"My Old Kentucky Homicide" By Gin Jones: Review/Giveaway

Review by Tracy Condie

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.

While this new series is off to a great start, the same cannot be said of the Bourbon B&B. Probate lawyer Jess Walker goes back home to Cooperton, Kentucky to meet and celebrate her nephew Jonah’s third birthday. You see Jess left home for college at 18, didn’t look back, and very rarely went back. Her two sisters CJ and Emma grew up just fine without her constant nagging and Debbie Downer attitude, right? Unbeknownst to Jess, this is a working vacation with Jess playing B&B host, making breakfast, and making a plan to find a killer––not the family reunion she was planning on.

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Image Source Gemma Halliday

I found this cozy compelling because of the sisters’ interactions. I am an only child so I cannot relate to sibling rivalry or birth order, but these characters do which draws you in on an emotional level. CJ and Em were not completely honest with Jess about the B&B, starting with its name: The Three Sisters B&B. Hmmm. Jess lives and works in DC so how can there be three sisters at the B&B? Then there is the surprise secret evaluation being conducted by the tourism co-op as a part of the application process which CJ and Em knew about before they invited Jess down for the weekend.

Needless to say, tempers flare and accusations abound. Seems like these three aren’t going to be able to get along unless it is over someone’s dead body. Oh yeah, and there is a dead body. One of the guests, Mark Pleasant, is anything but., Rather, he is a demanding older man who complains about a headache but still goes on the bourbon barrel tour at Hills’ Barrels. He more or less demands that Jess accompany the group. The only good part of that experience for Jess is meeting the attractive and single owner of Hills’ Barrels, Reed Hill. It is easy to see that those two are going to get along just fine; pity that Jess is only going to be in town for the weekend. But Jess and the rest of the guests do not have to endure Mark’s company for long because during his nap on the return trip, he dies. Wow, sounds like a heart attack, right, or maybe something similar? He’d been complaining about a migraine and seemed unsteady on his feet but was otherwise healthy. Was it natural causes or something more sinister? Either way, Jess must do what she can as the family fixer to make sure that the B&B comes out unscathed for the sake of her sisters and nephew Noah.

There are plenty of suspects, some more obnoxious than the victim, and some well-laid red herrings. This was a well-executed mystery with a little fun, a little seriousness, a little romance, and a most interesting sounding dish. I had to look up the recipe for burgoo and now I want to try my hand at making it. I look forward to the next Bourbon B&B mystery.

To enter to win an ebook copy of My Old Kentucky Homicide, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "kentucky,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 24, 2024. 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 click here to purchase this book.

Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.

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.