This was my first visit to South Cove CA., but I have to believe it won’t be my last. Jill owns a book store, (it is now my fantasy to own a similar one), and her aunt helps her to run it. In the book Jill and her boyfriend have picked up a new hobby, geocaching, and there she meets Kacey, the president of the geocaching club. She is also the estranged wife of Dustin, who had dated Jill’s friend in a previous book. Kacey is going to open the long contested food truck with a gluten free menu, that is until she is found dead. There is no shortage of suspects, Jill’s friend Sadie and Dustin are the most obvious and seemingly have the most to gain. Jill steps in to clear her friend’s name. If that doesn’t keep her busy enough, Jill is being targeted by the city water conservation committee, she has run afoul of close friend Amy and Jill’s Aunt is asking her lie to the man Jackie has been dating. It is a recipe for fun.

I truly enjoyed reading about Jill, her book shop and her hobbies. I would love the chance to read as much as she does for fun. All of the characters in this town are like old friends and even though I haven’t read previous installments in the series I didn’t feel as if I were missing out on anything. This is a terrific afternoon read I can recommend to all mystery lovers.

5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair an honest review ( )

A fun book, great for summer reading. ( )

I am addicted to cosies but there is only one problem with them...if you are on a diet they make life difficult. So many of them have food on practically every page. Pastries and coffee, restaurants and fast food delivery. Descriptions of and even recipes for goodies galore. My favourite things, books, animals and food with coffee every step of the way. I enjoy this series with its book store, coffee shop and a beach to run on. ( )

Jill Gardner owns Coffee, Books and More in a small tourist town in California. She is dating the Police Chief, Greg and is quite happy with her life. When she and Greg go geocaching on a double date, they meet Kacey, the president of the club and wife of Dustin Austin, the man who recently jilted Jill's friend Sadie when he reconciled with Kacey. When Kacey is found dead on the beach, Greg arrests Austin for the crime. Jill is sure he is innocent and begins her own investigation. She asks questions and is able to find leads that escaped Greg. Can they figure out who the murderer is?
Will Jill put herself in danger?

I love the characters in this series. They are so real. Jill works hard, eats whatever she wants, runs for exercise, has a wonderful dog named Emma, reads as often as she can, loves movies, picnics on the beach and is smart and a loyal friend. She could be a neighbour or BFF. Greg is kind, understanding, smart and loves Jill very much. The staff at the store work well together and care about each other. The other characters in town range from eccentric to grandmotherly. All in all, a great cast of characters. The plot moved quickly and had great pacing. There was mystery, romance, some female drama and some fun. A great story even though I had figured out the murderer before the end. I will definitely continue reading this series and I recommend it to all cozy mystery lovers. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

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While I usually look for good world building in fantasy or sci fi, I find it hits the sweet spot here. Jill Gardner comments on it in this book and I realized that it's so true, that I absolutely love returning to South Cove because the world Cahoon has created is so fantastic. Jill and her boyfriend Greg are trying their hand at a new hobby, geocaching. Several new characters are introduced, but it's when Jill's friend Sadie is under suspicion for a local murder that Jill's natural nosiness kicks in. The murder plot really kept me guessing, the 'body' seemed like such a nice character, it was hard to guess right away who might have done it. And I liked the added reality of the a subplot about how the tourist town is handling the California drought. ( )