Memories and Murder
A Tourist Trap Mystery
by Lynn Cahoon
About Memories and Murder
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Kensington Publishing Corporation (November 12, 2019)
Paperback: 182 pages
ISBN-10: 1516103076
ISBN-13: 978-1516103072
Digital ASIN: B07NTD5L7H
It’s October in South Cove, California, and the locals in the quaint resort seem to be happily pairing off in the lull before the holidays. Everyone, that is, except for Jill Gardner’s elderly aunt, who just dumped her besotted fiancé—and she won’t say why.
When Jill hosts a talk at Coffee, Books, and More on the topic of elder abuse, all that’s really on her mind is lunch. But the topic hits close to home when she discovers Aunt Jackie has been getting mysterious calls. Jill’s certain the caller is a con artist, of course, but her feisty aunt claims to understand this, though she’s still shaken—and Harrold’s still heartbroken. Who’s behind the scam and why was her aunt targeted? When a volunteer from the Senior Project is found murdered, Jill’s detective boyfriend is on the case—and it soon becomes clear no one is safe when a caller from beyond becomes a killer in their midst.
About Lynn Cahoon
Lynn Cahoon is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today best selling cozy mystery series. The Tourist Trap Mystery series is set in central coastal California with six holiday novellas releasing in 2018–2019. She also pens A Cat Latimer Mystery series available in mass market paperback. Her newest series, the Farm to Fork mystery series, debuted in 2018. She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies. Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com.
Author Links
Website - https://www.lynncahoon.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor
Twitter - https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon
Excerpt
To everything, there is a season. This truth was given to us in the Bible as well as through the sacred music of the Byrds. Life goes in cycles.
As I sat and listened to Paula Woods from the Senior Project talk to the business-to-business meeting, I pondered my own life and seasons. And, of course, the seasons of the ones I loved. As the South Cove city council liaison for the business community, it was my job to set up these monthly meetings. Most months we talked about upcoming marketing festivals or rules and regulations that the city council had taken up for discussion.
This month, the topic was hitting closer to home. I’m Jill Gardner. I set up the meeting and its agenda, but I also own Coffee, Books, and More, our regular meeting place. We are the only coffee-shop-slash-bookstore in our small coastal town.
In addition to the community business agenda items, we had a guest speaker. Paula was also a member of Sadie Michaels’s church. Sadie had advocated for Paula to have a slot on this month’s agenda. October was a slow month for topics, with everyone getting back in gear from the holidays, so I’d scheduled her in for the last hour of our meeting.
I could tell she was winding down and so was the attention span of our attending members. Me? I was checking my dark, curly hair for split ends. “I just wanted to thank Jill again for inviting me to speak with you. Elder abuse is a serious topic that our country needs to address. And I hope all of you will think about the care and attention older people in your life need and deserve. Thank you.” Paula looked my way, and I took that as my cue, jumping up to take the microphone before Mayor Baylor could even get out of his chair.
“Thank you, Paula, for your thoughtful presentation. I know a lot of us will be thinking about what you said for a while.” That got me a glare from my aunt, who neither acted like nor admitted to being elderly. “I just wanted to remind everyone that our next meeting is after Octoberfest finishes, so I thought Darla might have some last-minute instructions for us. Darla, do you mind? I know I didn’t have this on the agenda.”
“Not a problem.” Darla Taylor made her way to the front table. She’d been in charge of South Cove’s festivals for as long as I’d owned my shop. Well, except for that one Christmas, but even then, she’d saved the day after the mayor’s wife had messed up the planning. “I was going to jump in with some reminders before we closed anyway.”
As Darla came up, the mayor glanced at his watch. I passed by his chair and he grabbed my arm, bringing me down to his level. He whispered in my ear, “I need to get back to my office.” “Go ahead and leave. You’re not being held hostage.” I turned toward him so my voice wouldn’t carry over Darla’s.
“You know I like to close the meeting. Besides, its election year and I need to remind people to register to vote.” He cocked his head and studied me. “Your boyfriend isn’t thinking about running for mayor this year, is he? Maybe this is a ploy to keep me from getting in front of the business owners?”
“I’m not Greg’s campaign manager.” I saw the fear my choice of words had caused. I pulled my arm free, certain everyone was pretending to listen to Darla but really focused on our little spat. “Anyway, he’s not running. At least, not to my knowledge. Stop being paranoid. Go now or stay and talk. It’s your call.”
My Thoughts
Memories and Murder by Lynn Cahoon is the tenth A Tourist Trap Mystery. Jill Gardner owns Coffee, Books and More in South Cove, California where she is currently worried about her Aunt Jackie. Jackie suddenly called off her engagement to Harrold Snider and refuses to explain why. After a little coaxing from Jill, Jackie confesses that she has been getting some disturbing calls. If the identity of this individual is correct, then Jackie could not marry Harrold. Jill had just heard a lecture about elder fraud, and she believes someone is targeting her aunt. Jill contacts her boyfriend, Detective Greg King so they can look into the matter. Unfortunately, a volunteer at the Senior Project is murdered that evening which becomes Greg’s priority. Jill is not one to standby, so she begins to do some sleuthing on her own. Memories and Murder can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. The author provides the necessary background information on the main characters. Memories and Murder is easy to read thanks to the author’s conversational writing style and smooth flow of the story. The mystery was different because it addresses the issue of elder fraud. People, unfortunately, try to take advantage of those who are not as technologically savvy and who are more trusting. Jackie is lucky that she has Jill and such caring friends. Jill is positive that someone is taking advantage of Jackie and she begins going research online as well as talking to some people in town. Jill got lucky when people approached her with information because they had heard of Jackie’s predicament. I would have liked some more active sleuthing on Jill’s part. I enjoyed Deek’s participation and how he added to the case. Deek is a hard worker and a good addition to Jill’s business. I like how everything tied together to provide a satisfying conclusion. I am curious about Jill’s decisions making regarding Coffee, Books and More. Deek will ask to add a book group, and Jill tells him to check with Aunt Jackie since it will happen in the evenings when she works. Since Jill owns the business, I feel she should make the decision. I just found it odd and unfair to Deek since Aunt Jackie is not his biggest fan (yet). There are plenty of cozy moments with Jill enjoying endless cups of coffee, indulging in Sadie’s confections, taking Emma for runs, helping Amy work on her wedding including a disastrous crafting session, time with Greg, talking with new hire Deek, and reading advance reader copies that have been sent to the store. Memories and Murder is a comfortable cozy mystery with curious calls, a mysterious murder, copious quantities of coffee, plentiful pastries, wedding work, a cute canine, and a busy boyfriend.
Memories and Murder is available at Amazon*, Amazon UK, B&N, and Kobo. You find a complete list of A Tourist Trap Mystery books here on Amazon (list does not include the novellas). For a list of the novellas, visit Lynn Cahoon's website. To win a print copy of Memories and Murder (U.S. Only), click here to enter or enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Good Luck! Thank you for joining me today. I return tomorrow Silent Knit, Deadly Knit by Peggy Ehrhart. It is the fourth A Knit & Nibble Mystery. I hope you have a charming day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
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I really enjoy Lynn Cahoon's books. Would love to read "Memories and Murder".
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover art. This sounds like a fun read. Best wishes on the new release.
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