Audiobook Review - DEAD AND BREAKFAST: A MERRY GHOST INN MYSTERY by Kate Kingsbury

 

Title: Dead and Breakfast
Author: Kate Kingsbury
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert

Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mystery
Release Date: January 10, 2017

About the Book:

Melanie West is getting her life back on track after a messy divorce when her grandmother, Liza Harris, asks her to join her in opening a bed-and-breakfast inn. Together, Liza and Melanie purchase a purportedly haunted mansion on the Oregon coast and jump right into clearing out the cobwebs. But while attempting to remove wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom, the new B&B owners stumble upon a very real skeleton in their closet. The police suspect the skeleton is that of the wife of the previous owner of the B&B, but no one in town seems to want to say much about her.

As the inn owners try to juggle renovations with their own amateur investigations, their grand opening looms closer and closer - and a friendly ghost in their walls starts playing tricks. But it all comes crashing to a halt when a new body is found stabbed to death on the beach below the inn - the victim chillingly close in resemblance to Melanie herself. It seems someone doesn't appreciate newcomers prying into the small town's past, and now it's up to Melanie and Liza to get to the bottom of these murders to save their business - and their lives.

Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

"Dead and Breakfast" was my first experience with Kate Kingsbury books. But after listening to this first book in the Merry Ghost Inn Mystery collection, I immediately added the next book!

Melanie and her grandmother Liza go in as partners, purchasing an old house that they intend to turn into a Bed and Breakfast. While renovating the home and removing some very old wallpaper, they accidently discover a closet that the wallpaper had been covering. Yes, there is a skeleton in the closet! A real one! How are Melanie and Liza going to meet their deadline for opening the B&B if the police close off the second floor rooms until the case is solved? And since this is a cold case, the police aren't doing much. So Melanie and Liza decide to do a bit of investigating themselves.

This is a stand-alone story but if it's a good idea to listen (or read) this one first before moving on to the next book in the series. And I'm pretty sure you will want to move on to the next book. This was an absolute delight to read (er... I mean "listen"). I loved the characters and the storyline had enough mystery to keep me wanting to listen to more.

I also want to commend the narrator, Tavia Gilbert. She was beyond excellent! Loved her narration and various voices.

This is a light-hearted book and a joy to add to my collection. 

My Rating:

About the Author:

Kate Kingsbury grew up in London, England, and at a very early age began telling stories to her school friends during the London Blitz of WW II while huddling in bomb shelters. Kate moved to the U.S. in the early sixties, and had passed her 50th birthday when she published her first book. Writing as Doreen Roberts, (her real name at the time) she published 26 romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouette. In 1991 her first Pennyfoot Hotel book was published and since then Kate has written 35 mysteries, including the Manor House mysteries, the Bellehaven House mysteries(written as Rebecca Kent) and the Raven's Nest mysteries, (written as Allison Kingsley.) Her new series, The Merry Ghost Inn Mysteries debuted in January, 2017 with Dead and Breakfast, featuring a B & B on the Oregon coast. She has one son, Regan, and lives with her husband, Bill, in the beautiful state of Oregon.