Deadly Drama (A Britton Bay Mystery Book 4)

Author:  Jody Holford

Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781516110063

Lyrical Underground Publishing

176 Pages

$15.95; $7.19 Amazon

August 4, 2020

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Living in the beautiful coastal town of Britton Bay, Oregon, seems like the perfect fit for Molly.  She enjoys her work as editor-in-chief of the Britton Bay Bulletin, loves her boyfriend Sam, and feels at home in the adorable cottage in the back of his mother's bed and breakfast.

This spring Britton Bay is staging its first-ever community theater production.  The show -- featuring local residents -- is the talk of the town, but tongues are really wagging over the director.  It turns out former soap opera actress Magnolia Sweet is anything but; nothing's worse than a has-been on a power trip and steely Magnolia routinely chews out her amateur cast.

Still, it's a shock to all when she's found murdered in the theater.  Now it's open call for suspects, as Molly steps in to shine a spotlight on a killer waiting in the wings.  But will this be her final act?

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Molly Owens is the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, the Britton Bay Bulletin.  She's had a tough morning, having to fire an employee, and is looking for a little comfort along the way.  But since she's promised her friend Sarah, who's an artist and creating the set for a local production of The Wizard of Oz, she shows up with her boyfriend Sam and Sarah's boyfriend, acting sheriff Chris.  When they arrive, they're immediately chewed out by the director of the play, an ex-actress named Magnolia Sweet, who has half the town afraid of her, including her assistant, Tiffany.  It seems Magnolia acted in television a long time ago, but people are still jumping to her tune.

But it's also apparent that those same people really don't like her at all, and make no bones about it.  When she overhears a telephone conversation, her conjectures are confirmed.  Still, Molly is glad that she's only volunteered to help, so she doesn't have to deal with the woman directly.

But Molly has other things on her plate right now -- she needs to find a new employee, and soon;  Sam's mother Katherine's birthday is just around the corner and they're planning a surprise party; no one can find Corky, the homeless man who usually hangs out in town; Molly is trying to get an interview with the hated Magnolia for the newspaper; and now Molly is wondering if her relationship with Sam is going to last.  She knows she loves him, but once burned twice shy, as the saying goes...

When Molly finally is given the chance to interview Magnolia, she finds her dead on stage with the building's janitor, Judd, standing over the body.  While no one believes that Judd's capable of murder he seems to be the only suspect.  But Molly has been told more than once to stay out of murder investigations by Chris, but is this time different?  When she's given encouragement from an unlikely source her innate curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to find out who was the most viable suspect.  If only she can keep herself out of danger, she might live to tell someone...

This is the fourth book in the series and I've read all of them.  I must disclose that this book is as much a romance as it is a mystery.  Normally I don't read romances, because I really don't care for them.  (Although upon occasion I have picked up one or two).  Anyway, because the mystery is so well done, you don't really see it altogether as disrupting to the story.

As a matter of fact, it's more about Molly learning to trust and realize that people aren't going to bail on her as friends or family.  There are a few parts that are actually quite endearing to the story in this respect, and it actually has bearing on the final outcome all along.

Getting back to the murder, the suspects are plentiful and it's up to Molly to find out if any of them have a rock solid alibi.  But her asking questions is ruffling feathers in the wrong direction, and she's warned more than once to stay out of it.  But when she finally finds out the truth, it just might be too late, and she might have put herself in danger one too many times.

However, when the ending comes and the motive is given I felt rather sorry for the perpetrator, although I don't want to reveal the reasons why as it may give too much away.  There is a very nice epilogue that gives us something to look forward to in the next installment and I can't wait to read it.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Drama-Britton-Bay-Mystery/dp/1516110064/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3510879220

More on Jody Holford's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/jody-holford/

Deadly Ride (A Britton Bay Mystery Book #3)

Author:  Jody Holford
Genre:   Mystery

Digital Book
Lyrical Underground Publishing
217 Pages
$5.99 Amazon
October 22, 2019

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As editor-in-chief of the Britton Bay Bulletin, Molly steps in for a sick reporter to cover the Classic Car Crawl, an exhibit of vintage automobiles.  Her main challenge is not being driven to distraction by the presence of her hunky boyfriend, Sam Alderich, a fellow car enthusiast whose auto shop is sponsoring the event.  But when she and Sam discover the co-founder dead in his car, Molly quickly shifts gears to solve the murder.

With a showroom full of suspects - including the co-founder's longtime partner, much-younger wife, enigmatic ex, and car owners with grudges and grievances - Molly soon starts to feel like she's spinning her wheels.  And after things take a turn for the worse, it's all she can do to steer clear of trouble and stay out of a killer's clutches...

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Molly Owens is the editor-in-chief of small-town newspaper Britton Bay Bulletin and in a relationship with Sam Alderich, who owns his own garage and is sponsoring a classic car show that's been held in other cities, but never Britton Bay.  He's excited to meet his two idols, who are co-founders of the event - Jet and Brian.  But when he and Molly do meet them, Jet, a man in his seventies, is making passes at Molly...and they find out that not only does he have an ex-wife who's there but his current wife is only 24 and she's there, also.

