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.
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