Booking a Killer Vacation

A Myrtle Beach Mystery #1

by J.R. Ripley

Newhart meets Murder She Wrote. Think innkeeper Dick Loudon and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher. Put 'em together, flip 'em around and what do you get? Kelly Green and Harry Leland. One is the new owner of the Beach Lovers Inn in Myrtle Beach, SC. The other is a mystery writer staying at the inn who sees mysteries and murders everywhere.

When Kelly’s aunt decides to retire, she jumps at the opportunity to run the inn. But soon after, a guest is murdered and Kelly and Harry are determined to find the killer before any more guests check out for good.

First in a new cozy series by critically-acclaimed, bestselling author J.R. Ripley.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Ebooks, Fiction

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2020

About the author

Bestselling author of fiction, crime fiction, thrillers, capers, cozies and more. Pseudonym for author Glenn Meganck

Reviews

[Sabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the mystery. It was well created and kept me guessing until the end. I just did not like the way Kelly treated Harry, a guest in her Inn, at all.

[Aimee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can’t get past the content errors. At one point the writer switched from third-person to first-person, but only for a sentence or two. It was very confusing and I couldn’t tell if someone was speaking and there were missing quotation marks or what was going on. When speaking to others, the title ‘Detective’ is abbreviated as ‘Det.’ instead of being spelled out. Abbreviations aren’t used in conversations like that and I founds it jarring. Overall it’s sloppy and it kept pulling me out of the story. DNF

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the Holiday Inn!

It started out slow but the mystery was good. It kept you guessing since I knew it had to be one of the reunion group but with all the little secrets you can get a bit twisted. I have to say Mr. and Mrs. Denise have a nice right hook. Lol I think what annoyed me most was the way Kelly treated Harry. He was a timid, sweet guy and at times causing a bit of trouble but no reason to treat him so cruelly.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t terrible, however the MFC’s treatment of the MMC and co defective sort of ruins the mood of the book.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries
A Myrtle Beach Mystery

[Allison Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done and interesting book

This was a good mystery. I couldn't solve it and it was fun watching the unfolding - and the characters developing.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t get past certain things. If you’re going to write about a location I believe you should have either knowledge of that location or do some research. Deep dish pizza is not on most menus in myrtle beach. I ve never seen it on any menu there but I suppose it is possible. 15 bedroom inn? It wouldn’t be described as “quaint” in any brochure. 15 bedroom is a hotel. Like I said, I just couldn’t get past it after that. I’m giving 2 stars because I realize what it takes to write and finish a story, and then be published by some miracle.

[Tari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this first in a new series, because for one thing, I love Myrtle Beach and haven't been back there in forever. Next best thing is to read about it. I know Aunt Ruth wasn't in it much, but I liked her so much right away and kind of wish she wasn't retiring to Arizona. Kelly's dad Ben is such a hoot! I did think Kelly could have been a little nicer to Harry, but honestly he'd have tried my patience too with his antics. I know he meant well and at times, he reminded me of Sheldon with his intelligence yet sometimes innocent or naive actions. I hope they'll be better friends, but I'm still team Det. Nick Burns when it comes to Kelly dating someone ;)

Some of the story really dragged on for me without accomplishing much, i.e., looking for clues in cozies usually at least turns up something, but it sure seemed like they weren't finding a whole lot in this one, even after a couple of murders and a possible murder attempt or two. I will give Harry credit for trying to do his job with the article he was writing, but sometimes he didn't go about it in the smartest way. I couldn't quite get invested enough in the guests' lives to even venture an intelligent guess for the killer, so I just read and went along with the story. I did like how the showdown happened in a somewhat protected way, although poor Harry did end up getting choked on a little. He and Kelly definitely made an unlikely sleuthing duo, and I'll be interested in continuing to read their adventures.

[Marie Orozco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute mystery with an Agatha Christie type ending

I enjoyed this novel. It was fun and kept my interest. I'm not saying it was the best mystery I ever read, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the two reviews here claim. It was a lightweight story with funny characters and it held my interest which is what I had wanted when I sat down to read it. If I had been looking for a Shakespearean tragedy, I wouldn't have selected this book. The cover clearly shows what the story is like, and it wasn't false advertising. And sometimes I crave a story just like this with characters like the ones in this book. Keep up the good work J.R.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just could not stop reading this book!!!! A real mystery from cover to cover. I enjoyed reading about where this mystery was taken place in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Kelly Green and Harry Leland Kelly is the new owner of The Beach Lovers Inn in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Harry is the mystery writer staying at the inn who sees mysteries and murders everywhere. When Kelly's aunt decides to retire Kelly jumps at the opportunity to run the inn. But soon after a guest is murdered and Kelly and Harry determined to find the killer before anymore guests check out for good!!!!

[jennifer shank · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. Would have liked to have seen the aunt play a larger part. I think i would have enjoyed her a lot. Would have liked more description making me feel like i was at Myrtle beach. Two or 3 references or landmarks....but felt like it could have been any beach. The inn was owned
during a time full of vintage Myrtle beach history that would have been nice thrown in. Humorous and a fun read overall.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did not wow me with its plot and characters to begin with, but I ultimately enjoyed the mystery and loved the descriptions of the hotel. Sounds like a place i would like to visit. I was frustrated with the inability to get the Dennis couple's surname correct. Sometimes they were the Desmonds, and he was at one point named Desmond Desmond.

[George Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myrtle Beach is really a killer vacation location!

This book is written so that any age would enjoy reading it. I chose this rating for the strong characters, the location and
the storyline. Myrtle Beach is one of my family's favorite beaches for vacation time while our children were growing up. We are looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Crystal Grey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this solely cause it’s set in a place in my home state and I know Myrtle Beach well. It felt like this writer did a lot of Google Maps searches and had never been to Myrtle Beach or had only been there once as a tourist. That aside, a man is murdered at the MC’s beachside Inn, there was a good deal of blood yet instead of calling professionals the regular housekeeper is tasked with cleaning it. I don’t even think there was the correct PPE, just some gloves and super strength cleaner. That bothered me more than any other part of what was a pretty terribly written book. Also, for two sentences the writing goes from third person to first and then back which is jarring.

[Bernadine Sydow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer Vacation

I enjoyed a good mystery and one that has me quessing who was the guilty one. A book that I had a hard time putting it down. One that I had to finshed quickly. This most certainly the book.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

Deserved the best. Very entertaining. I had no idea who the killers were until the very end. I was surprised. I laughed at the quirks of the characters. Fun read. Looking forward to reading more of your books.👍👍

[Deb Rabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than I anticipated. I downloaded it as a summer read while on vacation in Myrtle Beach (where the story takes place). The characters are likeable and realistic and the story flows well. It was a good summer read.

[Lisa Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, light mystery

[Lisa Gassner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the plot however when there are too many characters it gets very confusing.

[Patricia McCormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story with an unlikely hero

Taking over her aunt's beachfront inn comes with some of the usual problems, but Kelly never expected murder to be one of them.

[CHERYL YEAGER · Rating 5 out of 5]

KELLY AND HARry

It was a good story. I can see the building of the characters in following books, especially KELLY and Harry. The ending was surprising .

[PugMom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun first in series!

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booking a Killer Vacation

A delightful cozy murder mystery. Two unlikely individuals become partners , sort of, in trying to solve a murder. Delightful character development, unusual plot, and lots of laugh out loud moments.

[Alison Gregory Edmonson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

Fun read. Enjoyed the turns of the mystery. Would love to read more of books about Kelly, Harry and Det Burns

[Robert Brown]

In the sand.

Good cozy mystery. Lots of intrigue and suspects. Kept me guessing to the end. So hard to find a good clean mystery.

[Sharon Nevils · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book and good mystery but I got tired of the bickering between the author guy and the innkeeper
Other than that dragging the plot down a really good read

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing just feels amateurish and story not interesting enough to carry through to the end.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

actually, a 3 1/2 star rating.