It's also pretty evident that Jet doesn't care who he sleeps with, but all Molly wants to do is avoid him.  When Sam is checking to see that everything is locked up for the evening one night, he finds Jet sitting in his car.  It's not long before he discovers the man dead.  Molly also discovers that there's plenty of suspects from the ex- and current wife, to fellow car enthusiasts and a nosy reporter that's come on the scene.  Every one of them had motive.  But which one killed him?  When Molly gets too close to the truth, she'd better watch herself or Jet will have company...

This is the third book in the series and I liked it as much as the other two.  The plot was interesting, and I liked the fact that none of Molly's friends were suspected of murder.  What a nice change- I also like the fact that Sam owns a garage and he isn't the usual police officer or attorney.  This time out, Molly's main reporter is out ill so she's taking a turn interviewing the drivers, and what she hears (or overhears) leaves her with questions when Jet is killed.

But of course, Sam's friend, police deputy Chris Beatty, is taking the lead on the investigation and even though he tells Molly to leave it alone, neither he nor Sam believes she will.  And they're right.  There's red herrings thrown about, but not as many as you think, and it seems that no one has an alibi, since everyone is alibiing each other in one way or another.

There's also the subplot of how Molly's relationship with Sam is growing.  After being hurt by her last boyfriend, she doesn't want to let Sam know how much she cares, but watching them figure it out is a pleasant diversion.  I'm not big on romance novels but I love the fact that there's romance attached to the mystery, but it's never confused with it.  By that I mean the murder never takes second place to the romance, and that's how it's supposed to be.

I also liked the fact that we were given some background on a couple of minor characters which Ms. Holford has managed to do in each of her books; bringing us into the lives of everyone who surrounds Molly.  It's what a true cozy should be - when you enter the town, you learn a little more about each resident as time goes on.  It made for an enjoyable read.

When the murderer was discovered, it wasn't much of a surprise, but then it's more about the journey to find the truth in mysteries, anyway.  And this was a very good journey indeed.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://smile.amazon.com/Deadly-Ride-Britton-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B07N5FV2F9/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2983519358

More on Jody Holford's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/jody-holford/

Deadly Vows (A Britton Bay Mystery Book 2)

Author:  Jody Holford
Genre:   Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516108701
Kensington Publishing
172 Pages
$15.95; $4.99 Amazon
April 9, 2019

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Britton Bay is buzzing with preparations for a wedding at the bed and breakfast where Molly rents a small carriage home.  Molly is even helping out and plans to interview the rising star caterer - until the woman is found dead.  And then the bride-to-be goes missing.  To make matters worse, the venue is owned by Molly's new boyfriend's mother - and Molly was among the last people to see the victim alive.  All of which makes solving the crime her top priority...

With the nuptials indefinitely on hold, Molly will have to sift through a sticky mix of suspects, including a rival caterer with a short fuse, a groom with an illicit secret, and a wedding party riddled with personal drama.  And if she doesn't discover the truth soon, Molly might be her own front page news...

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Molly Owens is editor in chief of the Britton Bay Bulletin, their newspaper, and she also lives in a cottage behind the B&B her boyfriend Sam's mother Katherine owns.  She's watching the tents being erected for a huge wedding at the B&B, and it's quite a spectacle.  On her way to work one morning she talks with the owner of the local bakery, Bella, and discovers that the wedding party has brought in their own caterer, which means that Bella, who provides the B&B with baked goods, won't be supplying them during their stay.  She also discovers that the owner of the paper, Alan Benedict, knows the bride's mother and is going to run a feature.  But when Patricia Lovenly (MOB) arrives at the paper she's not alone.  She's brought with her the caterer, Skyler Friessen, who doesn't seem to want to be there, and comes off as thinking she's better than anyone in the town. 

Later on, when Molly returns home she hopes to have an interview with Skyler, but needs to figure out a way to approach her.  Reluctantly, Skyler agrees on one the next morning, but when Molly arrives at the hotel where she's staying, she finds out that Skyler is dead, and it's not long before her inquisitive nature leads her to the fact that she was poisoned. 

While she insists she's not investigating the crime, she can't help but wonder who hated the woman enough to want to kill her.  Why would anyone want to murder a woman who, though unpleasant at best, didn't seem to be horrible enough to kill.  But someone did, and Molly, who's in a perfect place to watch the wedding guests - since they aren't allowed to leave until the murderer is caught - starts putting the clues together.  But will it be in time to save herself from being the next person to get iced?

This is the second book in the series, following Deadly News, and I am happy to say that I found it to be just as good as the first one.  This time out, Molly is secure in the fact that she's doing well as Editor in Chief at her job, and navigating her new relationship with Sam.  She's still having trouble after her disastrous breakup with her ex, but Sam is winding himself into her life so easily that she's learning how to trust again.

But then there's the murder.  And the killer is more than likely someone the bride brought with her when they arrived in Britton Bay.  The only clues she has are the ramblings of a local who isn't all there mentally, and the fact that the last thing she drank came from Bella's bakery - but she does know that Bella's not a murderer.  Which leaves her back to square one, trying to figure out who is, even though she's telling herself she's not investigating.

Molly is a great character; she's independent, strong, yet still scarred inside and is flawed, just like the rest of the world.  She cares about the people around her, and it shows.  Sam is a truly decent guy with a great sense of humor; although he's in for a surprise himself with something regarding his mother.  The rest of the characters feed the story well, and even though we don't see as much of the people who work at the newspaper, their presence is still known.

The mystery was done very well.  The clues are there, but they're thrown in by bits and pieces, and you just have to look for them.  There are a couple of red herring that lead you to believe other people just might be guilty, but that's exactly as it is supposed to be.

In the end, when Molly discovers the identity of the killer, it all comes together nicely, giving us a tale that was entertaining and interesting; which also made Molly do some thinking of her own in the process on where her life is going.  A very enjoyable book and I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Vows-Britton-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B07FLP2PKJ/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2749384100

More on Jody Holford's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/jody-holford/

Deadly News (A Britton Bay Mystery #1)

Author:  Jody Holford
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781516108695
Lyrical Underground
184 Pages
$15.00; $3.99 Amazon
October 30, 2018

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Former army brat Molly Owens is ready to put down roots, and the picturesque seaside town of Britton Bay on the Oregon Coast seems like the perfect place for it.  Especially when she lands a job as editor of the local paper.  But she's got one colleague who's very bad news...

As an experienced journalist, Molly is eager to bring the struggling Britton Bay Bulletin up to speed.  But when she pushes Vernon, one of her less welcoming reporters, to dig a little deeper into the story of a prominent local family, the man ends up dead.  The fact that he wasn't well-liked makes finding the killer extra complicated.  The lists of suspects range from his ex-wife to his own son to Molly's boss, who has a secret of his own.  But when Molly's attempts to sleuth out the truth result in her receiving frightening threats, the trouble is just beginning...

The one bright spot is Molly's newfound flirtation with Sam Alderich.  The sexy mechanic is used to taking things apart and piecing them back together, and between the two of them they just might be able to solve this deadly puzzle - if Molly can survive peaceful small-town life long enough...

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Molly Owens has moved to Britton Bay, Oregon to start a new life after breaking up with her live-in boyfriend.  She's accepted a job as the editor of the small Britton Bay Bulletin, the local newspaper.  When she arrives for her meet-and-greet, the owner, Alan, introduces her to the staff:  Elizabeth, Vernon, and Clay; along with an unpaid intern, Hannah, a teenager who is also Alan's niece.  Vernon lets it be known immediately that he doesn't like her and that he has no intention of listening to her.  While Molly tries to stay optimistic, she realizes that it will take work for Vernon to accept her.

When she leaves for lunch she finds her jeep sounds wrong, and luckily there's a nearby garage.  Looking at her vehicle she sees the air has been let out of all of her tires.  Meeting the mechanic, Sam Alderich, she gets a little bump in her heartbeat but reminds herself that she's there to work, not to start a new relationship.  She knows that it was probably Vernon who did it, but without proof she needs to let it go.

When she decides to mix things up at the paper, hoping to improve their readership she assigns a story to Vernon about the local founding family.  After a rough start, he agrees.  But when he doesn't deliver the story, she calls him and he tells her he's taking the day off and will see her the next.  When he doesn't show up for work, she goes over to his home only to find the man dead. 

Blindsided and overwhelmed she calls the police, briefly questioned, and released.  But Molly can't get the idea out of her head that she had something to do with Vernon's murder.  Maybe if she hadn't pushed him to go out and get the story...but what could talking to an elderly woman have to do with murder? 

Sorting out these thoughts isn't going to be easy, especially since she's being pursued by Sam, and no matter how much he tries to allay her fears, she's sure that his death has something to do with the story she sent him to find.  But what?  And it becomes even more apparent when she discovers flowers trampled at her home and the vandalism escalates.  But how far will a killer go to protect any secrets they might have?

While this author has written other books, it is her first foray into the world of cozy mysteries, and as such a very worthwhile effort indeed.  I found the mystery to be well-written, the story line intriguing, the characters well-drawn and the town descriptions delightful.

Molly isn't your usual sleuth, digging into places she shouldn't be and asking overly-invasive questions that make one uncomfortable reading about.  Instead she's intelligent, empathetic, has a decent sense of humor, is able to banter flirtatiously with Sam without seeming awkward, and has a desire to actually fit in and make friends, which has her randomly apologizing to people for various things.  I do believe the fact that this author has heretofore written romances helps in the fact that the budding romance between Molly and Sam is both convincing and enjoyable to read.

Following the many red herrings strewn into the story is quite fun, never knowing where they'll lead or to whom.  Just when you feel you might be on the right track, something else comes around the bend that sends you in another direction.  When Molly finally puts it all together and figures out the identity of the killer, it's worth noting that she's not stupid about it, and I appreciate that fact.  The reason for the murder is believable, and I found that everything came together nicely at the end.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-News-Jody-Holford/dp/1516108698/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2536811425

More on Jody Holford's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/jody-holford/