by: Jody Holford
Series: A Wannabe Sleuth
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: August 23, 2022
Publisher: Tule Publishing
The coastal Oregon town of Rainbow Falls might be sleepy, but it’s definitely not innocent...
When graphic designer and true crime fan Annie Abbott agrees to house sit her parents’ home for a year, she’s convinced that even though the small town has ten coffee shops, nothing exciting will happen. But that’s before a seemingly feral cat gives birth in her garage, prompting a call to the very handsome, very single town vet. It’s a dream meet-cute, but just as their romance blooms, Annie discovers the bloody body of her grumpy neighbor. And despite the fact that she passes out at the sight of blood, the police suspect her.
To clear her name, Annie will need to put her years of watching police procedurals and reading mysteries to good use. She’ll also need to rely on her new friends who have welcomed her to Rainbow Falls, but is one of them the killer?
Graphic designer Annie Abbott has moved from Portland, Oregon to the small coastal town of Rainbow Falls, Oregon to housesit for her parents, who are sailing around the world for the next year. This isn’t her childhood home or hometown, but she’s excited nonetheless. After all, the town of less than two thousand people has ten unique coffee shops and other equally charming small businesses. With Rainbow Falls being small and a tourist town, one would think that everyone you encountered would be nice. Not.
On Annie’s drive into town, she stops at one of the first coffee shops she sees and is in for a rude awakening. Just Coffee is just that. Just Coffee. But the rude part is the man behind her who’s grumpy because she’s asking about pastries. Annie is shocked to realize that the rude, mean sexagenarian is her new next-door neighbor, Gill Downs. The two clash again, and Annie soon realizes Gill clashes with everyone. Deciding to put Mr. Ornery out of her mind, Annie goes to her parents' garage where she discovers a not-so-happy cat. Needing reinforcements, Annie calls for help and gets local vet Benjamin (Ben) McIntyre. To her surprise, the cat is in labor and also belongs to Gill.
Shelby the cat is in no rush to leave Annie’s garage and go back home. So, Annie decides to go to Gill’s to retrieve some of Shelby’s items, to make her and her kittens more comfortable. Annie discovers Gill dead and immediately passes out due to a medical condition. Rainbow Falls PD has a lack of murder investigation experience, resulting in a larger agency taking over and immediately having Annie in its sights. Her running a mystery blog where she’s currently planning a mystery game with the victim having a strong resemblance to Gill doesn’t help her at all.
Home Is Where the Body Is was a good start to this series. A lot of the book involves introducing readers to all the people Annie will live next to for the next year and people closer to her age who will become friends. Ben is slated to become her love interest, but you can tell that she’s going to become great friends with Ryan, a police officer with Rainbow Falls PD, and twins Ashley and Stephanie, who own the coffee shop Cuppa.
I found the mystery of who killed Gill to be very good. My spidey senses didn’t go off even as the big reveal was happening. I’m a romance reader first, and a big reason I love Jody’s cozy mysteries is because she includes a closed-door romance. I’m looking forward to the relationship between Ben and Annie growing and watching Annie’s found family come together in the next book.
~ Favorite Quote ~
“Don’t be afraid to start all over again; you might like your new story better. ~ Anonymous”
**Received a copy of the book from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**
Rating: 4
Purchase Home Is Where the Body Is from:
Jody introduces us to some of the main characters of Home Is Where the Body Is here.
The A Wannabe Sleuth Series:
Homecoming and Homicide releases January 10, 2023
Places to find Jody Holford:
Website | Facebook | Reader Group | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram | Amazon Author Page
I really liked this book and can't wait for the next in the series to come out.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I like Jody's writing. I still need to check out her Sophie Sullivan books.
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