Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: June 6, 2023 by Lyrical Press
Format: Kindle, 204 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Tourist Trap Mystery #15
First Sentence: Early summer was a busy time for South Cove’s businesses, so it didn’t surprise me that the attendance for the first Tuesday of the month’s business-to-business meeting was light.
Blurb: With the Moonstone Beach Festival coming up, Jill is touching base with her fellow small business owners to make it as successful as possible. It’s frustrating when Darla, the owner of South Cove Winery, is late to a big meeting, but they manage to get the discussion rolling about the kite flying event and the big Battle of the Bands—which Darla’s musician boyfriend is hoping will be his big break. And Jill, of course, will be there with her food truck, hoping for a financial boost after a slow spring.
But amid the fun in the California sun, someone will soon be planning a funeral instead of a festival—and Jill and her detective fiancé will have to find out who ruined the Moonstone Beach mood with murder. (GoodReads)
My Opinion: Either this series has gone downhill, or my tastes have changed.
Songs of Wine and Murder is slow, repetitive, has continuity issues, and Jill, the owner of Coffee, Books, and More, in the tourist town of South Cove, has lost her spark and energy. And in this book, the number of times she has walked from the coffee van to her shop is mentioned more than the murder. The readers understand that Jill has a busy festival weekend ahead of her, which includes navigating through the crowd at a music festival, repeatedly getting food, heading to the beach to meet her fiancé for a coffee break, and managing employee rotations. There must be more going on than this since there is a body that no one is really that interested in until the last third of the book. Oh yeah, and an employee who thinks the new temp’s name is familiar only to find out a fill-in-the-blank ridiculous reason for her not remembering him. Plus, when the town detective wondered how his fiancée put the obvious together before he did, made me shake my head and wonder if I was wasting my time.
This series could benefit from new energy, fresh material, or a significant change to engage and excite the audience.
Blurb: With the Moonstone Beach Festival coming up, Jill is touching base with her fellow small business owners to make it as successful as possible. It’s frustrating when Darla, the owner of South Cove Winery, is late to a big meeting, but they manage to get the discussion rolling about the kite flying event and the big Battle of the Bands—which Darla’s musician boyfriend is hoping will be his big break. And Jill, of course, will be there with her food truck, hoping for a financial boost after a slow spring.
But amid the fun in the California sun, someone will soon be planning a funeral instead of a festival—and Jill and her detective fiancé will have to find out who ruined the Moonstone Beach mood with murder. (GoodReads)
My Opinion: Either this series has gone downhill, or my tastes have changed.
Songs of Wine and Murder is slow, repetitive, has continuity issues, and Jill, the owner of Coffee, Books, and More, in the tourist town of South Cove, has lost her spark and energy. And in this book, the number of times she has walked from the coffee van to her shop is mentioned more than the murder. The readers understand that Jill has a busy festival weekend ahead of her, which includes navigating through the crowd at a music festival, repeatedly getting food, heading to the beach to meet her fiancé for a coffee break, and managing employee rotations. There must be more going on than this since there is a body that no one is really that interested in until the last third of the book. Oh yeah, and an employee who thinks the new temp’s name is familiar only to find out a fill-in-the-blank ridiculous reason for her not remembering him. Plus, when the town detective wondered how his fiancée put the obvious together before he did, made me shake my head and wonder if I was wasting my time.
This series could benefit from new energy, fresh material, or a significant change to engage and excite the audience.
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