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Carita Cove #2
The Mourning Beads
Can Maggie find the real killer when her teenage student threatens to strangle her mother with a jet-black necklace... hours before the woman is found dead? And what deep, dark secret is movie star Reese Stevens hiding from the world? Can Maggie help him face the truth?
Maggie McJasper is starting over in a little California beach town. She has a bead shop, a nice circle of friends, and a handsome movie star who keeps flirting with her. Life would be pretty great if she could just stop stumbling over dead bodies….
Do you like dogs, crafts, quirky friends, a slow-building romance between grownups who genuinely like each other, and a twisty little mystery with red herrings galore? Then this is for you.
The Maggie & Jasper Capers are fun and flirty cozies, with no swearing or love scenes, and no gruesome violence to keep you up at night.
This book was originally published as "Maggie and the Mourning Beads" in the Carita Cove Cozy series.
Maggie McJasper is starting over in a little California beach town. She has a bead shop, a nice circle of friends, and a handsome movie star who keeps flirting with her. Life would be pretty great if she could just stop stumbling over dead bodies….
Do you like dogs, crafts, quirky friends, a slow-building romance between grownups who genuinely like each other, and a twisty little mystery with red herrings galore? Then this is for you.
The Maggie & Jasper Capers are fun and flirty cozies, with no swearing or love scenes, and no gruesome violence to keep you up at night.
This book was originally published as "Maggie and the Mourning Beads" in the Carita Cove Cozy series.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 17, 2021
I am really enjoying these cozy mysteries by Ms. Lee. The mystery is entertaining and well plotted. I like Maggie and Reese and Jasper steals the scenes when he is on the page. Oh and the reveal was a real shocker as I never guessed who had committed the murder.
June 22, 2020
Very exciting addition. This is a very good series.
June 6, 2022
Maggie McJasper is starting life over after her divorce from a Hollywood mogul. Unfortunately, when she got the beach mansion in the divorce, she also got its mortgage and bills. So she has to rent it out of a Hollywood star who's also a friend. But she's happy, living in a tiny house in the driveway; she has her bead shop and her dog Jasper, who takes up a lot of the room but whom she wouldn't know what to do without him.
After getting into yet another argument with Alexis, who owns the art gallery next door, she witnesses an argument between Alexis and her daughter Willow, and it doesn't end well, with Alexis slashing her own paintings with a knife. But later, she's teaching a class on making mourning beads, with two of the of the customers being Willow, and Willow's boyfriend Grey. Both are making bracelets to remind them that their relationships with their mother and father respectively, are dead to them. It saddens Maggie, but there's nothing she can do to heal the relationships.
Later, Maggie finds Alexis's body in the alley and the natural suspect is Willow, since others heard their argument. But neither Willow nor Grey can be found, and Maggie worries for them. She doesn't believe they're murderers, but even Willow's father think they did it. So how is she going to prove their innocence?
On top of this, Maggie's tenant, Reese Stevens, is having issues with his ex-girlfriend, who isn't happy that he's got custody of his son for summer visits. When he gets Shane home, it seems the two of them don't have anything in common. Maggie wants them to find a common thread, but she knows it will have to be something they work out between them. Not to mention Reese is indicating he'd like to be more than friends, but Maggie isn't sure she wants to be part of that world again.
Setting her personal problems aside for the time being, Maggie is sure she can find out who killed Alexis. She just needs time -- and to stay away from the real culprit...
This is the second book in the series, and I must say that I enjoyed it more than the first. The characters are showing a little more depth, and we're getting to see the reasons behind their past and their current actions. It makes for an enjoyable read. Watching Maggie try and find a killer is rather fun, and looking for clues along with her make it all the more worthwhile.
When the killer is discovered, it comes almost at a strange moment, and with an 'aha' right beside it. It makes the conclusion satisfying and you never really know what is inside the mind of a murderer. There is also something to look forward to in the next book, and I will read it soon. Highly recommended.
After getting into yet another argument with Alexis, who owns the art gallery next door, she witnesses an argument between Alexis and her daughter Willow, and it doesn't end well, with Alexis slashing her own paintings with a knife. But later, she's teaching a class on making mourning beads, with two of the of the customers being Willow, and Willow's boyfriend Grey. Both are making bracelets to remind them that their relationships with their mother and father respectively, are dead to them. It saddens Maggie, but there's nothing she can do to heal the relationships.
Later, Maggie finds Alexis's body in the alley and the natural suspect is Willow, since others heard their argument. But neither Willow nor Grey can be found, and Maggie worries for them. She doesn't believe they're murderers, but even Willow's father think they did it. So how is she going to prove their innocence?
On top of this, Maggie's tenant, Reese Stevens, is having issues with his ex-girlfriend, who isn't happy that he's got custody of his son for summer visits. When he gets Shane home, it seems the two of them don't have anything in common. Maggie wants them to find a common thread, but she knows it will have to be something they work out between them. Not to mention Reese is indicating he'd like to be more than friends, but Maggie isn't sure she wants to be part of that world again.
Setting her personal problems aside for the time being, Maggie is sure she can find out who killed Alexis. She just needs time -- and to stay away from the real culprit...
This is the second book in the series, and I must say that I enjoyed it more than the first. The characters are showing a little more depth, and we're getting to see the reasons behind their past and their current actions. It makes for an enjoyable read. Watching Maggie try and find a killer is rather fun, and looking for clues along with her make it all the more worthwhile.
When the killer is discovered, it comes almost at a strange moment, and with an 'aha' right beside it. It makes the conclusion satisfying and you never really know what is inside the mind of a murderer. There is also something to look forward to in the next book, and I will read it soon. Highly recommended.
November 10, 2024
The Mourning Beads
Maggie is trying to get her life straightened out after the murder of her new exhusband. Her newly adopted collie is struggling to recover from being shot and she is trying to get her bead shop up and flourishing. She is living in a tiny house in the front yard of her multi-million dollar mansion because she couldn't afford the up keep. Her renter is a handsome movie star . Who killed her ex and why? This is a series of books and is book 2. Read them all!
Maggie is trying to get her life straightened out after the murder of her new exhusband. Her newly adopted collie is struggling to recover from being shot and she is trying to get her bead shop up and flourishing. She is living in a tiny house in the front yard of her multi-million dollar mansion because she couldn't afford the up keep. Her renter is a handsome movie star . Who killed her ex and why? This is a series of books and is book 2. Read them all!
September 3, 2021
Another Cute One!
Ms. Barbara has created another cute murder mystery. Maggie and her friends have found themselves mixed up in the murder of the owner of the art shop next store to Maggie's bead shop where Maggie finds the body. In the mix is the daughter of the deceased and Maggie is determined that the fifteen year old had not done this. So, Maggie is at it again, solving the mystery.
Ms. Barbara has created another cute murder mystery. Maggie and her friends have found themselves mixed up in the murder of the owner of the art shop next store to Maggie's bead shop where Maggie finds the body. In the mix is the daughter of the deceased and Maggie is determined that the fifteen year old had not done this. So, Maggie is at it again, solving the mystery.
April 24, 2022
Maggie’s stumbled upon another dead body. It seems like a lot of people she knows could have been involved in the murder. She finds herself involved in investigating what happened. Between that and running her bead shop, could she also find time for a possible romance? The characters are fun in this series! I enjoy the cozy theme that involves crafts and a dog.
December 10, 2022
Who is the killer??
A short but very entertaining story. Some really neat characters that interact and create a feel good series of events that draw you in. Also a very interesting who dun it. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
A short but very entertaining story. Some really neat characters that interact and create a feel good series of events that draw you in. Also a very interesting who dun it. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
January 14, 2023
Interesting
Interesting second book in the series. Maggie solves another murder, we get introduced to some new characters, and there is further development of Maggie's and Reese's relationship.
Interesting second book in the series. Maggie solves another murder, we get introduced to some new characters, and there is further development of Maggie's and Reese's relationship.
March 9, 2025
Good book
This is the very first book that I have read, written by Barbara Cool Lee. I have not yet read the first book in this series. I did enjoy this book, so I plan to read the rest of the series.
This is the very first book that I have read, written by Barbara Cool Lee. I have not yet read the first book in this series. I did enjoy this book, so I plan to read the rest of the series.
January 2, 2022
Entertaining and interesting
January 22, 2022
This is the second book of this fun mystery collection. Maggie & the crew keep you guessing about who is really quilty till the very end. I was surprised as to who done what in this one!
October 30, 2022
Fun, good plot lines, characters well developed within time frame. Love the dogs.
A good series
A good series
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews