MOOREHAVEN MYSTERIES, BOOK 1
STORY-LINE SMUGGLERS & SCONES BY MORGAN C. TALBOT:
In Smuggles & Scones, Pippa Winterbourne operates Moorehaven Bed and Breakfast. Formerly owned by well-own internationally famous mystery author, A. Raymond Moore; he left the house with instructions which included, the Bed and Breakfast guests must be authors. Authors come to the B&B to rest, play games, eat, plot, and write. By the way, they are as zany as the residents.
The towns full of quirky characters; which makes the authors feel right at home. Secrets abound in this small town; secret clubs, quaint residents, mysterious treasures, gossips, and nosiness. From the Glaze and Gossip Club, the mysterious speakeasy once under the local tavern, the police chief ready for a coronary, boat wrecks, mobsters, smugglers, mysterious women, and murder, this town is perfect for the latest batch of authors.
The zaniness begins when a boat wrecks on the rocks and Pippa with her bunny slippers pull to safety handsome pilot Lake. He has no memory of the wreck, the large lump on his head, or the dead man on the boat. Pippa takes the responsibility of caring for Lake; which is a pleasure for her, she’s attracted to Lake.
Come along with Pippa and company as they find a murderer, possibly finds love, and solves a mystery. My book review of Smugglers & Scones follows.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
I loved the residents in Smuggles & Scones; zany, quirky, noisy, and ready at the drop of a hat to help each other. Talbot has a finger on the pulse of small town America. The authors fit right in as they cause all kinds of problems for Pippa and the town. When I started the book, I found myself thinking: this one is not for me. Boy was I wrong; as I finished the first chapter, I was enthralled with the Pippa and the rest of the crew.
Creating Pippa as a strong intelligent woman who finally found her niche in life, Talbot expanded on her characteristics. The attraction between her and Lake’s sweet and heart warming, but Pippa has unanswered questions about Lake. I found I could visualize each character and the scenery. Each author had their own personalities; from first time author Skye to “always ready to make his research authentic with another exploit”, Al; each realistic and endearing as they carried zaniness to a new level. Then add in the zany citizens, such as the pet psychic, Sebastian. I laughed out loud as Uncle Hilt went under hypnosis by Sebastian. Talk about hilarious.
With many plot threads to bring together and twists and turns to resolve before she could bring this book to a final conclusion, Talbot skillfully wove the story together to form a complete picture. Including several worthy candidates as the murderer, she did not give away the who, what, when, or how until absolutely necessary. At one point, I thought I knew the murderer, all I could think was “oh no, please, not this character. Let it be someone else”. Talbot wove such a tantalizing tale of mysterious treasure, mobsters, liquor smuggling, and murder, I became involved in the story and with the characters. I hated to say good-bye.
I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and the added bonus of the recipes at the end. Perfect for anyone who loves solid cozy mysteries, I would not hesitate to buy this book for my self or a friend.
SMUGGLERS & SCONES RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4
FINALLY, PLEASE NOTE:
Additionally, I received this book from the author/publisher and borrowed it from kindle unlimited. I chose to voluntarily review the book with an honest contemporary cozy mystery novel review. Lastly, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews on-line and on my blog, are my opinions. No influenced my voluntary contemporary cozy mystery novel review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CLICK ON LINK BELOW: