Morgan C. Talbot

A bit slow at the onset (and almost too detailed descriptions of each and every mystery writer in attendance), but I hung in there and was soon hooked! While I've read other cozy mysteries set in B&Bs, this one has the interesting twist of hosting mystery writers! (A mystery dropping into the middle of a group of diverse mystery writers? How fun!) This was a quick, easy read with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end.

I didn't realize this was the second in a series - it worked quite well as a standalone.… (altro)

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

Pippa Winterbourne runs Moorehaven Bed-and-Breakfast Inn in Seacrest, Oregon. Moorehaven is unique in that it now caters to the mystery writer crowd since the famous author A. Raymond Moore had once made it his home. When a skeleton is found with real gold Spanish coins the town is swarmed with treasure hunters. But the skeleton isn’t as old as originally thought and actually has a 50-yr-old tie to the town and Pippa’s Great-Uncle Hilt. In the middle of all the craziness, a murder is committed putting Pippa smack in the middle of a real-life murder mystery. It’s time for Pippa, her friends, and her guests to put their collective brains to work and figure out these two mysteries before someone else ends up dead.

Even though this is book 2 it can be read as a standalone. There is a huge info dump in the beginning and not having read the first book (yet) all of the characters were hard to keep straight in my head during this info overload. But once the stage is set the book takes off on its own. The characters are great, the writing is decent, and the plot keeps me guessing until nearly the end. My only other complaint is Pippa. For most of the book she’s kinda unlikeable. She’s eaten alive with jealousy and doesn’t really trust her boyfriend, Lake, even though she says she loves him. And she treats her sister like shit. Her character grows towards the end, but I had a hard time liking her for much of the story. The other colorful characters make up for this though. If you’re looking for a cozy mystery in a picturesque setting then give this one a go.… (altro)

romance, cozy-mystery

The characters are very interesting, the setting is marvelous, but some of the plot devices are incongruous. The idea of a Bed and Breakfast catering strictly to writers is innovative, the finding of a skeleton from 1964 of a man who was presumed to have simply absented himself from the area but found with authentic pieces of eight created real interest for me, but I was disappointed in this vegetable stew of a mystery.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley.… (altro)

Pippa Winterbourne owns a B&B for mystery writers on the Oregon coast and, like all good amateur sleuths, finds herself solving mysteries on the side. In BURGLARS & BLINTZES, the second book in Morgan C. Talbot's Moorehaven Mysteries series, Pippa finds herself chasing skeletons and possible pirate treasure.

The setting sounds too contrived, but Morgan makes it work. Since Pippa markets her B&B as a writers’ retreat only for mystery writers, she makes a point of staying neutral about her guests’ styles of writing and particular sub-genres. And as mystery writers, every character is not only willing and able to contribute to Pippa’s mystery-solving efforts, but also make good suspects because they have plotted out how to commit crimes.

Each chapter starts with a quote from Raymond Moore, the (fictional) world-famous mystery writer who formerly owned the Moorehaven mansion, before his home became a B&B. The fictional quotes are all clever, shaded from wry to campy, and set the tone for the chapter. It’s a charming touch.

This Moorehaven Mysteries series is a fun one to keep up on.… (altro)