On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
I can’t believe this is the last #FlashbackFriday of 2023.
Murder on Cape Cod (A Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Massachusetts
Kensington (December 31, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496722884
ISBN-13 : 978-1496722881
Kindle ASIN : B07R5KCG9V
Summer is busy season for Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida’s bicycle shop, nestled in the quaint, seaside hamlet of Westham, Massachusetts. She’s expecting an influx of tourists at Mac’s Bikes; instead, she discovers the body of Jake Lacey. Mac can’t imagine anyone stabbing the down-on-his-luck handyman. However, the authorities seem to think Mac is a strong suspect after she was spotted arguing with Jake just hours before his death. Mac knows she didn’t do it, but she does recognize the weapon—her brother Derrick’s fishing knife.
Mac’s only experience with murder investigations is limited to the cozy mysteries she reads with her local book group, the Cozy Capers. So to clear her name—and maybe her brother’s too—Mac will have to summon help from her Cozy Capers co-investigators and a library’s worth of detectives’ tips and tricks. For a small town, Westham is teeming with possible killers, and this is one mystery where Mac is hoping for anything but a surprise ending…
Dollycas’s Thoughts
In this first Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, we meet Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida, owner of Mac’s Bikes in Westham, Massachusetts. Coming home from a meeting of her Cozy Capers Book Group in the heavy miss she trips over something . . . a body . . . handyman Jake Lacey. She couldn’t see any wounds or blood, but when the police arrive she sees the knife stuck in his neck. A knife that looks very familiar.
As soon as the Cozy Capers get word about Jake Lacey’s murder they decide they can solve it just like the characters in all the books they read. With Mac on the list of suspects along with her brother who is not answering texts or calls she and the Cozy Caper start their investigation. She just hopes they solve it quickly and there is a lot less drama than in the books they read.
I have wanted to start this series for a long time and am so happy to have finally done so.
Mac runs a bike shop and lives in a tiny house with her African Gray parrot, Belle. Her half-brother, Derrick lives in a lighthouse and works for her. He has a 4-year-old daughter named Cokey. Their dad is a minister and very easygoing. His wife is not the typical pastor’s wife, she has her own business as an astrologer. They both help out with Cokey whenever necessary. Gin Malloy is Mac’s bestie. She owns Salty Taffy’s candy store. They meet up every morning to take a walk and usually listen to the latest book choice for their cozy mystery group, but now all they talk about is the murder. Mac’s boyfriend Tim, a retired professor, now owns Greta Grains bakery. Victoria Laitinen is the newly promoted Chief of Police. She and Mac were high school classmates but were not friends. We also meet the rest of the Cozy Capers Book Group, other residents of Westham, and visitors to the town throughout the story. Ms. Day did an excellent job introducing all the characters and they are all unique. Many quickly worked their way into my heart.
The mystery of Jake’s death was complex. A lot of people either pass by or come into Mac’s Bikes and she was suspicious of many of them. I really enjoyed the way the Cozy Capers pulled their investigative tips, ideas, and techniques from the many cozy mysteries they have read. The author through in plenty of twists and turns and sets up a great showdown. I loved it and was quietly cheering as it ended.
Entangled with, through, and around the main mystery were some emotional, interesting, and entertaining subplots. Some were wrapped up but others will continue into at least the next book and maybe beyond.
The setting of Westham, Massachusetts, a seaside town where tourists flock is a wonderful setting for a cozy mystery series. The author’s descriptive writing style certainly brought the community to life.
Murder on Cape Cod is a marvelous debut for this series. With a terrific theme, genuine characters, a delightful setting, and a fabulous mystery it was A Perfect Escape. I can’t wait to escape into Book 2, Murder at the Taffy Shop!
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She lives with her beau and an energetic kitten north of Boston
As Edith Maxwell, she writes the CeCe Barton Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries, the Local Foods Mysteries (Kensington Publishing) and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Midnight Ink), and also writes award-winning short crime fiction.
You can find all Maddie’s/Edith’s identities at www.edithmaxwell.com. She blogs every weekday with the other Wicked Cozy Authors at wickedcozyauthors.com. Look for her as Edith M. Maxwell and Maddie Day on Facebook and @edithmaxwell and @maddiedayauthor on Twitter.
Book 6 – Murder at the Rusty Anchor will be released June 25, 2024
Also written by Maddie Day
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”