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Guidebook to Murder
Guidebook to Murder
Guidebook to Murder
Audiobook8 hours

Guidebook to Murder

Written by Lynn Cahoon

Narrated by Susan Boyce

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store-Coffee, Books, and More-open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder?

When Jill's elderly friend Miss Emily calls in a fit of pique, she already knows that the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily's gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill, along with all of her problems . . . and her enemies. Convinced that her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit-especially if it gets her closer to South Cove's finest, Detective Greg King. The problem is, the killer knows that she's on the case-and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 22, 2014
ISBN9781494575786

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Reviews for Guidebook to Murder

Rating: 3.7519684850393697 out of 5 stars
4/5

127 ratings17 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jill Gardner, bookstore owner, receives a call from her elderly friend Emily that the city council is trying to force her to sell her dilapidated old house. Jill drops by later to see if she can help Emily but instead finds her dead. Emily left the house to Jill and the list of repairs is long and there is a time limit issued by the city council. Jill, therefore, asks her aunt to come from San Francisco to help run her bookstore/coffee shop. Jill is convinced that Emily was murdered but she is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs but she is determined to kind the killer. She is helped the “delish” Detective Greg King. A cozy mystery with a romantic slice. I enjoyed the plot and the story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I love cozy mysteries with settings in bookstores and libraries so the beautiful cover indicating a bookstore was an immediate draw to me. I was also interested in reading a cozy mystery by Lynn Cahoon as her name is frequently mentioned as a favorite author in many Facebook groups highlighting cozy mysteries.I loved the name of the bookstore, "Coffee, Books, and More" and that it was an established store for the past 5 years. Jill's life is turned upside down and inside out by the murder of her dear senior friend, Miss Emily, especially when Jill learns that she has inherited the bulk of Miss Emily's estate. It added interesting character interaction that Jill was able to call upon her Aunt Jackie who owned a coffee shop in San Francisco prior to her own retirement. With Aunt Jackie's experience she has no hesitation in taking over Jill's business and implementing changes even before they are discussed with Jill.The most frustrating aspect of the plot was for the reader to learn from Jill in Chapter 2, referencing Detective Greg King that "He’d been married at the Methodist church down the street. He was one of them." Only to read of Jill's surprise in Chapter 6 in conversation with Detective King's brother Jim... Jim King: "He’s my brother. In fact, I was the best man at his wedding." Jill: "He's married?"If one can forget that Jill was perfectly aware of the detective's marital status prior to Chapter 6, then you can give this annoyance a miss.I understood Jill's delight in planning and executing all of her home improvements but for a young woman who makes daily to-do lists it seemed a little off that it took her so long to go to friend Amy Newman's apartment especially since Jill has her own key.For those that aren't tired of amateur sleuth/detective pairings, you'll definitely want to meet Detective Greg King. I enjoyed the cozy but I'm not sure I'll continue reading the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jill owns and runs a combination bookstore and coffeeshop, but as a former lawyer, her elderly friend often calls on her for help, especially when she has issues with the city government. Her property ownership and her home are being threatened by some people who want to tear it down for a development. Jill is willing to straighten it all out for Miss Emily, but before she can, Miss Emily dies. And Jill is in for a big surprise. There is plenty happening in this tale to keep readers engaged in the story. More than one crime and more than one criminal, but only one solution. And can Jill - and the police detective she’s crushing on - figure it out before Jill becomes another victim? Good writing, great characters, and an intriguing plot combine for an entertaining mystery.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book has likeable characters and an engaging mystery, but I became frustrated with the main caracter’s actions. Her best friend disappears, and she seems to forget this fact ost of the time. Occasionally, she gets worked up about it, but mostly she’s more focused on decorating. Also there is a developing romance between the main character and the local police detective (like that never happens in a cozy mystery), and she keeps fighting the relationship because height be married - or he might not...she could simply ask.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Guidebook to Murder was my first cozy mystery by Lynn Cahoon. I was immediately drawn in from the start and continued to be enthralled to the end. My imagination embraced the setting of a small California coastal town called South Cove. The primary character, Jill Gardner, owned and operated Coffee, Books and More; the only book store/coffee shop for miles around. Jill was a divorced attorney who visited the town of South Cove while on vacation and loved it so much that she decided to move there and open her store. Part of the town's allure was the friendship she immediately forged with a kind old lady who initially welcomed her and made her feel right at home. Her name was Miss Emily, and Jill became like a daughter to her. Since Jill was devoid of a romantic relationship at the time, and Ms. Emily lived alone with few if any real friends, the two shared a special bond. But then the unthinkable happened. Ms. Emily was murdered and Jill was devastated. Who would do this? Ms. Emily was being continually pressured by the city council about infractions on her property, and shortly before she died the council was threatening to demolish her property if she didn't repair the fence, fix the lawn, and take care of many other eye sores related to her parcel. Ms. Emily's property was the lone obstacle to plans for a new development project, a commercial venture that could presumably net the town a considerable amount of money. Even the mayor was intent on dispossessing poor Ms. Emily. But would the developer or a city council member resort to murder? Jill wonders, but when her best friend Amy goes missing, and Ms. Emily's unsightly house begins turning up very valuable hidden treasures and secrets, is there more to this Murder mystery than Jill realised? Lynn Cahoon has been added to my FAVORITE COZY AUTHORS list. This mystery was beautifully paced, the characters were interesting and varied, and the details surrounding Miss Emily's murder kept me guessing until the revealing at the end, which was both fulfilling and plausible. Thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pretty damn good for a first in series. The story moved along nicely, with only a small amount of sluggish repetiveness near the middle. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the motive when the mystery was solved, but it was a great ride getting there.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Jill inherits her friends rundown house and property but believe Emily was murdered. She inserts herself into the investigation while fixing up the house to keep the town from seizing the property. Attacks and threats start happening to her and property which bring her and the police chief closer. Of course Jill ignores all the danger signs and insists she can take care of herself. Why didn't Jill just ask Greg if he was married instead of dwelling on it until the last chapter?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Listened for Review (Tantor)Overall Rating: 3.50Story Rating: 3.50Character Rating: 3.50Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)Read It File It Review (short):Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon was a delightful cozy mystery with characters that I can't wait to revisit. There was only one thing that kept it from rating higher (a relationship troupe that I personally can't stand) but that was resolved in the very last chapter. I have really high hopes for the rest of the series! The mystery was solid and I loved how it tied up (no spoilers). The female characters were fun, quirky, and well written. The men were a little one-dimensional but I think they will grow as the series progresses. The pacing was outstanding and the story left me smiling. All in all--a pretty good read!Audio Thoughts: Narrated By Susan Boyce / Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins This was such an easy listen. Susan has a great voice for this cozy mystery. She has just enough pizazz to make you laugh and enough urgency for you to feel the mystery part. I will definitely listen to her again!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First in a new series, Guidebook to Murder shows promise, but started off a bit wobbly at the beginning for me. Jill has left behind a bad marriage and her career as a family law attorney to open a bookstore/coffee shop in the little tourist town of South Cove. A local friend, Miss Emily, is fighting the town council and a developer, trying to keep her house; she's let the house get run-down though, and the mayor is threatening to condemn it as a way to get ahold of her property to build condo's. When Jill stops in to check on her, she finds Miss Emily dead. Grieving the loss of her first friend in South Cove, Jill finds out she inherits everything and that it's not a small sum, in spite of outward appearances. But someone really wants her out of the house and is quite ambivalent about whether it's by her own two feet or in a body bag. So, the characters. I think I like Jill. It's hard to say because from the beginning (the death happens quickly in the story), Jill is overwhelmed: by sadness, by her inheritance, by what she's learning about her friend Miss Emily and the life she led, by trying to keep her business afloat and at the same time, do what's necessary to keep Miss Emily's house (now her own) from being condemned. The author does a great job portraying Jill as a woman trying to keep it all together without making her a martyr. The loss of Miss Emily was emotionally written and I got a bit teary - which I hate but was still done well and with a thankfully light touch. Jill has another close friend, Amy, who I think will be very likeable, but while she plays a part in the plot, we don't see much of her at all to get to know her. Jill's Aunt Jackie comes to help, and while she started off a bit pushy and unlikeable to me, she become more likeable as the story progressed. This next bit is a tiny bit spoiler-ish - not to the plot, but to the character development and I mention it because it's the one area I just did not understand and why this read was a 3.5 star and not a 4. The romantic interest is Detective Greg King. Blond, blue-eyed, beautiful, he seems to be quite interested in Jill and Jill is pretty damn interested in him. But then she meets his brother, who mentions Greg's wife. So, Jill decides he's off-limits. But he spends all his time with her and it's obvious to anyone reading the book he's not just there to protect her against death threats. Jill's ready to give in several times and here I say kudos! to the author for making Jill a human being instead of a saint. Is it right to contemplate kissing another woman's husband? No. Does that mean it never happens to good people? No. I like that Jill is written to be subject to moral dilemmas. But here's what I don't understand: she NEVER says anything to him about being married! She acts like it would be insulting to him or embarrassing to her to say "Hey! You're brother mentioned you have a wife. What's up with that?" This goes on for most of the book and it drives me nuts. As for the murder plot, I have to say, the plotting of cozy mysteries has really taken a turn for the better lately, or maybe I've just been lucky. After a streak of books where I had the murderer correctly pegged in each one, I've been reading some excellently planned murders recently. This one is no exception. Miss Emily had a much broader life that Jill knew and it's garnered a varied list of suspects from dissatisfied heirs, to the mayor, to the possibility of treasure hunters. There's a bit of everything here and ultimately, the murderer was a surprise. A detail or two of the plot were a bit unrealistic, but nothing that ruined the enjoyment of the story overall. By about halfway through the book I was hooked and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning to finish it - always a good sign of an enjoyable book, and I'll be on the look-out for the next one. I received this ARC from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The small resort town of South Cove, California seems like a normal setting for a traditional cozy. But Jill Gardner's unlikely involvement in her elderly friend's death really make this mystery stand out. I found I really liked this community, Cahoon definitely seems to know how to navigate the policies and politics of a small community. Great read that almost felt as though it could have been a stand alone, but news is that there is another story on the way.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jill Gardner is trying to keep her book and coffee shop going in the small resort town of South Cove, California. She is also trying to help her dear friend, Miss Emily, deal with the city, which is desperate to bulldoze Miss Emily's house. When Jill finds Miss Emily dead she just knows it was not a heart attack like everyone thinks. As it turns out, she is right. Well, she is not surprised but she is in for a surprise when she inherits Miss Emily's house and all her money.I really enjoyed this book. I like Jill and her new maybe boyfriend Greg. I like the town and I enjoyed her descriptions of the remodeling that was being done. I was also charmed by Miss Emily, a lady of many layers and talents. I did solve the mystery but I usually do in cozies. It is the people and the atmosphere that means the most to me in a cozy. I am looking forward to finding out what happens next.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Guidebook to Murder was an enjoyable read that proved hard to put down. Cahoon did a great job creating an exciting story as well as some very enjoyable characters. I really got caught up in the lives of these characters from the very beginning and found myself anxious to see what would happen next. Jill is very well developed throughout the book, and it is her devotion to her elderly neighbor and her quest to do what is right that makes her a true heroine. The book is full of many twists and turns making it a great mystery, and I really enjoyed the setting and characters leaving me to want to read another adventure with Jill and her friends. Overall Guidebook to Murder was a great read that I would most definitely recommend.Received a copy of Guidebook to Murder through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great start for a new series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Set in the small coastal town of South Cove, California, Guidebook To Murder begins with the death of an elderly woman befriended by local bookstore/cafe owner, Jill Gardner. Detective Greg King, is of the opinion that Miss Emily's passing was due to natural causes but Jill is suspicious and insists on an autopsy which reveals Miss Emily was murdered. Convinced that the sleazy developer that had been putting pressure on Miss Emily to sell her home could be responsible, when Jill discovers she has inherited Miss Emily's house, she risks becoming his next victim.The story of Guidebook To Murder is surprisingly busy despite only a single murder taking place. Jill finds herself juggling extensive home repairs in order to meet a council order with attempting to solve the murder of Miss Emily, locate some missing art and defend her reputation from Miss Emily's scheming relatives, all while receiving regular death threats. And if that wasn't enough, Jill is also trying to reign in her meddlesome, if well-meaning, aunt, search for her missing best friend, and fight her attraction to the handsome, but off-limits, Detective King. Though Cahoon manages to tie everything up neatly in the end, the story feels a little overcrowded and despite the plethora of suspects and motives, the plot of Guidebook to Murder is still fairly predictable.I liked Jill well enough, once a city lawyer, Jill moved to South Cove on a whim after her divorce, investing her life savings into "Coffee, Books, and More". We are told by Cahoon that Jill is a bit of pushover but I don't really see evidence of that, she has no problem standing up to the developer, the council or even the detective when he writes off Miss Emily's death as natural causes.We don't learn too much about the other characters, Amy, Jill's best friend, is missing for much of the book, and her Aunt Jackie is busy running the store while the villains are little more than stereotypes. I never quite worked out the Mayor's role in the story, nor why the developer was so desperate for Miss Emily's land.I did take issue with few small details within the story too, for example, probate usually takes two to three months (and generally longer) to complete, whereas Jill had control of her inheritance in days.Guidebook To Murder is the first novel in Lynn Cahoon's, 'A Tourist Trap Mystery' series, I found it to be a quick, easy read but not a particularly exciting one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon 4 STARS I liked Guidebook to Murder. Would love to see these characters back into another mystery. I really liked Jill and how she worried and cares both for her friends and strangers. This is a cozy mystery. The town has character. Jill has lived in South Cove for 5 years. When she came to town to look around she met Miss Emily and was convinced this was the place to live. Jill used to be a lawyer. Now she owns a bookstore & coffee shop. Now she is getting threats all over the place. She is not sure who to trust. Miss Emily was old and had no family. She lived in a old house that was falling apart. The city was warning her they would condemn her house if she did not take care of it. A developer wants to buy her property. She dies and leaves the property to Jill. Annie works for the city. She is also a friend of Jill's. She has disappeared and no one knows where she is. Annie loves to surf. Detective Greg King does not think their is no problem with Emily's death at first. Now he is worried about Jill spending lots of time with her. Is he married or not? Their are also more interesting characters, including a Mayor that is not liked. A fortune teller who also works for the police. A developer who wants to bulldoze a lot of the town. New lawyers are showing up. Lots of suspects who want what Emily had. The book has a lot of mystery, lots of drama, fun characters. I would love to visit or live their too. The pacing was good and made me want to keep reading to find out what happed. It is also a clean book. The setting is South Cove, California. A small town by the ocean. I would read more books from Lynn Cahoon in the future based on this story. I was given this ebook to read and asked in return to give honest review of it by Netgalley.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jill Gardner left her legal job 5 years ago and moved to South Cove, CA to open a cozy store that sells coffee and books. One of her first friends was granky old lady, Miss Emily. When Miss Emily runs into problems with the city Council, she turns to Jill for help. Miss Emily turns up dead one day and all her problems are literally left to Jill - stocks, house, and threats.The council has given her 30 days to bring Miss Emily's house up to code so while working inside out on the repairs, Jill is fighting off the dangers relatedto Miss Emily's murder and the efforts of the Mayor and his friends to force the sale of the old house that Miss Emily left to Jill.I loved the story line as well as the characters that had me rooting for their safety. A touch of romance was thrown in for good measure. Hope the next installment gets here soon!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    guidebook to murder: a tourist trap mystery:I knew right away I was going to like this book. What a hoot. I don't take notes while reading, that would so wreck the book buzz I get but, upon reflecting for the book review I could not stop chuckling! Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books and More in the small town of South Cove, California is just like all the rest of us, she is plagued with self doubt, yet strong and tuff when she needs to be. She fantasizes about food constantly and really enjoys eating yet, is aware of it and of course always thinking about losing those extra 10 pounds. Of course she wants a good man yet, doesn't really want to want one. I related to and very much enjoyed this character. The confusion and sexual tension with the very handsome Detective Greg King is quite fun.We meet Jill in her book & coffee shop one morning when she gets a phone call from her neighbor down the street, her dear friend 80 year old Miss Emily who is very upset that yet again she is being pestered by the town council to sell her beloved but very run down home so they can build an apartment complex. Jill wants to help her so she enlists her friend Amy who just happens to work for the city to look over the paperwork and maybe clear up these problems for her friend and neighbor. The next day on her way over to Miss Emily's house to tell her what Amy found out, what Jill finds out is a dead, possibly murdered Miss Emily! Jill soon finds out Miss Emily had no family...or does she, so she left everything to her and with so much to do and sort out, she calls her aunt to come and help her out at the Book & Coffee shop. Jill and Detective King are on the case of who killed Miss Emily and what they find turns out to be a treasure trove of excitement! There are some thrilling and scary near misses when they and people they love come close to getting hurt but what they do find ultimately is an attraction for each other. I loved Aunt Jackie and I'm hoping she will be in the next book too. I Loved the storyline, characters and the humor but, most of all I liked Jill.I got this book for a review from Net Galley