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Hummingbird Falls #1
The Mysteries of Hummingbird Falls: Murder in the Mountains
When a local eccentric appears at Ellie Hasting's cottage door whispering that she's seen a body, Ellie, a summer resident of the rural mountain village of Hummingbird Falls, doesn't take her seriously. But when the discovery of a dead woman at the bottom of the magnificent falls points to murder, Ellie is deputized by the town's two-man police force to help with the investigation.
Then she finds the second body.
Some secrets stay buried for generations, especially in isolated tourist towns like this. But now something dangerous is rattling the foundations of this scenic place. Ellie has growing suspicions, but isn't sure whom she can trust, especially as pounding rains and flooding create a disaster that is pushing everybody together...including a killer waiting for the right moment to silence Ellie for good.
Then she finds the second body.
Some secrets stay buried for generations, especially in isolated tourist towns like this. But now something dangerous is rattling the foundations of this scenic place. Ellie has growing suspicions, but isn't sure whom she can trust, especially as pounding rains and flooding create a disaster that is pushing everybody together...including a killer waiting for the right moment to silence Ellie for good.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2005
12 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 16, 2023
Meh. Set in rural New England, and I had high hopes it’d turn out better than it did. For those that really enjoy a “cozy” mystery this will be more positively received, but I’m not one of those, so while the bones of the story were sufficient, the meat was not.
Local “strange one” Josie shows up at Ellie’s one night to say she knows who killed Alice. When Ellie protests that Alice isn’t dead, Josie cries, “Oh yes she is, Ellie. Alice is very, very dead…she was killed tonight and I saw it happen.” Josie quickly takes a strange notion and melts into the inky dark woods, but by morning Alice’s body is found in the falls under suspicious circumstances, and soon after that Josie herself is bludgeoned to death.
To that point the story was fairly riveting, but as it continued the dramatis personae devolved into melodramatis personae and the story was less enthralling, for me anyway. This is #1 in the series, and I found it and another together in the used bookshop, so I’ll read the other and hope that it improves with more experienced writing..
Local “strange one” Josie shows up at Ellie’s one night to say she knows who killed Alice. When Ellie protests that Alice isn’t dead, Josie cries, “Oh yes she is, Ellie. Alice is very, very dead…she was killed tonight and I saw it happen.” Josie quickly takes a strange notion and melts into the inky dark woods, but by morning Alice’s body is found in the falls under suspicious circumstances, and soon after that Josie herself is bludgeoned to death.
To that point the story was fairly riveting, but as it continued the dramatis personae devolved into melodramatis personae and the story was less enthralling, for me anyway. This is #1 in the series, and I found it and another together in the used bookshop, so I’ll read the other and hope that it improves with more experienced writing..
January 18, 2010
Hummingbird falls is a small town with a past and now present murder.
It is inconceivable that a woman would be asked to snoop for the police in any town or any state.
There is a body found at the bottom of the falls. It turns out she was murdered. This has the town shook up because the murder which took place 13 years earlier had not been solved.
To find the murderer is complicated by the rain which is flooding out the roads.
Still another body turns up dead. And then ........
As the story really gets going the electricity goes out and something enters the house of the snoop, Ellie Hastings.
Just as Ellie was settling in the dark lights flooded into her house.
The whole town and countryside were evacuated. The murderer is on the lose with another body down. The killer is a psychopath
With a lot of devious thinking and actions.
Excellent ending.
It is inconceivable that a woman would be asked to snoop for the police in any town or any state.
There is a body found at the bottom of the falls. It turns out she was murdered. This has the town shook up because the murder which took place 13 years earlier had not been solved.
To find the murderer is complicated by the rain which is flooding out the roads.
Still another body turns up dead. And then ........
As the story really gets going the electricity goes out and something enters the house of the snoop, Ellie Hastings.
Just as Ellie was settling in the dark lights flooded into her house.
The whole town and countryside were evacuated. The murderer is on the lose with another body down. The killer is a psychopath
With a lot of devious thinking and actions.
Excellent ending.
November 7, 2017
Ellie Hastings is a summer resident of Hummingbird Falls. She would like to be a full time resident, if she can find a place to purchase. She likes the town and the people living in it.
Then Ellie's special friend, Alice, is found dead at the bottom of the falls. Murder, the first in town since the Watsons were murdered thirteen years before, has returned to town. And Ellie finds herself in the midst of the mess it brings with it.
As a cozy mystery, this is a good book. The plot is well done. The culprit remains only a suspicion until close to the end.
What hurts this book are some editing problems. Ellie breaks character. Ellie is told things she later doesn't know. There are several of these lapses and it hurts the story.
If you overlook these lapses, the story is interesting. The book is an easy, relaxing one.
Then Ellie's special friend, Alice, is found dead at the bottom of the falls. Murder, the first in town since the Watsons were murdered thirteen years before, has returned to town. And Ellie finds herself in the midst of the mess it brings with it.
As a cozy mystery, this is a good book. The plot is well done. The culprit remains only a suspicion until close to the end.
What hurts this book are some editing problems. Ellie breaks character. Ellie is told things she later doesn't know. There are several of these lapses and it hurts the story.
If you overlook these lapses, the story is interesting. The book is an easy, relaxing one.
February 18, 2024
Ellie Hastings is widowed and spending her summers in Hummingbird Falls when she hears a tapping on the door of her rental home. The book dropped down a notch during her first conversation with the witness to a murder. Most people would ask for details and not argue with an emotionally fragile person. However, it was readable and I completed the book.
June 14, 2018
Though not very well written a compelling story.
March 22, 2020
Slow reading for me . I enjoyed the book though.
August 12, 2023
Ellie Hastings has been renting a cabin in Hummingbird Falls for ten years and spends her summers off in the town. She has almost become one of the townspeople so when a body is discovered in the falls the Sheriff asks her to help him discover what happened. How Ellie goes about finding out what happened and why makes for a great read. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in the series.
February 21, 2013
Slow story, no interesting side stories going on, just the same old "who killed Josie?" being asked page after page.
The mention of the Ellie's grown children a handful of times had no relevance to the story. I never understood why they would briefly mention what was going on with them, but then it never had any connection to the story, and never went anywhere.
I only finished this book because I had already invested so much time in it, and didn't want to miss out on the possibility of an ending that would make it all worth it. Well, it wasn't really worth it.
I won't be reading any other ones in the series.
The mention of the Ellie's grown children a handful of times had no relevance to the story. I never understood why they would briefly mention what was going on with them, but then it never had any connection to the story, and never went anywhere.
I only finished this book because I had already invested so much time in it, and didn't want to miss out on the possibility of an ending that would make it all worth it. Well, it wasn't really worth it.
I won't be reading any other ones in the series.
November 18, 2011
Summer resident ellie is asked to help the local police force with the murder of a well loved local resident. as an outsider she hasn't the same ties to the small community residnets as the locals but she has been visiting for 10 yrs and has a very good handle on who's who in the town. Well plotted, a bit of nature and a lot of humor. Writing could be stronger but this was pleasant airplane read.
February 4, 2012
Meh, okay, but not really any clues or real motives. More a character driven story than anything and even that was somewhat weak.
June 15, 2014
Clumsy writing and a highly improbable plot. I found myself thinking, "That would never happen!" over and over as I read this one.
June 23, 2014
Beautiful written
Enjoyed the descriptions in the book the story was well written the characters were people who were very uplifting. the murder mystery was just a bonus
Enjoyed the descriptions in the book the story was well written the characters were people who were very uplifting. the murder mystery was just a bonus
February 10, 2015
Fairly easy to solve, but a fun read none the less.
December 1, 2015
Enjoyable cozy
September 7, 2014
Cozy mystery with somewhat stilted dialogue
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews