beach, which must make the Pineapple Port crew feel right at home. But a storm leaves them stranded in the house, as the ocean has flooded the beach. Small pieces of what appear to be human bodies start showing up around the vacation house. At first, it's not even 100% clear if the pieces are human. But gradually, Charlotte, Seamus, & Declan become more & more sure they are finding pieces of deceased people. Of course, they are next door to a home for people who are sick & sometimes dying, so maybe they don't have far to look? The Pineapple Port Cozy Mystery books are fun, fast-paced, inventive Cozy mysteries with inventive twists & turns, and this one is no exception. However, Beach House is a departure from the other books in the series. Author Vansant has taken most of her characters out of their hometown & out of the on-going backstory involving Serial-killer mother/daughter Jackie & Stephanie & Stephanie's obsession with Declan. It's a break in the storyline, so breaking it away by taking it to NC was brilliant. It gave the author free rein to showcase a completely different story, which really was different, imaginative, & inventive, and still go back to Pineapple Port and pick up where we left off. I enjoyed the story a lot. There were enough twists & turns to keep it interesting, without getting so convuluted that it can't be resolved naturally (which sometimes happens when copies try to get too involved). In addition, this book can stand on its own completely, as it has its own unique storyline. Others in the series can be read on their own, but definitely fare better when read in order, but this one can be read in order or by itself. I highly recommend reading this book. It's a fun read with lots of inventive twists. You won't want it to end. I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ms. Amy has another winner in this interesting series. In fact I think other than book number one, this was the best one. It is nice, even though some of the regular cast is there, we get to get away from the series namesake of Pineapple Port. Even thought the cast is slimmed down we pick up a few others along the way to make up for the ones left behind.
The premise is that Charlotte, her boyfriend, his uncle and two of the husband.wives who raised her in the retirement home she was double orphaned in (read the early books to make sense of that sentence) are going on a working vacation over the Thanksgiving holidays. They agree to repair a beach property owned by a friend in exchange for use of it. Except, it is on the North Carolina coast and there is a huge storm out there. Things get interesting when they find a finger in frozen trash. Did I forget to say there is Nursing Home (Elder Careolina.... get it, North Carolina.... if I have to explain it to you it is just not funny!), that seems to be missing a few residents?
With the weather bad what is a private detective in training going to do? Do I really need to ask? You got it, since the police cannot come to them, they are going to solve the mystery themselves.
This is a fun book, though by the description you might not think so. Amy does a wonderful job of making this cast of characters come to life. I recommend it to anyone wanting a fun mystery. As I have said before, this is not a cozy mystery series. It does not have violence or sex, but it hey it has body parts (just wait till you see the part about the eye!) As part of the author's street team I was allowed to read the book for free. This is an honest review. If I thought it was bad, you would know it.
Kindle Unlimited, hint for 'Charlotte' cream cheese is low carb and celery is the only 'negative' food as in it takes body more energy to eat and digest than whatever low to no calories/carbs it has, so probably better to look to other eating habits and to hiding under low beds and someone sitting on the same bed from above, just fyi. *One more fyi re lower review noticed, this story menioned evidence of blood spattter and about 3 small body pieces gotten by animals but have SEEN much worse in Columbo and Agatha Christie movies {not in Murder she wrote, it was part of her contract to not have it}, but cozy definiton is no graphic violence, no profanity, and no explicit sex, which this book had NONE of, and in fact have seen plenty {not this one} that go in to detail about coroner's reports and such, so this one was quite tame in what little it did mention. I read all genres except 'romance' {ick factor} and this was one of the tamest cozies/murder mysteries I have ever read, and in fact if hadn't caught the review wouldn't have thought more than a few seconds on each instance of what little there was.
The Pineapple Port crew takes a road trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, only to discover “body bits” in their vacation home. The nursing home next door is run by some suspicious characters and one of their residents is missing.
A Pineapple Port Mystery Pineapple Lies 1 Pineapple Mystery Box 2 Pineapple Puzzles 3 Pineapple Land War 4 Pineapple Pack!: Pineapple Port Mystery Series Books 1-3 Pineapple Port Mysteries (4 Book Series) Pineapple Beach House: A Pineapple Port Mystery: Book Five
This Pineapple Port mystery is a bit of a departure from the usual Amy Vansant mystery and I thought it rocked. I smiled (and occasionally snickered) throughout the book. Every person I've met in Pineapple Port has a slightly skewed outlook on life but they would do almost anything to help each other.
The usual crowd is going on vacation to a beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for free. All the owners ask for in return was the group do some light maintenance and indoor painting. Charlotte and Declan were looking forward to some time together without Uncle Seamus who tends to barge into their plans and overstay his welcome. Seamus volunteers to provide the transportation for the group. Imagine their disbelief when he shows up driving a snake bus complete with scales and hissing sound effects. Amy describes the scene much better than I do, that's why she's the writer and I'm the reader. You can be sure she has many more surprising discoveries for her readers. I'll give you a hint: a grayish finger,a butter dish and a fork. That's it for my review. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
Charlotte, Declan, and the gang are going to the Outer Banks, NC for a vacation. They agreed to help fix up the place in exchange for free rent on a beach front property. During the free maintenance, they discover pieces of a body.
Amy has written a story with well defined characters and a good plot. The only problem is this is closer to a thriller/horror story rather than that of a cozy mystery in which the characters have been part of for the last four stories. If it had been published as a thriller/horror story and with non cozy characters, I would have given it a higher rating. As it is, even though bad things happen to good people and characters. This story should not be included in a cozy mystery setting. I would not recommend eating while reading this one. There are some pretty gory descriptions.
What do a butter dish coffin, a blog filled baggie, and a reptile covered school bus have in common? Plenty if you're a resident of Pineapple Port. What was supposed to be a free "working" vacation at the North Carolina beach house of Darla's friend Brenda, it quickly turned into a strange mystery. After finding a severed finger in the trash and a tooth lodged in the kitchen sink our top sleuths, Charlotte and Seamus begin looking for clues. Everything seemed to point towards an elder care home next door. Amidst a terrible storm they keep finding missing pieces. The story keeps us guessing what happened until the end. As in the past Pineapple Port books there is a great mix of humor and mystery as the truth unfolds. I loved reading this latest book and look forward to the next in the series.
Somehow, our Florida people decide they need a vacation. Darla has a friend who owns a beach house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The beach house needs some work done to it to be ready for the next rental season, so in spite of it being November, the whole gang piles into a snake bus that Seamus finds to take them to North Carolina. Sister Carolina and husband fly in from Michigan and meet them at the beach house. They already know they have to paint all the inside rooms and they bring the paint with them on the bus. Carolina gets there 2 days early and takes it upon herself to do some shopping, ending up with lots of steak cramming the freezer and refrigerator. Meanwhile, a cold front and a hurricane decide to bump into one another right about the time Charlotte finds a finger in the garbage can. Talk about wacky things happening during vacation!
What happens when you pile 3 couples in a "Snake" bus to go from Florida to North Carolina for a "work vacation"? In this story, more than you bargained for! As the couples are busy fixing up a friend's house so she can sell it, body parts keep showing up. Do they leave? No. Do they call the police? No. The storm is so bad, that the beach they drove on is now the ocean. So Charlotte decides she needs to solve this case and find out whose body parts they are. After all she is going to be a private investigator, why not start now? Things don't ever go as planned do they? Charlotte thought she had it figured out, boy was she wrong! I am not going to tell you the answer either, you will just have to read the book for yourself to find the answer!
Love the Pineapple Port Mysteries and this one did not disappoint. I did find it rather stupid that they felt they could not identify the owner of the finger - anybody heard of fingerprints? And you can bet there's one on that finger. Sure, not everybody's fingerprints are of record, BUT, if you were in the military service, you can bet they are and they had reason to believe that the owner of the finger had been in the military. But the dumbest. most idiotic thing, was that they did not contact the police after having found not one, not two, but three body parts. I think Ms. Vansant really pushed the envelope on this one, and for that I only gave 4 stars instead of my usual 5 that I give for Pineapple Port.
Pineapple Beach House by Amy Vansant A Pineapple Port Mystery book 5 Charlotte and her boyfriend Declan, her two adopted grandmas and hubbies, dogs and Declan’s uncle, are all to go on a holiday to a beach house! It is owned by Darla’s friends Phil and Brenda and is rent free in exchange for repairs and painting! Very exciting! Charlotte and Declan pull up at her place to grab their bags and see a giant snake bus opposite waiting for them all to get loaded and going on the adventure of a lifetime! This book is full of places where I couldn’t stop laughing. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. And, I can’t wait for book 6 to appear! Amy Vansant keeps me laughing! I bought this book and the review is entirely my own! That snake bus is a hoot!
When the Pineapple Port crew head to N.C. Outer banks you know it’s not going to be a normal vacation. As they do repairs to the home in exchange for a free 2 weeks stay they start to think they got the short end of the straw. Once they arrive they discover a cold front and Atlantic storm are about to collide right where they are staying. As they settle in they start to discover body parts! With a nursing home next door full of suspicious people they think they must have murdered someone. So Charlotte and Seamus are on the case. I love this series with it eccentric and entertaining characters! If you are looking for a fun quick mystery book this is the one you want. I highly recommend this book and this series!
Pineapple Beach House: A Pineapple Port Mystery: Book Five (Pineapple Port Mysteries 5) by Amy Vansant
Amy Vansant is such a terrific writer. These mysteries are both twisty and hilarious. This one is even a bit yucky...lol. I love the characters and especially love the relationship between Charlotte and Declan. It is so wonderful that they can be so in tune with each other. Another well plotted, well written extremely addictive murder mystery. I have read everything Vansant has written and I always come away with a smile or two. *I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request. This is my honest review*
As I said in recent review you need to read the book in order of their series to grasp the dynamic of the main characters, Charlotte, Declan, Seamus, darla, frank, and the rest of Charlotte friends. The series get better and better as you read them in order. This series involved the gang going on a vacation to outer banks ,when arrived to their destination, start finding body parts in the house and suspicion on nursing home next door. Loved this series as I do all the orhers. A great whodunit series, keeps you guessing throughout the whole stories until the end. Superb job vansant.
Another great story from Amy Vansant. In this one a friend of Darla's had offered free rent of her holiday beach house in return for some painting and small repairs. The whole group from Pineapple Port, except for Frank, plus Declan and Seamus bundled into a borrowed bus for the trip. All was well until they started finding some strange things lyjng around the house. They suspected that the neighbors were up to something bad, so Charlotte, Declan and Seamus had to investigate. It resulted in a comedy of errors which all ended up in the hands of the police.
Book #5 is Not as Cozy as the other books in the series, but still a great read. It is not horrifying or gruesome at all and was great to go back to visit The Pineapple Portians, though they were on Vacation at a Beach House in North Carolina this time. I have Loved this Whole series and had a lot of laughs with Every book in it. I even have re-read them a couple of times when I need a quick, fun and funny book. I received an ARC copy of this book. I was not persuaded to write a positive review, just an Honest One.
This one was a little different and not strictly because they were not in Pineapple Port. I missed some of the humor from earlier books. The mystery was good and I didn't catch on to who the body was until Charlotte did. I agree with Carolina and Chuck, this was not my idea of a vacation. It rained the entire time and they slaved to improve the house. They paid alright. When body parts start to appear, Charlotte and Seamus jump both feet first into trying to solve the murder.
Eventually they do but not without a few stumbling blocks.
Working Vacations Suck This book is the fifth in a series of humorous cozy mysteries. In this adventure, the group gets to stay in a South Carolina Beachhouse for 2 weeks in return for doing some pre-sale repairs. And they fall for it! Not only does the house need more than paint and a few screws, but the first week is also spent battling a huge storm while everyone chants, 'We should have stayed home!' It is very funny as it just gets more complicated. I am in the middle of binge-reading the series and am far from tired of reading it!
The Pineapple Port gang heads to the Outer Banks to work on a beach house for a distant relative. Upon arrival they begin to find body parts as they are buffeted by a giant winter storm. All the usual fun is there when they begin to investigate the situation. The characters, old and new, add to the humor and enjoyment as the investigation is attempted. The mystery is not as far-fetched as the earlier books and the book is very entertaining.
this is the first book I've listened to by this author and I can say that I highly enjoyed it. The performance was spot on and even though this is book 5 in the series I feel like it could totally be a stand alone. I didn't feel lost at all. These characters where so full of personality and the narrator was able to bring that to life (as well as the author - of course)! Sweet and fun and full of twists that will keep you guessing on who done it!
Another comedy of errors featuring Charlotte and the Pineapple Portians. The group decide to take a working vacation to the Outer Banks. Unfortunately, a storm comes in that cuts them off from civilization. It's just them and the people in the nursing home next door. I won't reveal what happens next but, I will tell you that Charlotte starts the ball rolling. Humor and mystery are bound together in this book.
Just a fun book, but this mystery takes place at a North Carolina beach house, where they have been asked to help clean-up the beach house. Next door is a home for the elderly, three cats and a hole in a wall leading to a locked freezer. Discoveries are made and in true Pineapple Port mysteries, Charlotte finds herself in the thick of it. When you don't want to think too much you can delve into familiar characters, but that doesn't mean there are no twists. Always an enjoyable read.