Outdoors, Oars, and Oaths by Tonya Kappes is the 18th A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series because the author provides the background on the main character. Mae West thought she was being kind when she gave Bobby Rae the diamond for Abby’s engagement ring. Her husband’s attorney, Stanley Shelton shows up in the middle of the night claiming the diamond belonged to him. If the diamond is not returned to the Diamond Swamp Mob, Stanley could be killed. Before Mae can begin to look into the case, a woman is found dead in Stanley’s room at the Milkery with a Diamond Swamp Mob tattoo on her hand. Mae along with the other Laundry Club Ladies head to New York to make things right. Outdoors, Oars, and Oaths is a lighthearted cozy mystery. Mae and the Laundry Club Ladies plus Alicia get to travel in Mae’s trailer to New York. All our favorite characters are back for some fun. The whodunit is light with an obvious solution. I would have liked a little more complexity to the mystery and more time devoted to the murder portion. Mae and Hank are still tiptoeing around the issue of children. I am curious to see what happens next with Sheriff Sharp and Mae. Dottie was a delight in this one. She has some great lines, and her New York apparel is certainly unique. There are camper tips at the end of the book. We are left with a cliffhanger and will have to wait for Wildlife, Warrants, and Weapons to find out what happens next. Outdoors, Oars, and Oaths is a fun-loving tale with a dangerous diamond, a lethal letter opener, bedazzled apparel, a lily-livered lawyer, fervent friends, and relationship troubles. ( )

This installment of this series seems to be an in between book. This one is short and to the point and leads you in to what is going to go on in the next book. This story sets up what is going to be in store for Mae and the rest of the Laundry Club ladies. I enjoyed the mystery behind the murder(s) in this story and how the murderer was uncovered. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )