Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam

Travel Can Be Murder #3

by Jennifer S. Alderson

A Mother’s Day trip to the Netherlands turns deadly when a guest plummets from a windmill. Was it an accident or a murder? For Lana Hansen, the answer will mean freedom or imprisonment for someone close to her…

Wanderlust Tours guide Lana Hansen and her mother, Gillian, haven’t seen eye to eye in over a decade, ever since Lana was wrongly fired from her job as an investigative reporter. So when Lana’s boss invites Gillian to join her upcoming Mother’s Day tour to the Netherlands, Lana is less than pleased.

What could be worse than spending ten days with her estranged mother? Lana is about to find out…

The tour begins on a high note when the majority of guests bond during their visit to the Keukenhof flower gardens and a cruise around the picturesque canals of Amsterdam.

Despite her initial reservations, Lana thinks this might be the best group she had ever led. Until she discovers one of her guests—a recent retiree named Priscilla—is the person who destroyed her career in journalism.

All Lana can see is red. But circumstances dictate that she figure out a way to lead the tour, make peace with her mother, and not murder her guest. She doesn’t know whether she can handle the pressure.

Lana needn’t worry. Shortly after their fight, Priscilla falls off the balcony of a historic windmill at Zaanse Schans. Was she pushed or simply careless? The investigating officers suspect murder—and topping their suspect list is Lana’s mom!

Can Lana save Gillian? Or will her mother end up spending the rest of her days in a Dutch prison?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Travel, Ebooks, Contemporary

216 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2020

About the author

Hi! I am an American expat currently living in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, I moved to Darwin, Australia, before finally settling in the Netherlands. When not writing, you can find me in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning my next research trip.

My love of travel, art, and culture inspires my award-winning Zelda Richardson Art Mystery series, Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries.

Connect with me here on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, or my website.

Thanks for stopping by!

Reviews

[Ira Therebel · Rating 2 out of 5]

While pretty entertaining the book sucks as a crime novel. Jennifer Alderson is really not great at creating mystery. I knew who will be killed, who the murder will be and even why several chapters before the murder happened. And the attempts to confuse me with creating other suspects didn't work at all. It was absolutely clear to me.

The author is great at creating characters who stand out and had a great idea of using a travel tour for her series so we also get to enjoy fun settings that make one want to travel even more. I think she would be a great author in another genre. But while I didn't dislike the book and found good point in it I can't rate it more than "ok" as a mystery novel.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Wunderlust Tours is off to the Netherlands for a Mother/Daughter trip over Mother’s Day. Lana is excited that a couple of the Fabulous Five from her first tour will be on the trip with their daughters but is surprised when her boss Dotty joins the trip with her best friend. Before they get on the plane she learns why. Dotty has invited Lana’s mother Gillian to come along in hopes that this mother/daughter combo can heal the rift between them. She has even added Randy as the head tour guide to be sure Lana has whatever time she needs to be with her mother. What Dotty didn’t count on is that one guest could throw the whole trip into a tailspin by her relationship to Lana. When the guest ends up dead, falling off a historic windmill, Lana and her mother both find themselves on the investigator’s suspect list.

_____

I really love this series. A former investigative reporter, Lana Hansen has the skillset and instincts needed to be a great amateur sleuth. This time the victim personally did something to hurt her and she learns other hurtful things as she investigates but she sticks with it all while doing her job as a tour guide too. The woman can think on her feet as she takes on everything thrown at her.

Ms. Alderson’s character development is top-notch. The recurring characters grow book to book and all the characters continue to evolve within the pages of this story. The mystery she has created for them is excellent as well. Her attention to detail shines and kept me guessing right up until the end. I had an idea of where she was going but wasn’t sure until it was spelled out for me.

I really enjoyed the mother/daughter theme, their interactions added so much to the story. The virtual vacay to Amsterdam was great too. The author continues to take me places I will never actually be able to travel to and her descriptions make every place we go so easy to visualize.

Every book in this series has been a Perfect Escape. I can’t wait for Death by Bagpipes coming September 18 and Death by Fountain coming December 18 for my next virtual vacations with Lana and Dotty. Sans the dead bodies they are so much fun!

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy murder mystery set in the NETHERLANDS

Our You Tube review: https://youtu.be/6KXZx2FpD2k

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This is no. 3 in the Travel Can Be Murder series. Previous hotspots for death have been Budapest and Paris.

We once again meet Lana Hansen, who this time is escorting a tour group of women only, a trip to coincide with Mother’s Day. They are travelling from Seattle to Schiphol. The first surprise for our plucky tour guide is that Dotty, the owner of Wanderlust Tours, for whom Lana works, is coming along for the ride. Second, Dotty – who loves to have everyone co-exist in harmony – has invited Lana’s mother Gillian to accompany them, unbeknown to Lana. However Lana and Gillian haven’t been in contact for several years, as Gillian was extremely unsupportive when Lana was researching a large corporation and got fired for doing so. Lana consequently had to give up her career as an investigative journalist and left under a very large cloud. You just know, though, that Lana was in the right!

Further complications come in the form of someone on the tour with whom Gillian, in particular, has history.

Lana spends her time dealing with the dynamics and scrapes of this disparate group and soothing ruffled feathers.

This series is particularly good for #literarywanderlust. This time Amsterdam and environs are at the heart. A trip to the Bag and Purse Museum sounds intriguing but due to Covid19 its future at the moment looks very uncertain (I would certainly have put this on the ‘must visit’ list – let’s keep fingers crossed it finds a way to re-open). On to Giethoorn, the wonderful village of thatched cottages, otherwise called the Venice of the North and then Keukenhof. A couple of restaurants make an appearance and sites in Amsterdam itself are enough to inspire you to get your travel plans in place (for when we can travel again).

A nicely put together series.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 3 of 9

They are on a trip to Amsterdam for a mother's day adventure. Then a woman 🚺 dies, is it an accident or murder? Then the daughter is murdered. Then the truth comes out.

I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of romantic family and friends relationships mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few things that set apart the Travel Can Be Murder series from other cozy mysteries – and explain why it’s quickly become one of my favorites!

First, each book takes us to a new setting abroad & over the course of the novel the author seamlessly weaves a travel guide into the story too. We know where to go, what to see, where to eat & shop, where most definitely not to break the rules, etc., as well as being given savvy tips to keep in our figurative back pocket should we ever find ourselves in Budapest, Paris, or (in this case) Amsterdam! (That flower market sounds divine! And I was so sad to read in Alderson’s author note at the end of Death By Windmill that one of the tourist attractions that features prominently in the story closed its doors forever just before publication, a casualty of the pandemic.)

Second, the murder usually happens much later in the book than is typical of this genre, and the author uses that time to really lay a solid foundation for suspects & motives. Less time overall is spent on solving the murder (I had only about 30 minutes left in my kindle read of Death By Windmill when the crime solving began in earnest, though I do read faster than most) but we still get enough time to watch Lana’s past as an investigative journalism aid her in narrowing down the who & the why of each book’s murder. I especially enjoyed the author filling in the blanks in this book on how that past career came to a rather inglorious end – and all the emotional complications that went with it. It feels like we’re at the culmination of something for Lana & I’m eager to see where the author takes her – and us – next.

Bottom Line: If your inner travel bug is getting a bit twitchy with the inability to go anywhere, then you really need to check out this fun travel-themed cozy mystery series! Lana is a great heroine, genuine & likable even when she’s at her worst. And her close friendships are full of so much warmth (even when they drive her crazy – as we all understand lol) that it just makes your heart smile. In Death by Windmill, while the culprit & motive were fairly easy to figure out early on, the twists & turns & impromptu game of “who hates Priscilla more” still keep things interesting. Not to mention the setting which is absolutely delightful & dynamic to the story. A touching (and sometimes sad) mother-daughter theme & a swoonilicious, sparks a’sizzling romance for Lana rounds out the mix!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questi libri riescono sempre a farti viaggiare stando comodamente seduta (o sdraiata a letto) e vista la situazione attuale col covid è una buona notizia... Detto questo, devo ammettere che ho capito ben presto chi e cosa c'era dietro l'omicidio, forse ancor prima che ci scappasse il morto, ma il libro è scritto bene, quindi la lettura è stata piacevole nonostante tutto.

[Cathy Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
Lana Hansen is scheduled to lead the Mother’s Day tour of the Netherlands despite her boss Dotty Thompson’s reservations. Lana and her estranged mother, Gillian, haven’t been close for the past ten years, since Lana was sacked from her job as an investigative reporter for the Seattle Chronicle. Dotty is determined to bring them closer together and has a plan.

