by Kathleen Costa
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of this book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.
A Fresh Start in Holiday Bay!
Although not far from her thoughts is the memory of her husband and young child who perished in a tragic accident, Abby Sullivan has still made a success of her fresh start settling in the small town of Holiday Bay, Maine, seeing her Inn gain in popularity, becoming an important member of the community, and turning strangers to acquaintances to friends. Georgia Carter, the Inn’s manager and chef, has become a close friend and roommate sharing the nearby cottage along with her culinary creations. Lonny Parker, her contractor, now handyman, along with his wife and six kids have become close confidants. Jeremy Slater, the newest member of the Inn’s family, is the assistant manager living on the property with his young niece Annabelle whose mother is currently deployed. Police Chief Colt Wilder is slowly becoming more than just friends entering her thoughts often, and when he’s away, there is an emptiness in her day. He also provides that official law enforcement connection when odd occurrences or suspicious deaths check in. Last, there’s a fussy Maine Coon cat Rufus and two delightful “fur” friends, Molly and Ramos. Life, her new life, may not have been what and where she anticipated, but it is just what she needs.
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Pilgrim in the Parlor earns 5/5 Antique Statues...Engaging Entertainment!
“I really couldn’t understand how he’d ended up dead in my parlor.”
Jeremy had a very rude awakening when making his morning rounds. He discovered the body of one of the guests...dead in the parlor, bludgeoned, an antique pilgrim statue nearby. Jeremy had locked up the Inn the night before at his usually ten o’clock, and only the three employees, the handyman, and guests have a key to enter the back door after hours. Milton Standoff, described as “a self-entitled boob,” was set to direct the town’s annual Thanksgiving pageant, but his arrogance, argumentative behavior, and curious meeting with a stranger witnessed by Velma, the diner’s owner, may take some of the suspicion off locals. However, Chief Wilder is out of town dealing with family issues, an Officer James just happened to be in the area to catch the case, local police seem in the dark, and the man in a black suit, arriving in a black SUV, flashing an official-looking badge shows up! “Something odd was going on.”
Wow! Kathi Daley has taken all the entertaining twists and turns and set them loose in Holiday Bay. The murder mystery was quite enjoyable starting in one direction (greed), then moving in another (betrayal), then...another (retribution). It sure kept me turning the page to the final “Oh, I didn’t see that coming” ending! Along with an investigation incorporating official and unofficial questioning, secrets and connections revealed, and evaluating various scenarios, typical in Kathi Daley’s writing style, she continues with her Inn at Holiday Bay series exploring the ins and outs of managing the Inn, navigating various friendships, revisiting issues with Abby’s past, and providing hints about local festivities. But her style always puts the characters at the center.
This first-person narrative focuses on Abby’s perspective, her thoughts, and her feelings. She is quite an enjoyable protagonist as she regains her zest for life, renews her writing career, and while dealing with the second anniversary of a major family tragedy, continues to enjoy the love and support of her new friends. Friends...their reactions to unusual circumstances (Ok, how many murders can one town really have?) are realistic and the connections not forced, so reading about them has a ring of truth. As for the visiting characters, whether good or bad, they, too, are written with reasonable personalities, emotions, and motivations. The mystery is engaging, twisty, turny, and satisfying, but it’s always the characters that keep me coming back to the Inn at Holiday Bay.
Alert! The seventh book in The Inn at Holiday Bay series, set to release December 2, is on Preorder on Amazon. In Note in the Nutcracker new guests arrive for the Christmas holidays with interesting tales to tell, but it’s a long forgotten letter for Santa found in the mouth of a life-size nutcracker Abby has as a holiday decoration that reveals the most interesting mystery.
Be a Big Kathi Daley Fan!
“Come for the Murder, Stay for the Romance!” Kathi Daley has ten other series offering something for every cozy taste including “fur” friends and close relationships between family and friends. She has a great social media community of fans and can be followed on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub.
Facebook - Kathi Daley Books
Join the Club Kathi Daley Book Club
On the Web Kathi Daley Website
Blog - Random Thoughts and Meaningless Musings
To enter to win an ebook copy of Pilgrim in the Parlor, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "pilgrim,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 9, 2019. If entering via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! One of our past episodes features another of Kathi's books. You can listen to it here: mysteryratsmaze.podbean.com/e/boxes-in-the-basement-by-kathi-daley
Or you can listen to her podcast episode right here on the website with this player:
You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:
'Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
I’m behind on this series
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Love this series!
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sounds like a great read! love the cover beeghly1993 (at) gmail (dot) com
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance tromero927(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteYay I can’t wait to read this one. Nerdsrgood (at) msn (dot) com thanks for the chance to win
ReplyDeletethis is a new series to me by Kathi Daley whom I always love to read. Thank you for the opportunity. Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
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I love Kathi's books. I would love to read this one. Thank you for this chance to win. 1cow0993(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love this series - each book has kept me thoroughly engrossed and I can’t wait to read this one!
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jwhite410(at)yahoo(dot)com
I am enjoying this series so much! Thanks for the chance to win this book! Look forward to reading this newest edition!
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This is my favorite series of Kathi Daleys. The description and review make me even more interested to want to read. Thanks for the chance! bernice-kennedy(at)sbcglobal(dot)net
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Jeanine
Thanks for the chance to win a book from Kathi Daley. Love her books.
ReplyDeleteThis storyline sounds so intriguing and interesting. I’d love to read it. Thank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great holiday read. Thanks for the chance.
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All her books sound great
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Oh but this sounds like a page turner. Thanks for the chance. On my To Read List now.
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Thanks for the review. kckendler at gmail dot com
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ReplyDeleteterry.sutcliffe@crrl.org
I've enjoyed this series so far, this one sounds great, too. Thanks for the chance to win!
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I love reading Kathi's books. This would be the perfect book to read this month.
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Love Kathi and her books, but my budget is tiny. Would be so grateful to win this!
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