Cozy Mystery Review: Mining For Murder

 

 

Mining for Murder (A Happy Camper Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – South Dakota
Lyrical Press (April 5, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 275 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0992TPJ24

Zo Jones is enjoying the sunny season at her Happy Camper gift shop in Spirit Canyon, South Dakota—when a murder reminds her all that glitters isn’t gold . . .

The South Dakota Gold Rush might be long over, but Zo Jones feels like she’s hit the mother lode when she and her friends browse an estate sale, where a rare old book about the history of Spirit Canyon is causing quite a commotion. In addition to local stories and secrets, the book may even contain the location of a famous stash of gold—a treasure worth killing for.

Zo’s friend Maynard Cline wins the bid on the book, to the chagrin of many interested parties, including the historical society and college history department. But when Zo and Hattie head to Maynard’s mansion to borrow the book for a library event, the only thing they find is Maynard—at the bottom of the mountain. The valuable book is gone. Zo knows this must be murder because there’s no way a germophobe like Maynard would have voluntarily dived into a pile of dirt. Now she’ll have to dig into a new case, and go prospecting for a perpetrator . . .

 

My Review:
This was a fun read that deserved better attention than I was able to give it! That I could read and follow the story at all with everything going on in my head just now is a testament to it being well-written and fast-paced, with an interesting story line.

I enjoyed the characters and the mild romantic storyline. I did feel at times as though I needed to go read the first two books in the series to fully grasp some of the subplots, and there were a lot of characters to keep track of (were there really more than in most such, or was that a reflection of my distracted status?). The mystery plot was well done, and the solution not at all obvious to me, but one that held together when Zo untangled it. Lots of solid red herrings and just enough excitement!

My Recommendation:
This is a good fun summer read, but I think I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series. Of course, I usually enjoy it more if I start at the beginning of the series. There is less of an outdoors theme than I'd hoped, but the setting is nice.

About Mary Angela

Mary Angela is the author of the Happy Camper cozy mystery series, the Professor Prather academic mystery series, and several short stories. When Mary isn’t penning heartwarming whodunits, she’s teaching, reading, traveling, or spending time with her family. She lives in South Dakota with her husband, daughters, and spoiled pets. You can find out more about her loves, including her writing, at MaryAngelaBooks.com.

Author Links

Website: www.maryangelabooks.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/maryangelabooks

Twitter: @maryangelabooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15342425.Mary_Angela

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryangelabooks/

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NAppleGoogle BooksKobo – 


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FTC Disclosure: I was given an electronic review copy of Mining For Murder as part of a Great Escapes free blog tour, in exchange for my honest review, not for a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2022
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Comments

  1. Sounds good, but I know what you mean about starting from the beginning. But then, what is a writer to do when the third book comes out? ;)

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