Unbeknownst to Lana, Dotty and her friend are joining the cruise but she is less than pleased when she discovers Dotty has asked her mother to join them. Adding to Lana’s dismay and anger is the fact that one of the guests is the person responsible for destroying her career.

The passengers are a diverse group, a few appeared in previous books. Some are definitely more likeable than others who always find something or someone to complain about, even before they get on the boat.

[quote] “I don’t want to hear your excuses. The view from our room is substandard, and I want to know what you are going to do about it. We expected better from Wanderlust Tours. We are paying quite a bit to be here, you know.” [unquote]

While on the tour Lana discovers more about the incident that cost her job and anger prompts her to do something drastic and, I thought, out of character. When a death occurs it’s initially unclear whether it’s an accident or murder but the police have their eye on someone.

I enjoyed the well described armchair travel aspect of the story very much, imagining the sights and locations in Amsterdam—the Keukenhof Garden, the museum of bags and purses, the floating flower market and the windmills, to name but a few.

[Harriet Steel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining mystery is the perfect light read to transport you from your armchair to foreign parts, in this case, the delightful city of Amsterdam. The city comes to life as tour guide and amateur sleuth, Lana Hansen, shepherds her group of American tourists around the sights. Some characters have featured before in the series and there are new ones, but the book worked for me as a stand-alone story. The author writes with a light touch, but issues of family love, loyalty, and forgiveness are explored along the way.

[Janice Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richly entertaining. It's good to get back together with the gang from the travel agency and even better to putter around Amsterdam with them. They are like old friends by now.

[Amy Rosenkoetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many spoilers

I'd love to give this a 4- star review, but there just isn't enough nuance to do so. The solution to the mystery is really obvious and I felt like I was just tagging along waiting for Lana to get the picture. Honestly, she should have figured it out much earlier, but for a former investigative reporter who is trained in details and drawing connections, she's quite obtuse. She simply has no instinct for things that are right under her nose.

Lana is quite likeable, as are the other recurring characters, but there just isn't any subtlety in the book. The bad behavior among the tour participants is over the top and much of it wouldn't be accepted by a professional tour company.

I'm good (spectacular, really) at suspending my disbelief, but this caused me to roll my eyes more than once. When one tour client physically attacks another, she should have been summarily thrown off the tour. Instead, it's treated almost as if it never happened. Weird things like that. And pointless subplots (bracelets) that never get off the ground. Definitely a 3. I enjoyed it, but wanted more from the author.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death by Windmill by Jennifer S. Alderson was a fun cozy mystery to read. Lana Hanson is a tour guide for Wanderlust tours. They’re having a Mother’s Day trip to The Netherlands. The guests include a few people from one of Lana’s previous tours, her boss/landlord, two groups that are very high maintenance and Lana’s estranged mother, who Lana hasn’t spoken with in years. Gillian Hanson had turned her back on her daughter in the lowest point in Lana’s life. Then, on a day-trip to an old, working windmill one of the guests falls from the viewing platform, to her death. The victim was a retired CEO from one of Washington State’s largest employers. Many on the trip had been negatively impacted by budget cuts initiated by the victim. There are plenty of suspects each with a motive, including Lana’s own mother. Despite their tumultuous past Lana knows her mother is not a murderer. Once the Dutch police have Gillian in custody they are not investigating any of the others from the tour group. Lana must step in to investigate so her mother isn’t locked in a dutch prison for the rest of her life and so the real killer can be found before they leave The Netherlands.
I enjoyed this story. The interpersonal relationships were well developed. The characters had a wide variety of personalities and, Lana might have met the man of her dreams!
I will definitely be continuing with this series.

[Elizabeth Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death by Windmill is the third mystery to be solved by tour guide Lana Hansen, but this time its personal. Lana is just beginning to make up with her estranged mother when another guest on the tour in the Netherlands reveals a secret that could lead Lana herself into committing murder. The theme is Mothers and Daughters but most of them seem at odds with each other. While visiting some interesting sites in Amsterdam and the stunning Keukenhof Garden, we meet a number of people linked to the McGruffin company back in Seattle, many, including Lana, having been treated unjustly by its management. As the women are taken from one fascinating location to another, resentment and anger rise to the surface.
After one of their party dies, Lana must discover if it was an accident and who might have wished the victim to die. Her spirits are raised when she meets Alex, the perfect date, but will she be able to see him again? Another fast moving cozy mystery by Jennifer S Alderson which gives the reader a wonderful introduction to a holiday destination.

