MISSION TO MURDER is a Tourist Trap Mystery. South Cove is a friendly and progressive town in California with an active committee of business people. They make the town a pleasant environment for locals and visitors alike. Lately there have been reports of some young tearaways getting up to mischief. Jill Gardner doesn't realise that this is the start of a MISSION TO MURDER.
Jill runs a bookshop and has planned for a famous mystery author to come and make a guest appearance. Her aunt is arranging it and keeping the identity secret. Jill has other matters on her mind, like funding for a historical site, which a businessman called Craig Morgan is trying to appropriate for his historic mansion The Castle. Jill has discovered part of an old mission wall on her property and believes she ought to preserve it as local history. Craig however wants more publicity for his antiques. "The man has money, power and the mayor's ear," reflects Jill after a run-in with Craig.
I liked seeing how Aunt Jackie's marketing nous and good- looking barista Toby had increased the takings at the coffee-shop and bookstore, while the location details are excellent. The beach makes an ideal spot to run Jill's Labrador for an hour, but the nightly fog damages the undersides of cars. Jill, as the new person in town, bears the brunt of suspicion when the overbearing Craig is found dead. She's in a relationship with a local police detective, Greg, and he just has to ask these awkward questions. The other characters include the gaily dressed town psychic who also answers phones at the police station, a cool skateboarding youngster who reads, and the dead man's ex-wife who has lost a hundred pounds' weight since splitting from him a year ago.
With references to an earlier story I did feel like a newcomer at first, but the mystery at hand takes over as we get to know everyone over grilled tuna, clams and peppers, with chocolate dream pie to follow. Jill makes some grown- up changes, encouraging our respect, even as she assesses the potential for murder in her neighbours. Under everyone's noses there are some slimeballs around town, and the menace gradually intensifies; the mystery of who the visiting author is also grips all the town's readers! Lyn Calhoon has created an absorbing, good fun mystery in MISSION TO MURDER and she has also written Guidebook To Murder.
In the California coastal town of South Cove, history is
one
of its many tourist attractions, until it becomes deadly.
Jill Gardner, proprietor of Coffee, Books, and More, has
discovered that the old stone wall on her property might
be
a centuries-old mission worthy of being declared a
landmark.
But Craig Thomas, the obnoxious owner of South Cove's
most
popular tourist spot, The Castle, makes it his business
to
contest her claim. When Thomas is found murdered at The
Castle shortly after a heated argument with Jill, even
her
detective boyfriend has to ask her for an alibi. Jill
decides she must find the real murderer to clear her
name.
But when the killer comes for her, she'll need to jump
from
historic preservation to self-preservation.
"Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police
detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover's
dream come true." --Susan McBride, author of The
Debutante
Dropout Mysteries
EXCERPT
Some people like to hear their own voice. That jewel of
wisdom hit me as I
filled the coffee carafes for the third time. As chamber
liaison, Iβd
volunteered my shop, Coffee, Books, and More, to serve as
semi-permanent host
site for South Coveβs Business Basics meeting. The early
morning meeting was
scheduled to run from seven to nine but the clock over
the coffee bar showed
it was already twenty minutes past. With more items to
cover on the agenda,
weβd be ordering lunch, maybe dinner, before the end.
All because the newest committee member, Josh Thomas,
owner of the new
antiques store down the street, had issues. He didnβt
like the agenda, the
cityβs promotion plan, and he especially didnβt like the
fact the city didnβt
have a formal animal control office. These subjects were
not part of the
regular list of discussion topics for the eclectic mix of
owners of gift
shops, art galleries, inns, and restaurants. I usually
loved feeling the
creative energy and listening to wacky ideas members
brought to the table.
Today, the meeting droned on and I couldnβt wait for it
to end.
βI wonder why he even moved here,β Aunt Jackie fake-
whispered to me as she
sliced a second cheesecake. βHe hates everything.β
βHush.β I elbowed my aunt, trying to quiet her.
βJill Gardner, donβt tell me you werenβt thinking the
same thing.β She started
plating out the cheesecake.
A couple of the council members snickered, and Joshβs
face turned a deeper red
than normal. His wide girth barely fit into the black
suit he wore. From what
I could tell, he wore the same threadbare suit every day.
Watching the buttons
on his off-white shirt, I worried one would pop off each
time he took a
labored breath.
βAs I was saying, we must press the police department to
deal with felonious
teenagers running the streets.β Josh didnβt acknowledge
heβd heard Jackie, a
tactic Iβve often used with my aunt. Sheβs overbearing,
opinionated, speaks
her mind, and I love her to death.
βThereβs no problem.β Sadie Michaels replied, the words
harsh and clipped.
βThereβs not a lot for kids to do around here, so they
hang out at the park.
They donβt cause problems for local businesses. Weβve
raised them better than
that.β
βI beg to differ. Craig Morgan, the manager over at The
Castle, has caught
kids breaking in after-hours. Theyβve been having
drinking parties, swimming
in the pools, and heβs even caught a few couples in the
mansionβs bedrooms,
doing heavens knows what.β Snickers from the rest of the
members floated
around the room as Josh wheezed in another breath. βWe
must stop these
criminals before thereβs real trouble. The antiques
housed at The Castle are
priceless.β
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