Trappings, Turkeys, & Thanksgiving Earns 5/5 Deviled Eggs…Engaging Cozy!
It’s Thanksgiving, and in Normal, Kentucky, there are a lot of traditions including the Turkey Trot 5k run and a big reunion of current and former residents in for the holidays. Mae loves the season, too, especially for all the treats it brings, but she needs to stay in shape if she ever hopes to fit into a wedding dress. She decides to join a local running group with her friend and owner of the Cookie Crumble bakery, Christine Watson, but after some time Mae’s still breathless up the hills and her thighs still ache. Can she keep up her resolve when the wedding months away? The group runs ahead, as she spies a wayward squirrel dropping its gathered treasure (a laminated obituary) next to a makeshift marker for seventeen-year-old Theodore Redford. Years prior the young man died in a tragic accident, but his cousin still harbors ill-will against the man he holds responsible. When the cousin ends up dead, murdered, the “accident” is more closely scrutinized bringing into question the reputation of Mae’s friend, former sheriff Jerry Truman. Also complicating Mae’s life is the arrival of two paroles pardoned by the governor, the appearance of her fiancé’s sister, odd interest in her fiancé by his former girlfriend, her adoptive mother wanting wedding details, pondering bridesmaid choices, and finding a way to say no to cookies.
Tonya Kappes’ long running A Camper and Criminal Cozy Mystery series maintains its popularity with book twenty-eight due to an engaging mystery challenging readers with several possible scenarios and realistic investigative methods along with evolving characters and relationships and a nail-biting arrest. Mae and her Laundry Club ladies again are compelled to snoop into the so-called accident and the more recent murder because reputations are impugned and freedoms are in jeopardy for their friends. Of course, this results in the usual missteps and dangers that’ll keep you turning the pages. I enjoy how the clues and details are revealed slowly in and about the Thanksgiving celebration and wedding talk, and however a surprise, the final reveal was perilous, realistic, and supported by the drama.
Tonya’s entertaining writing style intersperses many southern mannerisms and colloquialisms, and she provides ample descriptions and effective dialogue in the narrative to illustrate the natural environment, the small community, and the multi-generational characters. The mystery is well-developed, the characters are realistic, the journey is engaging, and the ending included more than a few surprises. It’s one of my favorite series, and you get some unique extras! Whether you’re camping in a national park or the backyard, Tonya offers Recipes and Camping Hacks from Mae West and the Laundry Club Ladies: (1) Dirty Chai Donuts (Christine Watson’s Recipe from the Cookie Crumble) and (2) an Autumn Fizz (The Red Barn’s seasonal special). along with Camping Hacks for (1) off-season camping needs and (2) winter campfire tips.
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.