[Fee (Ebook Addicts) · Rating 5 out of 5]

* edit to add review *

The Travel Can Be Murder series takes us to the wonderful Netherlands in the latest instalment - Death by Windmill. Take a tour to the beautiful and famous tulip fields, the flower markets and don't forget the iconic Windmills as Lana and her tour go a Mother's Day tour to remember - for all the wrong reasons!

This tour see's Lana and her estranged mother reunite for this trip thanks to Dotty, though the reason for her estrangement soon becomes clear as the story progresses and how the others on the trip are all at least connected by some form of 6 degrees separation -  and once the murder takes place the list of suspects is long and even includes Lana's mother!

In a bit to clear her mother's name, Lana does her own investigation of the other suspects and discovers some startling information pertaining to a piece of journalism that cost her her job and reputation. Could this murder be a chance for Lana to reconnect with her mother and gain her reputation as a journalist back?

I am loving this series, and found myself wishing I was there seeing the sights right alongside the tour, so much so that during reading I would stop and google the locations they were visiting, and I honestly can not wait for the next book in the series as it set in Edinburgh and I look forward to seeing what trouble with follow Lana in my home country.

A 5 star cozy mystery series for sure!

[Caitlin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am flying through this series. I absolutely love the main characters and the setting. Lana is off on another type, this time to The Netherlands and the land of windmills for Mother’s Day. She is leading a particularly rough bunch, and one that includes get own estranged mother. Dotty has so generously invited Lana’s mother, without asking lands, of course. Lama and her mom are not the only bristly mother-daughter duo though. Lana’s is glad to have Randy around, helping with the tour, and even happier to meet his handsome brother, Alex. When a particularly nasty woman, actually the one who ruined Lana’s career a decade ago, ends up knocked of by a windmill blade, no one is really upset, but when the local police try to pin the murder on Lana’s mom, she knows she has to step in!

[Sarka B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in Travel can be Murder serie and it is set in Amsterdam, Europe during Mothers' Day. We follow here several mothers with daughters who travel on a guided tour to Amsterdam including main character Lana's mother Gilian. And while touring murders occur. Lana is trying to solve it and get rid the suspicion that her mother Gilian is the culprit.
I like this serie because it combines travel and mystery. In this book we get to know a lot about Amsterdam and its tourist sites. We get to know also about Lana's private life and resolving also her past problem in her previous job as a journalist.

[E.J. Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just been travelling in and around Amsterdam. I've explored the city, toured the canal village of Giethoorn, seen more tulips that I could ever imagine, taken an art lesson and toured a windmill used for making paint. That's where the trouble really started, but I was privileged to watch as Lana, tour guide and investigator extraordinaire, solved the murder, reunited with her estranged mother and completed another successful, albeit fraught European adventure. Oh and was there just a hint of a new romance?

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few surprises.

Tour guide Lana, hosts a group on a Mother's Day tour of Amsterdam; however, there are a few surprise guests, including someone Lana hasn't seen for a long time. There are several clashes of personality within the group, which inevitably leads to murder. Ex-investigative journalist Lana can't resist trying to solve the crime herself.
The author describes quite a few famous tourist spots so well, that the reader is taken along on the journey with the tour group.
I am loving this well written series, and am looking forward to reading more.
Highly recommended for fans of cozy murder mysteries.

[Dawn Brookes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the setting for this book as I've never been to Amsterdam. I felt like I was there and it sounds fabulous, apart from the murder of course! An intriguing mystery with dysfunctional suspects - just what you need for the genre. Enjoyed it, would read another in the series.

[Julie Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun time!!

Absolutely loved this book. Each one in the series gets a little better!! All the fun places to visit in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas, makes me want to go back and check them all out. Thanks for a good read!!

[Carolyn Vandine West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute cozy mystery set in Amsterdam over Mother’s Day. Wasn’t a great story, but not bad. First read by me of this author. There were several murders in a short time toward the end of the book. This was a free download, not sure where I got it. Did not affect my honest review

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Death by Windmill by Jennifer S. Alderson is a murder mystery with sadness, protection, and truth-telling.
Who killed Priscella, and why?
Lana Hanson
Lana is our sleuth and fabulous main character. So, we have some lifestyle changes for Lana in this installment. She is off to tour Amsterdam on Mother's Day with a group of mother-daughter combinations. As a special surprise, her boss Dotty has invited Gillian, Lana's estranged mom on the tour.

I like the tension between Lana and her mother. It fits with the nonexistent relationship they currently have. 
Gillian
Gillian is Lana's mom. She dresses in bold colors, runs a successful advertising company, and misses her daughter. Although, Gillian has a secret that she doesn't want Lana to know. It is part of the reason that Gillian stopped talking to Lana. 

I like Gillian's character and understand that losing touch with a child happens. However, perhaps Gillian should have trusted Lana with the truth ten years ago. 
The Mystery
The group of mothers and daughters are all a little different. Yet, most of them have one thing in common; at least one in each couple hates Priscella. So, when Priscella falls from the top of the windmill, Gillian's bride colored clothes put her near the scene at the top of the windmill. 

This book is a good mystery that is well-plotted, and I enjoyed the character growth for Lana. There are lots of changes for Lana, and it looks like there will be more to come in future installments. I figured out the murderer in the last third of the book. So, the bread crumb clues worked out well.
Five Stars
I loved the descriptions of the cities in the Netherlands; it made me feel like I was there. The story is well put together well, and it is captivating. My rating for Death by Windmill by Jennifer S. Alderson is five stars. I recommend this book to all you cozy readers out there. 


Other Books in the Series

Upcoming Books in the Series (#4 in September and #5 in December)

 
This series is available in KindleUnlimted.

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Until the next time,



 

This Guest Review is for Baroness' Book Trove. 

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Books To Love and Hate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

Less you think that is a casual dismissal, there was a moment where this book genuinely surprised and excited me, where I felt involved in what happened next. Sadly, that feeling quickly faded as the investigation into the title murder unfolded.

I finished the first two books in this series in two days each. This one took me seven reading sessions spread over fifteen days, and I finished three other books in the meantime, one of which I'd started after I'd begun this one. So, meh.

These are cozy mysteries with a travel theme, but there seems to be more emphasis on the travel and very little on the detecting. I was right on my guesses on who was the victim and who was the killer and why the murder happened, guesses which were made before the halfway point. I've done that for the previous two books as well.

That's not a deal breaker in and of itself. If the story's told well, I don't mind guessing. But these don't sit right with me. Because the series hook is luxury tours, there's always a guest or two who are awful, spoiled, petulant creatures, whose purpose seems to be to make Lana's life miserable while she's working. Yes, I know there can be entitled guests on any tour, the person who thinks this is all about them. But there's been at least one each book and they're beginning to grate. (I am reading these a month apart because of book club schedule, so there is breathing time.) Also, I'm weary of folks not respecting Lana's boundaries, such as when Dotty, the tour owner, invites Lana's mother along on the Mother's Day tour, knowing the two haven't spoken in almost ten years. Worse, every time someone does that, it turns out okay, that this person really was right about breaching those boundaries. Given that Dotty is not only Lana's boss, but her landlord, there's a bit of a power imbalance, which annoyed me even further about Lana's mother being invited along.

So this, along with the fact we only see Lana do any actual detecting in the last fifty pages, makes this book a "meh" for me. Book club or no book club, I don't think I'll be reading the next one.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lana Hansen’s Mother’s Day trip to the Netherlands is the most personally challenging of her budding tour guide career thus far. The tour includes two guests she must reckon with—her estranged mother Gillian and wealthy retired CEO Priscilla, the woman responsible for ending Lana’s journalism career. And as if matters couldn’t get any worse—Priscilla plunges to her death from the top of a windmill while on the tour. Suspecting foul play, the police arrest Gillian, and Lana must clear her mother’s name before the end of the ten-day tour.

As Lana uses her investigative skills from her previous career, the list of murder suspects grows. She discovers that several of the other tour guests have very strong reasons to want Priscilla out of the picture. Can Lana convince the local police of Gillian’s innocence by identifying the real killer? And can Lana and Gillian repair the damage to their relationship caused by ten years of estrangement?

