"Adventure, Abduction & Arrest" By Tonya Kappes: Review/Giveaway

Review by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Southern-style Karma

Mae West has found purpose in her life. No to a pampered life: she likes the hard work to make her Happy Trails Campground a comfortable and popular destination. No to transactional friends: she finds true friendships, come what may, with a diverse group of Laundry Club ladies and adopted and foster family. No to a marriage of secrets and lies: she embraced literally and figuratively love and honesty from local PI Hank Sharp. There’re fur friends and many residents of Normal, Kentucky, who step up without reservations. Along with the good Mae deals with the bad since too many murder mysteries have invaded Normal, Kentucky. Although she’s garnered a good reputation and respect for her insights, she’s been ensnared in some perilous situations. However, she’s blessed with friends, family, and a true love finding happiness and purpose in a little yellow camper in the heart of Kentucky.


➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

Adventure, Abduction & Arrest
Earns 5/5 Tree Huggers…Engaging Cozy!

Hank Sharp has honed his investigative skills as a ranger in the Daniel Boone National Park, a detective and interim sheriff for Normal, Kentucky, and now, as a private investigator. So, why has he recruited Mae and the Laundry Club ladies? Maybe because they have also honed their own investigative skills by successfully bringing several criminals to justice. So, what’s one missing person?

Laura and Steve Tenney have hired Hank to find their twenty-three-year-old daughter, Kyra, who two weeks ago disappeared from the Forest Bathing Therapy Retreat. The mother said her daughter had been eager to get her life back on track after a difficult break-up. No one at the retreat has been forthcoming with valuable intel, so unbeknownst to the owner Robin Michaels, the team is going undercover as forest bathing therapist trainees. Yes, bathing, or grounding oneself, in nature to improve mental and physical health. Will it work to help Dottie kick her smoking habit?

The retreat is a bit primitive with yurt accommodations, no television, and vegan meals. This greatly challenges Dottie and the owner Robin and a main therapist Chad Baldwin are not amused. When Mae starts informally questioning a few people about where she can find her friend Kyra, several become very standoffish. Then…Fire! Forest fire! Mae and Hank set off to investigate and find first responders working to contain the blaze. Sadly, Hank’s ranger friend reports the discovery of a body at ground zero. Did they just find Kyra? What could she have done to end this way? And why does it seem several guests are hiding something?

Brilliant! Tonya Kappes continues to make her Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery series fresh and entertaining even after twenty-five adventures. The mystery is more intense with multiple murders, perilous discoveries, fire igniting everywhere, and a nail-biting conclusion, but it is tempered by Tonya Kappes’s witty banter, true friendships, and lots of southernisms on display. The suspects seem to all have alibis hard to challenge, and motives are limited, and as usual, clarity doesn’t pop up until Mae is staring at the killer making this book a real page turner all the way to the end. Mae’s inner thoughts about similarities with the victim and wanting a change or renewal was insightful. Tonya’s writing style is entertaining, and fans of the new Holiday Junction Mystery series will enjoy Violet Rhinehammer’s cameo appearance with phone calls that highlight the process Mae uses in her own investigating. Check out Four-Leaf Felony to learn what happens when Violet finds a dead body on the plane. It’s too bad the retreat wasn’t the beginning of the end to Dottie’s smoking addiction…maybe next time.

Bonus! Recipes and Camping Hacks from Mae West and the Laundry Club Ladies is a marvelous bonus whether camping in the woods or in your backyard. Enjoy these easy-to-follow recipes: Berry Crisp Foil Packs, Grilled Cheese Hot Dogs, and Grilled Watermelon. Included are Camping Hacks to make life less complicated: (1) Top 10 Things NOT to Do, (2) Top Things to Do, and (3) Fishing Rod Storage.

Alert! The next book, Rangers, RVs, and Revenge, is currently on preorder HEREon Amazon set for a June 30 release.

Be a Big Tonya Kappes Fan!

“Southern Hospitality with a Smidgen of Homicide!” USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes pens a variety of series. along with this eighteen-book Camper & Criminals Cozy series, she also has a six-book Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery along with exciting ghostly-, magical-, and caffeinated-themed series. For ghosts, she has an eight-book Ghostly Southern Mystery and seven-book Kenni Lowry series. Add some magic with a twelve-book Magical Cures Mystery and three-book Spies and Spells series. And finally, get a little caffeinated with her eight-book Killer Coffee Mystery. She also has an enjoyable online presence and various events enticing fans to gather to talk, share, and partake in the fun! 

Facebook – Author Tonya Kappes

Join the “Cozy Krew”

Become a Member at the Website – Tonya Kappes

YouTube — Tonya Kappes

To enter to win an ebook copy of Adventure, Abduction & Arrest, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "abduction,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 28, 2022. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you.  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! A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book or click here. 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.

Comments

  1. Sounds interesting! Count me in!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tonya is such a good storyteller. Thanks for the giveaway. Congratulations on another book! ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tonya is a great author! Would really like to read.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't believe this series is up to 25 books, almost 26. I've gpt to sign up for Kindle Unlimited again to get caught up.

    acm05atjuno.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love Mae and the camper series! Please enter me in the giveaway for her book. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  6. Why is ì so hard to enter the giveaways here?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so sorry that it seems that way. I just have to approve all of the comments so we aren't hit with spam. You could also enter via email.

      Delete
  7. Thank you!!!-Tonya

    ReplyDelete
  8. thanks for the chance to win amandasmother at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love, love, love your stories. I can't sleep at night until I read something in your book. A few hours later, oops, I am still reading. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love reading Tonya's books; they are such fun! Thank you for the giveaway chance. Nancy ringo_94@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for the chance. The book sounds good!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment