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Agatha Bright Mysteries #1
The Fear Hunter
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B07TZWT965
Living in a haunted lighthouse in the small town of Sea Breeze, California with her two elderly aunts, Agatha Bright has everything she wants. She owns and runs a bookstore / soup shop on the beach, and her soups are loved by everyone in town. Her life is regimented and organized.
*
But Agatha has secrets that might get her in big trouble. Dark secrets.
*
When a woman goes missing, the suspicion falls on Agatha and her soups, turning her life upside down. The new detective in town, Remington Cumberbatch, has seen a lot of weird things as a detective in nearby Cannes, California, but he’s in for a surprise with Agatha, her family, and the quirky town of Sea Breeze. He begins to investigate Agatha as the number one suspect, but the attraction is immediate.
*
When the missing woman turns out to be murdered, the mystery deepens, and Agatha must help Remington find the killer before she winds up in prison…or worse.
*
The Fear Hunter is the first installment of the Agatha Bright Mysteries, a funny, romantic, small town cozy mystery series with a touch of magic. It is a spin-off series of the Matchmaker Mysteries and the Goodnight Mysteries with some characters from both.
Living in a haunted lighthouse in the small town of Sea Breeze, California with her two elderly aunts, Agatha Bright has everything she wants. She owns and runs a bookstore / soup shop on the beach, and her soups are loved by everyone in town. Her life is regimented and organized.
*
But Agatha has secrets that might get her in big trouble. Dark secrets.
*
When a woman goes missing, the suspicion falls on Agatha and her soups, turning her life upside down. The new detective in town, Remington Cumberbatch, has seen a lot of weird things as a detective in nearby Cannes, California, but he’s in for a surprise with Agatha, her family, and the quirky town of Sea Breeze. He begins to investigate Agatha as the number one suspect, but the attraction is immediate.
*
When the missing woman turns out to be murdered, the mystery deepens, and Agatha must help Remington find the killer before she winds up in prison…or worse.
*
The Fear Hunter is the first installment of the Agatha Bright Mysteries, a funny, romantic, small town cozy mystery series with a touch of magic. It is a spin-off series of the Matchmaker Mysteries and the Goodnight Mysteries with some characters from both.
328 pages, ebook
First published September 8, 2019
2628 people are currently reading
1354 people want to read
About the author
Elise Sax
84 books907 followersElise Sax worked as a journalist for fifteen years, mostly in Paris, France. She took a detour from journalism and became a private investigator before trying her hand at writing fiction. She lives in Southern California with her two sons. An Affair to Dismember is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
May 12, 2020
Real Rating: 2.5* of five
Rounding down because I won't be reading more in the series.
The premise is fun. The first couple chapters are fun. Then the muddle hits: Agatha is centuries old (she says this in the first chapter) and a virgin (see above) and her Aunts are even older, apparently immortal, but one of them dies somehow. And Agatha has to go run the stereotypical wacky-neighbor small town's soup shop-cum-book store.
And the wack continues...there's an Area 51 analogue called Area 38 that everyone knows about, a bunch of basement-dwelling conspiracy theorists, a hot boxer-cum-police detective (in a rinkydink little town?!), I will now bring up the NINE (9) w-bombs the author drops, a couple of dirtbags with a clear criminal plot get murdered (so what?), and the ghost who lives with the Brights does something at the very end that is just so...damn...squicky.
It wasn't well organized, the author lost sight of aspects of her premise, the title relates to absolutely nothing that I can see, and the ending wasn't making the squicky actions of the ghost better in any way.
So, in a nutshell, not so much. Darn it!
Rounding down because I won't be reading more in the series.
The premise is fun. The first couple chapters are fun. Then the muddle hits: Agatha is centuries old (she says this in the first chapter) and a virgin (see above) and her Aunts are even older, apparently immortal, but one of them dies somehow. And Agatha has to go run the stereotypical wacky-neighbor small town's soup shop-cum-book store.
And the wack continues...there's an Area 51 analogue called Area 38 that everyone knows about, a bunch of basement-dwelling conspiracy theorists, a hot boxer-cum-police detective (in a rinkydink little town?!), I will now bring up the NINE (9) w-bombs the author drops, a couple of dirtbags with a clear criminal plot get murdered (so what?), and the ghost who lives with the Brights does something at the very end that is just so...damn...squicky.
It wasn't well organized, the author lost sight of aspects of her premise, the title relates to absolutely nothing that I can see, and the ending wasn't making the squicky actions of the ghost better in any way.
So, in a nutshell, not so much. Darn it!
May 18, 2022
I don't mind humor in a story. Usually I find it often adds to the plot and makes the characters more human and likeable, but I found this entire book to be silly and not in a good way. Actually, I didn't really care for the story or the characters. I did finish it hoping that maybe it would get better. No such luck.
November 6, 2019
Move over Matilda because Agatha Bright is now in the spotlight. Ms. Sax has written another charming, laugh filled new adventure. With Tilly and Remington in this new setting, you know things will become "interesting". I'm ready for the next one.
August 4, 2020
What utter nonsense
I have no idea how I managed to read 200 pages of utter rambling nonsense. This whole book seemed liked a contrived acid trip.
I have no idea how I managed to read 200 pages of utter rambling nonsense. This whole book seemed liked a contrived acid trip.
July 9, 2020
Well I liked this but I didn't love it. I liked the idea that she was trying to work out how to solve mysteries while solving the mystery. The characters were good and I liked the mystery part. I just felt that the author was trying too hard to add humor through out and it just made parts awkward. The MC seemed immature and stupid at times. I liked the romance but it didn't go anywhere. I like the third murder that was a good idea which I've never come across before.
June 17, 2021
It was a fun read, it. kept going all the way through. The ending was not what I expected, but a good one.
January 12, 2021
I liked this book a lot. It was light and amusing. I even laughed out loud several times. I'm going to give the next one in the series a try.
August 31, 2020
First time with this author
I took me awhile to get this review in because I'm not sure about what to write about this book. It was great but It was terrible either. It had its funny moment but also some weird ones to that confused me. It was just ok for me. I may do a re-read when things aren't so busy at home and see if I missed something.
I took me awhile to get this review in because I'm not sure about what to write about this book. It was great but It was terrible either. It had its funny moment but also some weird ones to that confused me. It was just ok for me. I may do a re-read when things aren't so busy at home and see if I missed something.
January 10, 2021
Some unusual murders
This was a different kind of murder mystery, that's for sure. Light and funny. Quite enjoyable when you can't sleep. Each murdered person was killed in a very unusual way. Greed and deceit played a part. The craziest part was the detective was a witch.
This was a different kind of murder mystery, that's for sure. Light and funny. Quite enjoyable when you can't sleep. Each murdered person was killed in a very unusual way. Greed and deceit played a part. The craziest part was the detective was a witch.
April 3, 2021
Fast Paced mystery which keeps you intrigued to the end.
This novel is both humorous and entertaining, keeps you guessing until the end. Hard to put this book down. You have to keep reading to find out what happens next.
This novel is both humorous and entertaining, keeps you guessing until the end. Hard to put this book down. You have to keep reading to find out what happens next.
June 30, 2020
This would make a great "Learn to rewrite" assignment for students.
I don't believe I have ever given a one star. Trying to get through this book worse than a dentist appointment. At least with the dentist, you get drugs to dull the pain.
The characters were flat, empty, and totally unbelievable. It was as if there was no plot, no outline, no story just random musings changing from one to the next with odd occurrences thrown in to give another step.
I won't go into the bad editing here...its salt in the wound.
I don't believe I have ever given a one star. Trying to get through this book worse than a dentist appointment. At least with the dentist, you get drugs to dull the pain.
The characters were flat, empty, and totally unbelievable. It was as if there was no plot, no outline, no story just random musings changing from one to the next with odd occurrences thrown in to give another step.
I won't go into the bad editing here...its salt in the wound.
February 9, 2021
Not what it seems.