Death by Windmill is an action-packed jaunt through Amsterdam and the surrounding Dutch countryside. As with the other books in the series, author Jennifer Alderson takes readers on a guided tour of fascinating tourist attractions combined with an intriguing murder mystery. The descriptions of the location and its landmarks are so authentically rich in detail that you feel you are experiencing the tour first-hand. And although I figured out who the killer was before the big reveal, I was still happily engaged in the story while reliving my own travel memories of Amsterdam.

The Travel Can Be Murder series is ideal for those who enjoy actual and/or armchair travel and those looking for an entertaining escape from these stay-close-to-home days. Each of the books in the series can be read as stand-alones based on one’s desired location. Previous tours take readers to Budapest and Paris. Readers who treat themselves to this series need no suitcases, passports, or foreign currency—just curiosity and a sense of adventure.

Note: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this tour through Amsterdam, although I wished we could've visited the Anne Frank House & the houses of some of the Dutch Masters...oh yeah, I didn't actually go to Amsterdam!

Jennifer S. Alderson writes of real places in her Travel Can Be Murder series & makes you feel like you're a guest on the latest Wanderlust tour, led by former investigative reporter Lana. Dotty, her boss/landlady/motherly figure is along for the ride, as well as Lana's estranged mother. Things on the tour get sticky when some of the guests find out another guest is the former CEO of a company they worked for & that she was responsible for laying them off suddenly. Not surprisingly, the former CEO is found dead, & Lana's mom is the prime suspect! It doesn't help that the victim was also responsible for ruining Lana's career as an investigative reporter.

I loved getting to be an armchair traveler because of this series, but I figured out the killer & motive pretty quickly, & Lana's realization of the truth was a bit slow. I've seen enough true crime shows to understand that knowing who the killer is & proving it are two different matters, so it didn't much damage my enjoyment of the mystery. I do wish Lana was a bit more assertive. For an ex-investigative reporter, she doesn't seem to push too hard for answers. She asks a lot of questions in her own mind before acting on them, & the author slows down the pace by reiterating plot points & repeatedly using the same descripive terms (she referred to the deceased's daughter as "the recently orphaned woman" when "she" would've sufficed several times).

That being said, I enjoyed the travel aspects of this enough that I plan on continuing with the series.

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I did enjoy this book it's not my favourite in the series. I think this is because it was too predictable, I had worked out who the killer was and why fairly early and there was no twist to make it more interesting. The story started out good with lots of drama and plenty of suspects, okay the whole group had a reason to hate the victim but then it sort of tailed off while they were busy visiting the different locations. Also the main character seemed a bit unsure who to investigate and would start to look at one then get side tracked by another suspect. Otherwise I enjoyed it. Another trip to a location I have never been with some fun characters. I liked that Dotty interfered in Lana's relationship with her mother by inviting her along, it was nice to learn more about what happened between them and the drama that unfolded. This is the third book in the series and as each trip is in individual locations with different characters it can be read as a standalone, the only constant is you join Lana on a memorable trip while she solves a murder and I can't wait to join her on her next adventure.
Being estranged from your mother is hard especially on mother's day, so Lana jumps at the chance to take a group of women on a tour of the Netherlands during that period. Only her boss has a surprise in store for Lana, she has invited her mother to join them in the hopes that bridges can be mended. Things while not smoothly go okay until the guests work they all have a reason to hate one of the other guests on the trip, including Lana herself. When that guest dies it seems Lana's mother had the biggest reason to hate her of them all, she was the cause of the estrangement between her and her daughter. Can Lana put the past behind her and prove her mother isn't a killer? Or will this be another mother's day to forget?

[Victoria Bennison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo, Jennifer S. Alderson! Without a seam showing, you successfully wove so many details into Death by Windmill, that I’m still shaking my head in awe.
1. As usual, your descriptions of setting pulled me into the book successfully. I had finished and set the story down, before I realized that I had just been given a complete itinerary for visiting Amsterdam and its area. Suddenly, I know what attractions are busiest, where I want to have tea, and what will happen if I walk on flowers. How do you do that?
2. I enjoyed the warmth of visiting old friends. Since book one, I’ve been attracted to Lana, Dotty and the others. The consistency of their characteristics and actions, lending them a sense of realness that Pinocchio would be envious of.
3. It’s not a perfect world, but it’s one we can relate to. And the insight you gave into different mother and daughter relationships was, I am sure, healing for many. It was heartwarming, because you threw out the Norman Rockwell images, and went with honesty. Thank you.
4. The complexity in finding the killer was well thought out and perfect. If I was handing out Murder on the Orient Express awards, You’d be my choice for 2020.
And all this in a book that I read over an afternoon and into an evening. Can you say concise writing? There you go...I’m shaking my head again.
Like I said, Bravo, Bravo!

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questa serie è alquanto prevedibile: un viaggio organizzato con pochi partecipanti (questa volta in occasione della Festa della Mamma, per cui i partecipanti sono quasi tutti coppie madre/figlia), uno dei quali ha fatto numerosi torti un po' a tutti gli altri, persino alla stessa Lana Hansen, la guida che ha un passato di giornalista investigativa, la cui carriera è stata distrutta dieci anni prima da un'inchiesta in cui la fonte si è tirata indietro all'ultimo momento, rifiutandosi di testimoniare e facendola apparire come una bugiarda inaffidabile. Inutile dire che, in questo viaggio, la principale causa del fallimento della sua carriera è presente. Così come la stessa madre di Lana, Gillian - invitata a sorpresa da Dottie, la proprietaria della Wonderlust Tours - con cui Lana ha un rapporto ormai molto freddo.
Questa settimana madre-figlia si svolge di base ad Amsterdam, ma spazia un po' in tutti i Paesi Bassi. È al parco dei mulini a vento di Zaanse Schans che avviene il misfatto. Apparentemente colpita dalla pala di un mulino a vento che i turisti stavano visitando, Priscilla, l'odiosa vittima designata, precipita nel vuoto e muore. Si è trattato di un incidente o qualcuno l'ha spinta?
Per il lettore attento, il movente dell'assassina è chiarissimo, anche se rimane il dubbio tra due diverse sospettate.
E Lana sembra aver trovato l'amore...

[Christa Nardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can imagine a mother - adult daughter tour to the Netherlands, with many unresolved issues, you get a sense of the tension. It ends up, that in this random group, one person in three different pairings had an issue with one of the mothers, Priscilla. When she falls from the balcony of the historic windmill, the suspects are many. Unfortunately for Lana, her mother, Gillian, is the prime suspect. Although conflicted in her feelings for her mother, she stands by her innocence in the murder.

Priscilla is that character you can predict will be the victim, and nobody is very sorry, not even her own daughter. Lana, Randy, and Dotty make up the tour people and do their best in this difficult situation. As the story unfolds, so does the tension. And in the process, the reader gets a glimpse of the Netherlands. This is a well-crafted story with raw emotions on many levels. It is part of the Travel Can Be Murder series, but can easily be read as a stand alone mystery.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

[RC Prentice · Rating 2 out of 5]

You always hope that sequels in a series are up to par with the first one, if you liked it, and that they will not disappoint. Well, unfortunately, this is disappointment #2 for me in this series. The narrative is superb in its romp through a tourist’s Amsterdam and environs, and with half the ladies on the trip seeming to have good motives for murdering the other half, the perp’s potential identity convincingly rotates among a number of the tour’s participants, including the protag and her mother. But what a let-down when it comes to the reveal! Yes, this is yet another “I-don’t-know-how-I’m-going-to-account-for-what-has-been-driving-the-entire-narrative-and-get-the-perp-identified” copout by the author. The perp confesses all in an unprovoked admission that robs what promised to be cleverly constructed motive and means of their punch. Add to that an improbable heart-melt with the cameo appearance of male #2 plus the sheer unlikelihood of a tour being resolutely pursued to the bitter end after two deaths and the arrest of the tour leader’s mother, and we have a thoroughly deflated plot.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the third book in Jennifer S. Alderson's Travel Can Be Murder series, tour guide Lana Hansen heads to the Netherlands for a Mother's Day celebration. With lots of interesting things to see and do, Lana is excited until she discovers that her boss, Dotty Thompson, has also invited Lana's estranged mom, Gillian, to go along. With fellow tour guide Randy Wright there to keep peace, the trip is going along pretty well. But then one of the travelers falls off the base of a windmill. Lana has a lot of potential suspects to choose from as she begins her sleuthing. This murder mystery is easier to solve than those in the first two books. One bright spot for Lana, Randy introduces her to his brother and they hit it off! I enjoy this cozy series. I like the characters, descriptions of famous landmarks, a mystery to solve, and looking forward to see what happens next.