When Emmy Cooper’s life in Chicago is turned upside down, the young interior designer retreats to her family’s lake cottage resort in the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods for a much-needed break. Hoping to clear her mind and gain a fresh perspective, she looks forward to enjoying the slower pace and the crisp, clean pine air at her beloved Cooper’s Cove Resort with her family, dogs, and her best friend, Whitney.
Unfortunately, her homecoming isn’t as calm as she’d hoped when Emmy finds out a ruthless development company is relentlessly pressuring Lake Covington property owners, including Emmy’s family, to sell their land so they can build an extravagant, modern resort that would ruin the quaint esthetic of the area. And things only get worse when Emmy finds the dead body of one of the developers floating in the lake—murdered!
Suddenly the police are involved, and since Emmy’s father was leading the fight to stop the shady development from getting approval, he’s quickly painted as the prime suspect. Now it’s up to Emmy to prove her father’s innocence, save the reputation of Cooper’s Cove, and find out who would resort to murder.
My Review:
Okay — first of all — cutest cozy cover ever!!! I feel like I can walk right in, nudge that little Yorkie over a wee bit and settle down for a sublime reading session! And that pretty package absolutely reflects all the delightfully cozy details you expect from a cozy mystery. 🙂
Retreating from personal drama, Emmy has returned to her family’s lakeside resort to regroup, only the peace and quiet and familial support she craves goes by the wayside when she finds a dead body on the property! Suddenly her quiet retreat turns into police investigating her father and the family’s livelihood in jeopardy. What’s a daughter to do but put on her deerstalker hat and go sleuthing?!
‘Resort to Murder’ is a fabulous debut novel! Annie McEwen has an engaging writer’s voice and a compelling story to tell. I love the Cooper family dynamics (such a cozy draw) and Emmy’s besties, Whitney and Marcus-with-the-mullet are a hoot! Their investigative skills aren’t quite finely honed, but what they lack in finesse, they make up with enthusiasm. And the cottagey resort setting is so appealing! (and perfect for a summer read.)
The well crafted plot kept me guessing (though I got there in the end. Yay me!) and I really like the way our amateur sleuths played nice with law enforcement. The detective on the case was a long time friend of Emmy’s dad and I liked his compassionate approach to the investigation. Of course our plucky heroine is too impatient to wait for the police to do their thing and a new literary amateur sleuth is born!
And — eeeeep — there’s a sweet romance brewing with a teen crush all grown up and that makes my romance lovin’ heart sooooo happy!
And — double eeeeeppppp!!! — the second book in the ‘Northwoods Mystery’ series is already out. ‘Dead, White and Blue’ (these titles!!!!) is definitely going to make it’s way onto my summer reading list.
GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:
This giveaway is for a gently read paperback and is available to any reader, any where — so, yay, another International Giveaway!
If you would like a chance to win a copy of Resort to Murder , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 20 2024.
Kav's Best Reads 
Cool new author for me. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
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This is her debut and I’m super excited to keep on with this series. Good luck, Kim!
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Her name is on my new debut author list. Thanks for reading the book.
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Definitely the cutest cozy cover ever!! I want to walk right into it and snuggle those pups!
manderley23 at gmail dot com
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I know — the cover should be wall art! I want that room!!! Good luck, Kimmy!
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I love these cozy mysteries. The cover reminds me of my granddaughter’s dogs!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
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Ooooh, you are one lucky doggy grandma! Good luck, rubynreba!
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Believe it or not, Kav, I don’t think I’ve read a cozy mystery before — unless I just didn’t know it when I was reading it 🙂 This sounds like a good one to try. Count me in, please 🙂
ckbarker at gmail dot com
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Well this would be the perfect introduction to the genre. Good luck, Cheryl!
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I would love to read this novel, I enjoy cozy mysteries so much.
The cover says Read Me, thanks for the review from this new to me author.
cenyatwoathotmaildotcom
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You’re welcome, Marjorie. Good luck!
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Good morning, Kav. I hope you are having a good day so far. This book sounds like one I shouldn’t miss, since I love Northern Wisconsin and cozy mysteries. So, please add my name to the hat. Blessings…
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Shoot! I wasn’t paying attention. Can you fix my email?
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Fixed it, Kay. The Northern Wisconsin setting was lovely and perfect for a cozy mystery. Good luck, Kay!
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Oh, this cozy does sound so cute. Count me in for the giveaway, Kav. Thanks. momrain(at)aol(dot)com
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Good luck, Loraine!
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Oh! I so agree with you on the cover. LOVE IT! I could live there – well besides the shadow at the window. 🙂
“Resort to Murder” seems to have it ALL! Love finding new authors, getting in on the first book of a series AND one that comes so highly recommended. It all means I’m already hyper excited about the prospects of reading this amazing story, becoming acquainted with the characters and following the crush to romance aspect of the story as I try to figure out whodunit. Whew! Just reading your review and typing my entry into the contest has me all a jitter. Maybe I need some more caffeine, lots of sugar and then take off on a run (sorry that’s not going to happen). But instead, I’ll hit send with fingers crossed to be the fortunate one selected and go add this book to the top of my TBR list.
Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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I know — your eye takes in all the cozy details and you’re all mellow and anticipating a sweet read and then you notice the creepy shadow at the window. Bwahahaha! Why aren’t those dogs barking/! Good luck, Kay!
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New author to me. leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com
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Good luck, Lucy!
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I agree, I love that cover!! Makes you want to cozy up with a good book & that cute dog sitting next to you 😊
I’ll put my name in for my hubby since he enjoys cozy mysteries 💖
teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com
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Hooray for another cozy mystery lover. Good luck, Trixi!
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ohh you are so right. that cover just says “come and join me”. this sounds like a wonderful book. thanks for your review. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
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Good luck, Lori!
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Oh I love that cover too. They say don’t judge a book by its cover. It true but a beautiful cover sure entices the eye and make you want to pick up that book.
I’d love to read this one. And also a new author for me too.
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This is a total judge the book by it’s cover read. Good luck, Becky!
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Kav, I love this cover as well. Absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait to read this story, Rebecca
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Good luck, Rebecca!
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