Agatha has spent many years taking care of the lighthouse which is attached to the Victorian home that she and her aunts share. With the death of one of her aunts she is reassigned to the making of soups in their small restaurant. The finds her new position boring and monotonous until a local murder and a handsome detective inspire her to take up detectiving.
A funny and witty book with excellent quirky characters and a good well developed plot and subplots. A recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a hearty laugh.
Agatha has spent many years taking care of the lighthouse which is attached to the Victorian home that she and her aunts share. With the death of one of her aunts she is reassigned to the making of soups in their small restaurant. The finds her new position boring and monotonous until a local murder and a handsome detective inspire her to take up detectiving.
A funny and witty book with excellent quirky characters and a good well developed plot and subplots. A recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a hearty laugh.
September 18, 2019
Elise Sax has created another town of wacky, lovable characters. Agatha Bright is a woman used to staying out of the public eye. Now she’s thrust into running a soup/book shop and detectiving! A couple of eccentric Aunts and a hot cop kept me glued to the pages. I can’t wait to see what else Ms. Sax has in store for Agatha!
May 12, 2020
3.5 Stars
Normally Elise Sax's books are spot on, but this one felt as though there was a massive in-joke that I wasn't getting. All the background noise - the aunts, the ghost, the soup/bookstore - was enjoyable but the players themselves just felt off.
Normally Elise Sax's books are spot on, but this one felt as though there was a massive in-joke that I wasn't getting. All the background noise - the aunts, the ghost, the soup/bookstore - was enjoyable but the players themselves just felt off.
June 15, 2020
I only picked this book up because it was free, and, having struggled through half of it before finally giving up, I can see why it was.
July 8, 2022
This was book 1 in the
"Agatha Bright Mysteries"
Agatha Bright has everything she wants. She owns and runs a bookstore / soup shop on the beach, and her soups are loved by everyone in town. When a woman is found dead she becomes the prime suspect. Remington Cumberbatch has seen a lot of things as a detective he is new in town but he hasn't seen anything like this town. This was a pretty good read that I liked a lot. It was fun with a lot of kooky characters in it. Agatha and her aunts are witches. This was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
March 18, 2021
Possibly one of the strangest mysteries I have ever read. Still not sure what is going on with the MC - she is strange, or not fully revealed. Yes there was a Murder, or three, and yes the mystery was solved. But I felt that I was missing so much of the background threads. It was if all the characters were sharing secrets - wacky secrets that didn’t connect to the actual story. I got to the end and felt I missed most of the plot.
I doubt I will read anymore of this series - oh, and some of the soup recipes used in the cafe might of been a nice touch.
I doubt I will read anymore of this series - oh, and some of the soup recipes used in the cafe might of been a nice touch.
February 7, 2021
I just could not get into this new series. I have loved Elise Sax other series so auto purchased this one without fully reading the description of the characters.
If you like paranormal, or whatever this is labelled as, then the strangeness of the characters won't bother you.
The story is well written and the characters are interesting even if they are strange.
I threw in the towel after 10 chapters.
If you like paranormal, or whatever this is labelled as, then the strangeness of the characters won't bother you.
The story is well written and the characters are interesting even if they are strange.
I threw in the towel after 10 chapters.
May 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I was looking for - a little mystery, silliness and humor, a touch of romance, and a different premise than I've read before. I am looking forward to reading more by this author, most definitely from this series.
November 15, 2020
Everything you want in a cozy mystery
Only read this book of you want to feel good. It will warm your heart and intrigue your mind. I adore happy endings, so this story was very satisfying to read. Great mystery with some side mysteries to make you scratch your head. All solutions revealed, of course. Happy to have found this author!!!
Only read this book of you want to feel good. It will warm your heart and intrigue your mind. I adore happy endings, so this story was very satisfying to read. Great mystery with some side mysteries to make you scratch your head. All solutions revealed, of course. Happy to have found this author!!!
Want to read
May 11, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/11/2020)! 🎁
March 25, 2021
A very enjoyable read!!
Agatha Bright lives in a haunted lighthouse with
her aunts. The lighthouse is located in Sea Breeze,
California. Agatha has always been in charge of
the lighthouse and never had to deal with the
public.
Then with the death of one of her aunts, Agatha
is assigned to step up and run her deceased aunts
soup & book shop. She needs to make four kinds
of soup every day.
When there is a murder in Sea Breeze, Agatha
decides to play detective to solve the murder.
Then another murder occurs. The handsome
Detective Remington Cumberbatch is a large
inspiration in Agatha to discover the culprit.
There are a lot of quirky, well created and
well meaning characters in this small town to
be viable suspects.
A quick, fun read.
Agatha Bright lives in a haunted lighthouse with
her aunts. The lighthouse is located in Sea Breeze,
California. Agatha has always been in charge of
the lighthouse and never had to deal with the
public.
Then with the death of one of her aunts, Agatha
is assigned to step up and run her deceased aunts
soup & book shop. She needs to make four kinds
of soup every day.
When there is a murder in Sea Breeze, Agatha
decides to play detective to solve the murder.
Then another murder occurs. The handsome
Detective Remington Cumberbatch is a large
inspiration in Agatha to discover the culprit.
There are a lot of quirky, well created and
well meaning characters in this small town to
be viable suspects.
A quick, fun read.
June 27, 2020
Completely bonkers, fun to read.
September 22, 2020
I dunno if it’s because I read this at like midnight but for some reason I found the bizarre, unworldly, witchy protagonist quite funny. Hated the love interests and the ending unfortunately.
Lots and lots sort of just tossed into this book. There’s a lot going on and if you’ve read any of sax’s other books, you’ll be familiar with most of it because she didn’t really manage to dig up any new characters or shenanigans. Indistinct and haphazard at times, but pretty enjoyable as a quick bite.
Lots and lots sort of just tossed into this book. There’s a lot going on and if you’ve read any of sax’s other books, you’ll be familiar with most of it because she didn’t really manage to dig up any new characters or shenanigans. Indistinct and haphazard at times, but pretty enjoyable as a quick bite.
October 4, 2020
This was fun! I really enjoyed it & time seemed to just fly while reading it. I think its a great book to start my fall off with 🧡 with that being said I wasn't really a fan of the romantic interest, it seemed a little rushed as with the ending, but nonetheless it was a cozy little mystery and I enjoyed it. It really gave me practical magic vibes too!
June 5, 2021
Really like this one, it has some hilarious moments that I had to chuckled. This is different from other cozy mysteries I read. Will be reading the rest of this series. Great Elise Sax.
March 1, 2021
Mystery and more
Is this a mystery? Yes. Is it farce? Yes. Ridiculous? Absurdly
It’s as if a handful of writers came together, mapped out some characters, and each went to separate rooms to write a story of murder. They came back together, threw in some ghostly magical comic relief, and the romance writer tossed together a conclusion. Why did I keep reading? Can’t begin to imagine. Must’ve been under a spell. No book 2 for me.
Is this a mystery? Yes. Is it farce? Yes. Ridiculous? Absurdly
It’s as if a handful of writers came together, mapped out some characters, and each went to separate rooms to write a story of murder. They came back together, threw in some ghostly magical comic relief, and the romance writer tossed together a conclusion. Why did I keep reading? Can’t begin to imagine. Must’ve been under a spell. No book 2 for me.
March 6, 2021
Elise Sax has created a unique mystery that is zany, whimsical, funny, romantic, and features the perfect blend of knitting, ghosts, and murder. Agatha Bright has her work cut out for her trying to calm down the knitting club, mediate between two bickering aunts, dealing with a complicated relationship with a ghost, and facing a strong attraction to a handsome cop.
1.) Bickering Aunts
Agatha's two aunts are constantly bickering and pulling Agatha into the middle of their squabbles yet their dynamic creates a comic relief throughout the mystery. They both clearly love Agatha and though they argue constantly, they're both Agatha's support system which helps ground her among these eccentric characters. We always love to see characters that have strong familial bonds and to see those connections so we were completely on board for this crazy dynamic.
