Review: Smugglers & Scones by Morgan C. Talbot

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Red Adept Publishing, LLC

Release Date:
January 31, 2017









Synopsis from Goodreads:

Pippa Winterbourne runs Moorehaven, the Oregon Coast’s quirkiest bed-and-breakfast and former home of world-famous mystery writer A. Raymond Moore. Guests come there to write their own crime novels. When a real-life murder takes a local’s life and washes a handsome boat pilot into her arms, Pippa is yanked into a deadly plot of her own. A tangle of secrets crashes past into present, and Pippa must uncover clues dating back to Seacrest’s Prohibition days, including a secret Moore himself hid from the world.

Juggling her book-writing guests, small-town intrigues, secret club agendas, and a possibly fatal attraction, Pippa must sort fact from fiction to know who to trust before a desperate killer claims a final revenge nearly a century in the making.

My Review

What a perfect setting for a cozy mystery – Moorehaven, a bed-and-breakfast that caters to mystery writers only. Toss in a stranger who washes up on shore after a boating accident, plus a dead body and you have the makings for quite the mystery story.

Our amateur sleuth, Pippa, runs Moorehaven.  She is determined to find the killer. She’s even more determined when the handsome stranger is accused of murder. It doesn’t stop her attraction for the man, which only makes Pippa even more determined to prove his innocence.

Pippa gets help from her mystery writer guests who are more than happen to solve a real-life crime for a change. Perhaps even use their experience in their own work.

Pippa and her crew discover their small town has more secrets than they ever imagined possible. They need to sort through the myths and realities of Seacrest to get to the truth and find a killer before anyone else is hurt.

The story moves at a steady pace, for the most part. There were some spots that I felt moved a bit slowly when learning about the town’s history, but it is all necessary to figure out what is going on with the current day mystery.

The author gives us a delightful cast of quirky characters. They are always up to something. There’s also a dash of romance thrown into the mix to make a captivating story. This is the first book in a new series. It’s off to a great start.



For reading challenges:
Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge 2017
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2017

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.