Songs of Wine and Murder

A Tourist Trap Mystery #15

by Lynn Cahoon

Fans of female sleuth cozies will delight in New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon's latest installment in her long-running Tourist Trap Mystery series.

With the Moonstone Beach Festival coming up, Jill is touching base with her fellow small business owners to make it as successful as possible. It's frustrating when Darla, the owner of South Cove Winery, is late to a big meeting, but they manage to get the discussion rolling about the kite flying event and the big Battle of the Bands—which Darla's musician boyfriend is hoping will be his big break. And Jill, of course, will be there with her food truck, hoping for a financial boost after a slow spring.

But amid the fun in the California sun, someone will soon be planning a funeral instead of a festival—and Jill and her detective fiance will have to find out who ruined the Moonstone Beach mood with murder . . .

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Romance

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2023

About the author

NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Lynn Cahoon, writes the Tourist Trap, Cat Latimer, Farm-to-Fork, Kitchen Witch, Survivors' Book Club, the Haunted Life, and the Bainbridge Island cozy mystery series. No matter where the mystery is set, readers can expect a fun ride Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynn Cahoon is undoubtedly one of the queens of the cozy mystery; such a prolific writer with 5 or 6 series often in the works. Songs of Wine and Murder is her latest release in the Tourist Trap Mysteries, a collection set in a seaside California town where local Chamber of Commerce coordinator, Jill, finds herself keeping her fellow business owners from squabbling and finding killers when murder strikes the town. In this installment, a music festival brings great fun to South Cove as well as the murder of a band singer. Was it one of his bandmates, a rival band who wanted to win the competition, a family member with a grudge, or someone closer to home? Jill and Greg's relationship takes center stage too, as they learn how to merge their financial lives together in preparation for an upcoming wedding. The mystery kept me interested, and I enjoyed the various relationships between the bands and local residents. I am constantly surprised at the mayor and his wife's behavior. Tina needs to be a future victim or a killer to get her out of South Cove. What a nasty woman! Well done, Ms. Cahoon - already excited for the next one.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynn Cahoon is one of my go-to authors and the Tourist Trap series is a favorite. I always enjoy a trip to the lovely coastal town of South Cove, California to visit Jill and the cast of recurring characters. Jill has the perfect job owning a bookstore/coffee shop with yummy treats. There is usually an event going on in town and this time it is a band competition with the winner getting a record deal. Winery owner and newspaper writer Darla is happy to have her boyfriend's band one of the competitors. But then the lead singer is murdered, and things go wacky for the weekend. Jill is "not investigating" but she seems to hear things that people say and she passes it off to her fiancé and head police detective Greg King. There are lots of hostile feelings and thus, a pool of suspects to ponder. And there are other side issues going on with other characters as well as an author signing event to make this a balanced read. One more year until Jill and Greg's wedding.
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review and these are my thoughts.

[BonnieM☂️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Songs of Wine and Murder is the 15th book in the Tourist Trap Mystery series. It takes place in the town of South Cove, California. Jill Gardner is the main character who owns the Coffee, Books and More store. Greg King is her fiancé who is a detective. Many of the characters make up the town from the first book. The rest add to the story.

The story opens with the town getting ready and having the first Moonstore Beach Festival. Jill plans to have her food truck there. The highlight of the festival is a band contest for a contract with a large music producer company. Two main bands compete for the prize. The two main bands complete and Axel Poser the lead singer for the band, Atlantis Survivors is murdered. This is where the story takes off with Jill trying to figure out who killed him and why. The story has so much going on that I will leave it to the reader to follow and enjoy to the climax of the story of who killed Axel Poser.

This book was a fun read. I have enjoyed all the characters that make the town. I look forward to the next book in the series and the upcoming adventures that Jill and Greg have.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for this ARC.

[Dawn Rouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most disappointing

I keep buying this series hoping Lynn will get back to the original quality of writing. But this was the worst. Is the author using an AI bot to write for her? The murder and investigation were not even central to the plot. All of the investigation happened off scene and only referred to by characters in an off hand manor. Jill didn't even figure it out in the end. Even the subplots felt stuck on, rather than woven in. The bit about Toby and Tilly didn't even belong anywhere, and the resolution was just silly. Frankly, the book felt like a cozy how to about operating a bookstore and coffee shop along with how to be organized. Maybe just quit trying to force it into the mystery genre. I want stick it out to see Gregg and Jill get married, but don't know how much money I'm willing to waste.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this town and I love the residents but I really miss the mysteries. I feel like they’ve been neglected in favor of world building, which is fine, but then it’s not really a mystery. There was barely an investigation, which I guess makes Greg the fiancé happy, but not the reader. There were so many other stories here that didn’t need to be included (Sadie and the Pastor, Toby and Tilly) and took away from what little mystery there was. However, if you need marketing strategies, you might find some good ones here. I can recommend this book as a cozy story but not a mystery, which is what I was looking for.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Carlymor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I always look forward to a new mystery in this series. South Cove is hosting a music festival and band competition, with the best band receiving an exclusive record contract. But, right before the competition begins, someone kills the unlikable lead singer of the favored band. The murderer is a bit obvious at first, but plenty of other suspects are thrown in the mix also. It was an interesting mystery and I enjoyed the updates into the personal lives of the characters. The end was a bit abrupt, but otherwise, this was enjoyable.

[Jenna (readinginjennaland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to see there's another book in this series. This one seemed a bit different than the rest. Jill actually stayed out of the investigation just like Greg wanted. There was no life or death situation where a hero had to help save. I'd really like to get more information on Esmeralda and Deek, I love their paranormal-ness. This seems more cozy than actual mystery. Emma the golden retriever should always be believed.

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's festival season again and this time it's the battle of the bands, but someone has taken the battle to a deadly level! Once again Jill finds herself pulled into the investigation by happenstance and Greg is still none too happy about it! Greg needs to find the killer fast before someone decides to take out Jill for being in the wrong place at the right time one too many times! I love these characters so very much! Visiting South Cove is really like visiting a favorite vacation spot and all your vacation friends! I really wish this were a real place as I would definitely be a regular at Coffee, Books & More! The author does such a fantastic job of weaving the characters personal lives throughout the mystery and wrapping a variety of plots throughout so you can count on getting your money's worth with each read! I absolutely can't wait to see what happens during my next visit to South Cove!

[Melissa Howard · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was bad. I agree with the other reviewers that the mystery was shoved to the side in favor of the small town drama and relationships. I also agree that it was totally anticlimactic and a major disappointment.


I do hate the toxicity, boundary-stomping, and abuse of power of small towns. I wish everyone wouldn't railroad Jill into apologizing when she doesn't need to. Fuck that "aura" bullshit or "trying to keep the peace." People always accuse others of "rocking the boat," but it is the offender who is actually rocking the boat. Jill is justifiably refusing to stabilize it.

Not loving the constant calorie counting. Also, why does Jill have a fight with every female character but Esmeralda? It's starting to seem very "not like the other girls." For someone so self-aware, she acts extremely TSTL a lot.

The plot line with the pastor and Sadie seemed extraneous and just shoehorned in for Jill to display her Awesome Relationship Skills.

[Cynthia Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read this series from the beginning and enjoy Jill and her crew. I felt let down by this book. It seemed as if the main plot was about Jill's envolvement with the music festival and her everyday life. The mystery was almost a side story. There were some points that I had questioned. Why was the band still in town a week after the festival ended? This is a small town that had only one restaurant. Jill went around and accused everyone of being the murderer so of course at some point she had to be right. But the ending had me wondering where was the rest of it. It was an afterthought. It was a bit of a letdown.

[Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so disappointed in this book. Where did Lynn go? Did she really write this? The book came to an end and what now? All that drivel in the food truck meant just what exactly? Word salad…. This was just lame and lazy. Someone asked if Lynn had used AI. I think she should have. There might have been a plot if she had. There was nothing about the murder. All the foolishness with Tina. Where did that end? Why do the other characters treat Jill like a child? So unimpressed. I am doubtful I will waste my time reading another Lynn Cahoon book.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a crazy case where we got to see another town business as sorta the spotlight of the story, Darla from the winery and her boyfriend Matt who was in a band that was competing in the festival that weekend. Toby, Aunt Jackie, and Sadie/Pastor Bill each had their own mini side stories which I was relieved all had good outcomes. Toby's a great character and I love the bro banter between him and Deek. Aunt Jackie's changed for the better since she married Harrold (he's such a sweetie!). Sadie and the good pastor were too adorable as well.

It didn't surprise me as to whodunit and with this perp, the arrest action took place behind the scenes which is always a refreshing change for me (especially if I just read a book with a showdown and a crazed killer). Jill and Greg are always an awesome couple, but they were growing even more as they went through a finance class together and Greg actually got Jill to use a planner, amazing right? Those two are gonna be great parents someday! Can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Lyrical Press via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

#SongsofWineandMurder #NetGalley is the newest installment in the Tourist Trap series.
Jill and Greg are in the early stages of wedding planning, and I'm so happy that they are getting married. I love Jill's independence, and Greg seems to be the kind of guy a lot of women would happy with.
Preparations for the Moonstone Beach Festival are underway, but long time readers know this is the perfect time for a murder.
Jill really has a talent for asking questions and fitting the pieces together, and even though Greg worries about her safety, I think he's actually quite proud and impressed with her skills.
I enjoyed the secondary stories going on in the background, I love how Jill always makes time to read, not all protagonists make a point of doing it, and I get a kick out of it when she has to help a customer, right at "the best part!"
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
This is another great cozy mystery I'm happy to recommend.

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's festival season again and this time it's the battle of the bands, but someone has taken the battle to a deadly level! Once again Jill finds herself pulled into the investigation by happenstance and Greg is still none too happy about it! Greg needs to find the killer fast before someone decides to take out Jill for being in the wrong place at the right time one too many times! I love these characters so very much! Visiting South Cove is really like visiting a favorite vacation spot and all your vacation friends! I really wish this were a real place as I would definitely be a regular at Coffee, Books & More! The author does such a fantastic job of weaving the characters personal lives throughout the mystery and wrapping a variety of plots throughout so you can count on getting your money's worth with each read! I absolutely can't wait to see what happens during my next visit to South Cove!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this from first reads and I must say it's great!

[Kiki Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

The quality of this series is really going downhill. Perhaps Cahoon is too spread out with too many series. (I feel like I've said this before.) Whatever the reason, someone needs to remind the people involved in this series that it is, in fact, supposed to be a mystery, and the readers did not sign up to read pages upon pages about running the bookstore and bookmobile during a festival.

[Angela (Kentuckybooklover) Brocato-Skaggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun installment in the series

I enjoy my annual visit with a Jill and crew in South Cove, California. This time around we have music, kite flying, author visits, and murder. What’s a visit with Jill without murder.

Jill and Greg are planning their wedding and starting their financial planning in hopes of avoiding that rocky path. The Pastor and Sadie are working through issues and Jill’s aunt is hiding something.

Hurry for a visit to warm California while you try to avoid the cold outside.

[Karen Stallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Songs of Wine and Murder” the 15 instalment in the "Tourist Trap” Mystery series by Lynn Cahoon. This is one of my favourite cozy mystery series! Sleuth Jill Gardner is trying to drum up business for Coffee, Books, and More—but a killer has other ideas . . .

As always I love visiting South Cove, California and Coffee, Books & More. I love the main set of characters Jill, Amy, Aunt Jackie, Harold, Greg, Toby, Deek, Evie, Judith and now Tilly as part of the CBM family. We learn more about Matt and Darla in this story and a few other residents as it seemed to swirl around relationships as well as rock and roll…

As for the mystery I found it to be well plotted and it moved along at a steady pace. There were lots of suspects for the murder but you still find yourself second guessing on who the murderer can be. Overall I found this to be a great story.

I can’t wait for the next instalment to come out.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[ReaderOnTheStorm · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Songs of Wine and Murder, I'm even more convinced that Lynn Cahoon has burned out. Just like her recently published Four Charming Spells (Kitchen Witch Mysteries, #4), the mystery is a dud. I was reading along and all of a sudden I'm at the Recipes at the end. My mind did a double take thinking, "Huh? It's over?" Not much drama or conflict involved, mostly just some small town politics and interpersonal relationship stuff concerning secondary and tertiary characters. The murder is sort of an afterthought. Despite the various "clues" from Jill, the murder was actually solved by evidence found by the police and didn't really have much of anything to do with Jill's input. What's the sense of having a sleuth as the main character, if they don't solve the crime in the end?

I'm not sure how many mystery series Ms. Cahoon has going at the moment, but I think she needs to take a break. Her plots keep getting weaker and weaker. I have enjoyed her series in the past, but with these latest two books as examples, I may give any future books of hers a pass.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It’s nice to see the relationship between Jill and Gregg deepening. I love that all my favorite characters are here. The story is interesting and fun. I didn’t like the ending of the book, it really didn’t convince me of who the killer is, it seemed iffy since they had already been convinced that someone else was the killer and then wasn’t so can’t that be the case in this last suspect.? #SongsofWineandMurder #NetGalley

[Susan Cabaniss · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was so cozy, I didn’t even realize that the story was over. Just a quick, “yah, that person who did it is in jail waiting arraignment, let’s get to class…”. But I read these for this very coziness, so no complaints. Well, except for feeling like we’re all taking these marriage prep courses, which I definitely did not sign up for 😀

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Songs of Wine and Murder by Lynn Cahoon takes readers back to South Cove for the Moonstone Beach Festival. The battle of the bands is going to draw a number of tourists to the small beach community. Jill and her team at Coffee, Books, and More are going to be run off their feet between the shop and their food truck. The weekend hits a sour note when a musician in a popular local band gets murdered. Songs of Wine and Murder is the fifteenth A Tourist Trap Mystery. While the story could be read as a standalone, you would be missing pertinent background information regarding the characters. Also, Jill’s name is not mentioned in the beginning. Songs of Wine and Murder was one note. The story has Jill going about her day-to-day activities (getting up, having breakfast, letting Emma out, running on the beach, working the morning shift at the shop, reading ARCs, etc.). Jill and Greg are going to a financial class in preparation for their marriage. Jill is hesitant to mention her Miss Emily fund to Greg. The mystery has an unpleasant musician being murdered. It was obvious who would die from the beginning. The killer can easily be identified. Jill did little to no investigating. Greg does not like Jill probing into the crimes (I am liking Greg less and less). She occasionally comes across information that she passes along, and Greg reminds her that it is his job to catch the bad guys. Greg also does not like her to run on the beach with Emma, her furbaby, when there is a killer on the loose. I have stuck with the series because I hoped that Greg would evolve and understand that Jill is curious, smart, and careful. The mystery is quickly and neatly wrapped up at the end. We get to catch up with all the regular characters. Personal relationships are at the forefront of this story. Jill is worried about Aunt Jackie, Greg is busy with the murder, so he is spending less time with Jill, drama between pastor and his girlfriend, financial classes, and adding a new staff member to Coffee, Books, and More. I found the mayor’s wife, Tina, to be a pain in the backside. She makes people’s lives miserable when she does not get her way. Tina likes to use her husband’s position to get revenge. I found Tina to be an immature and petty woman. I would love to see Tina become a victim in a future book. I can relate to Jill’s love of reading and her enjoyment of reading ARCs (advanced reader copies). Fans of A Tourist Trap Mysteries are going to enjoy Songs of Wine and Murder. Songs of Wine and Murder is a beachy cozy mystery with a battle of the bands, copious quantities of coffee, a kite contest, a murdered rocker, a fiscal class, a vindictive Tina, and a beautiful beach.

[Loretta TheMoodyRedhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I noticed the ratings on this book are low at 3.99 stars. Hunh? It was cute! Maybe there aren’t a lot of fans of music out there and those people reviewed this book? I liked it and my review matters even if it doesn’t bump up the 3.99 stars to 4.00.

Jill’s personal lesson: “Love conquered all. And music was the heart song that brought everyone together.”

Throughout this book and even toward the end I really really hoped Darla, Matt, or Jules wasn’t the killer of the band member. I’ll also note that Emma only growled twice in this book and that probably means the person she growled at isn’t a good person. I actually mentioned the same thing in a previous review of this series. Animals know.

There’s a recipe for a salad wrap at the end, so be sure to take note or picture of that and make it. I crave fish and chips and vanilla milkshakes every time I read one of these books. Now I may crave a salad wrap.

Another note about this book, unlike previous books the Acknowledgements are at the very end as opposed to the very beginning. I enjoy reading them and maybe you will too. This book, in particular, has a neat story in the Acknowledgments section. ♥️

Next is book 16 of 17: “Olive You to Death.”

[Paige Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always wondered if the cozy murder mystery was for me. I love cozy; I love murder mystery. But I also love an actual story, and this isn’t it. I get it, and I’m generally the first to say that what saves a book most is knowing what it is: this one knows what it is, it’s just that what it is…is not good? Mostly it follows Jill and her army of other J named women (Judith, Jackie, Jules) as they meander around their small town almost entirely unbothered by a murder via strangulation in their backyard. Is it fair to say nothing happens? Truly, Jill just walks in a big loop between managing her bookstore and coffee shop (really, all the tiny details here that are not plot propulsions), getting food for her staff, being misunderstood by neighbors who hate her—by her own assertion—at no fault of her own, letting her dog out, and making wild assumptions about her fiancés murder investigation. I can see why you’d find it cozy, genuinely. I get why it’s fun. For me though, why have a murder if you’re not going to care about it? Just commit to the small town thing without trying to liven it up. It’s okay to be that. Just. Just be that, my guy.

[Cozy Reader Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Song of Wine and Murder (A Tourist Trap Mystery, Book 15)" By Lynn Cahoon fits right alongside the first 14 books of this series. However, I feel like maybe Lynn actually wrote this one. That, or I'm forgetting things in the previous book. I say this because the continuity issues that were getting pretty bad in the last few books didn't seem to really be there in this one.

However, towards the end there was one moment when they were mentioning someone's shoulder being too bad to be the killer, yet earlier in the book that character was out throwing axes at an axe bar and mentioning her therapist said she was fine now. Maybe drop one or both mentions, since it just doesn't make sense to have both in the book.

Also, the ending was very anti climatic and not really in the cozy mystery tradition of killer-comes-after-our-snoopy-hero. It just kind was what it was. I had this person pegged for it from the start and was still "ha! I knew it" at the end. Then I was like "wait? It's over?"

Otherwise, great cozy mystery. I do hope it doesn't actually take a year for Jill to get married. Or at least we get to jump ahead to the wedding in the next book. I really hate drawn out engagements in books, especially since the buildup to the wedding was already really long most often.

[Raymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Tourist Trap Mystery is by far my favorite in the cozy mystery genre.

Jill and the rest of the South Cover residents are getting ready for a music festival until a murder happens.

All of these books are so well written and bring you into the story. I really want a Coffee, Books and More near me. It sounds like the dream coffee. I love Jill’s character and the soft characters that bring so much life into the story.


We not only get the murder solving story line but also other side storylines that really brings the town to life.

This murder solving seemed a little tamer then what I have been used to with all the other Tourist Trap Murders but they all can’t be actioned packed.

Also we doesn’t love Jill and Greg’s relationship.

[Linniegayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy this series, probably more for the characters and the small tourist town than for many of the mysteries. There has been a lot of character development over the course of the series, and as usual in this entry we get to catch up with most of Jill's friends, and see where they are now in their lives.

I actually found the mystery involving the murder of a member of a band at a local town band contest interesting ... that is up until the very end. The solution was almost a throw away. Perhaps I've become so used to Jill's life being in danger as she recklessly confronts a killer, that this one felt different. Nevertheless, I would still rate this a B-, so four stars here. And I will definitely read the next in the series.

[Deborah Almada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful trip to South Cove. I have really come to love this setting and the characters in this long running series, opening a new volume is like having lunch with a good friend, a perfect treat! With everyone in Jill's life running around and involved in the upcoming music beach festival you would think that no one would have time to get in trouble but when one of the band members is murdered and they have ties to Darla and her musician boyfriend you know everything is going to get entangled. A good mystery and lots of fun character development in this one, I highly recommend!!!!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mystery plot that was barely present in a story about how to run a bookstore/coffee shop. Small town politics had nothing to do with the murder so why was it in there? So much fluff, so much staffing problems. The love problems between Pastor Bill and Sade were dumb and I didn't need the weird thing between Toby and Tilly. I think Lynn Cahoon is overextended with the several cozy mystery series she is writing, and Tourist Trap is getting the short end of her creativity. This will be my last book in the series, I just can't come up with the enthusiasm to read any more about the business or wedding planning.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this series, but this book fell flat for me. There were too many side stories or just unnecessary info.

All the financial class stuff was so unnecessary. Why did we need to know about Jill paying her car and house insurance every six months? Or need to know anything about Greg’s finances? It did nothing for the story.

All the Pastor Bill and Sadie stuff seemed very unnecessary. Like that could have been it’s own book where they’re having issues and then one of the church dudes who was upset about their relationship is found dead and Bill or Sadie is a suspect. But the way it was, it just seemed like confusing as to why it was in there.

With Toby and Tilly, again, unless it’s setting up something up for the future, I don’t see the point in going beyond stating Tilly and Toby dated and broke up. Part of me feels like the amnesia thing needs to come into play in another book or else it’s just a weird drama moment.

The actual murder being solved in the book seemed like it wasn’t even the main topic of interest. Jill hardly did any sleuthing and barely interacted with the potential suspects. Also where was the part that has occurred in every other book in this series where Jill figures it out and is approached by the murderer and then has to escape danger? Literally it ends by Jill being like “I heard keith talking. He did it.” And Greg is like “yeah we found evidence that had already been in our possession for who knows how long showing he did it.” He’s in jail, the end.

I found myself flipping past the last page because it just seemed like it ended so abruptly. Again loved this series, it was my Covid lockdown series, but this one fell flat. Hope the next one is better.