2.) Love Triangle
The love triangle is subtly woven throughout the mystery with her complicated history with a ghost named John and the handsome cop Remington. She has a very complicated relationship with the ghost that gives us some mixed feelings. Agatha has been in love with him for quite a while and he's chosen to disappear for 'her own good' while being old-fashioned, protective, and harboring quite the reveal. Remington is new and handsome, shaking things up for her with a teasing personality and a strong attraction with her that comes with the chemistry of something new. With the way this book ended, we're curious to see what happens in book two.
3.) Power of the Bright Women
One of our favorite moments in the book is when Agatha goes to her aunts for help and together they draw upon the power of the Bright women. Female empowerment along with familial empowerment is one, among many, reason we enjoyed Sax's "Fear Hunter." We always navigate towards stories that are zany, eccentric, whimsical, funny, and women-powered.
We recommend "The Fear Hunter" for those that enjoy cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, and paranormal mysteries. It's also perfect for those that like zany stories and romantic plots with headstrong women, ghosts, and handsome cops.
1.) Bickering Aunts
Agatha's two aunts are constantly bickering and pulling Agatha into the middle of their squabbles yet their dynamic creates a comic relief throughout the mystery. They both clearly love Agatha and though they argue constantly, they're both Agatha's support system which helps ground her among these eccentric characters. We always love to see characters that have strong familial bonds and to see those connections so we were completely on board for this crazy dynamic.
2.) Love Triangle
The love triangle is subtly woven throughout the mystery with her complicated history with a ghost named John and the handsome cop Remington. She has a very complicated relationship with the ghost that gives us some mixed feelings. Agatha has been in love with him for quite a while and he's chosen to disappear for 'her own good' while being old-fashioned, protective, and harboring quite the reveal. Remington is new and handsome, shaking things up for her with a teasing personality and a strong attraction with her that comes with the chemistry of something new. With the way this book ended, we're curious to see what happens in book two.
3.) Power of the Bright Women
One of our favorite moments in the book is when Agatha goes to her aunts for help and together they draw upon the power of the Bright women. Female empowerment along with familial empowerment is one, among many, reason we enjoyed Sax's "Fear Hunter." We always navigate towards stories that are zany, eccentric, whimsical, funny, and women-powered.
We recommend "The Fear Hunter" for those that enjoy cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, and paranormal mysteries. It's also perfect for those that like zany stories and romantic plots with headstrong women, ghosts, and handsome cops.
August 14, 2020
While I enjoyed this, I didn’t rate it as highly as others by this author. The humor wasn’t gut splitting and the plot was a little all over the place. That said, I really like this new heroine and will continue the series hoping it gets better as the various characters get developed. I know from other books that the quirky side characters are really where this author shines, but in this first installment, they were pretty flat.
The way the author slowly revealed Agatha’s history was the best part of this book, and I look forward to getting more of that.
Tilly might have been the best part of the Goodnight series, but there’s no rhythm to her humor as one of Agatha’s crazy aunts. I hope that gets fixed. Also, Remington was dull compared to the heroes of Matchmaker and Goodnight. I was really looking forward to him being the primary love interest after enjoying his character in the Matchmaker series. So I hope he gets better, too.
The way the author slowly revealed Agatha’s history was the best part of this book, and I look forward to getting more of that.
Tilly might have been the best part of the Goodnight series, but there’s no rhythm to her humor as one of Agatha’s crazy aunts. I hope that gets fixed. Also, Remington was dull compared to the heroes of Matchmaker and Goodnight. I was really looking forward to him being the primary love interest after enjoying his character in the Matchmaker series. So I hope he gets better, too.
April 25, 2022
Agatha the ancient with the social experience of a teenager. She lives in Sea Breeze California the sewage beach. When her aunt dies she "had" to take over the soup and book shop. After a customer winds up missing the merry mystery begins. Witty, mystery, romance, paranormal, with plenty of zany characters. A keeper.
3/16/21 I liked this so much when I read it on my kindle that I had to buy this physical version.
3/16/21 I liked this so much when I read it on my kindle that I had to buy this physical version.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews