Dollycas's Thoughts
A rustic cabin in the woods of Northern Washington, âthey could probably reach out and touch the Canadian borderâ, with no electricity, phone service, or Wi-Fi, seemed like the perfect place for bestselling author Tess Harrow to bond with her daughter and finish her book following her divorce. Expecting a lot of peace and quiet they are jolted literally when an explosion occurs and then another and another. When Tess and Gertie turn to investigate they see a man running toward them shouting followed by another BOOM! Then came a shower of water, fish guts, and a HUMAN ARM! They hadn't even gotten unpacked and they already had to call the cops.
Tess writes about murder all the time but solving one in real life could be really exciting especially when she meets the local sheriff who bears a striking resemblance to her lead character Detective Gabriel Gonzales. Of course, the sheriff doesn't want her help but that is not going to stop her from solving the case before he does. Plus all this drama is going to be perfect for her new book!
Oh, my, this was a hilarious cozy mystery!
Tess was a strong protagonist but could be a bit aggravating at times. She is always thinking about scenes for her next book, basically, she has her mind on murder almost 100% of the time and sometimes drifts off into her own little world, but she pulls it off. Her daughter Gertie, is a typical teenager, dependent on technology, livid that they are out in the boonies with no cell towers. But then she comes around and sometimes is several steps ahead of her mother in figuring things out. She also finds herself lost in a book during this story and I LOVED THAT!
Readers are introduced to several characters including Sheriff Boyd and that man was so patient with Tess. He really surprised me which made him my favorite character. He had to deal with some really crazy things and he didn't get shook. The supporting cast is rounded out by a bookmobile librarian who becomes fast friends with Tess and Gertie, a couple of deputies including a budding author, the Peabody brothers who own Peabody Timber, and other residents of Winthrop. Tess's ex also makes an appearance. I felt all the characters were pretty well fleshed out for the first book in the series.
Ms. Berry has written a really unique mystery full of corkscrew twists and gritty turns. Tess's years of writing thrillers help her envision several different scenarios of what could be happening in the woods by her grandfather's cabin and she is happy to share all of them with Sheriff Boyd. Some are pretty out there but she soon was on the right track. It was a lot of fun to follow in her footsteps as all the clues started to fall into place but I was totally surprised by the super exciting ending.
As I said, this book is so funny, I had several laugh-out-loud moments. But there were a few scenes that if I were watching it as a movie I may have covered my eyes. That being said those scenes were true to the plot the author was building so it made total sense in this off-the-wall mystery.
Buried in a Good Book will keep readers on their toes while tickling their funny bones. Tess and Gertie's relationship really evolved into something wonderful by the end of the story and I am anxious to see what the author has in store for them next.
A rustic cabin in the woods of Northern Washington, âthey could probably reach out and touch the Canadian borderâ, with no electricity, phone service, or Wi-Fi, seemed like the perfect place for bestselling author Tess Harrow to bond with her daughter and finish her book following her divorce. Expecting a lot of peace and quiet they are jolted literally when an explosion occurs and then another and another. When Tess and Gertie turn to investigate they see a man running toward them shouting followed by another BOOM! Then came a shower of water, fish guts, and a HUMAN ARM! They hadn't even gotten unpacked and they already had to call the cops.
Tess writes about murder all the time but solving one in real life could be really exciting especially when she meets the local sheriff who bears a striking resemblance to her lead character Detective Gabriel Gonzales. Of course, the sheriff doesn't want her help but that is not going to stop her from solving the case before he does. Plus all this drama is going to be perfect for her new book!
Oh, my, this was a hilarious cozy mystery!
Tess was a strong protagonist but could be a bit aggravating at times. She is always thinking about scenes for her next book, basically, she has her mind on murder almost 100% of the time and sometimes drifts off into her own little world, but she pulls it off. Her daughter Gertie, is a typical teenager, dependent on technology, livid that they are out in the boonies with no cell towers. But then she comes around and sometimes is several steps ahead of her mother in figuring things out. She also finds herself lost in a book during this story and I LOVED THAT!
Readers are introduced to several characters including Sheriff Boyd and that man was so patient with Tess. He really surprised me which made him my favorite character. He had to deal with some really crazy things and he didn't get shook. The supporting cast is rounded out by a bookmobile librarian who becomes fast friends with Tess and Gertie, a couple of deputies including a budding author, the Peabody brothers who own Peabody Timber, and other residents of Winthrop. Tess's ex also makes an appearance. I felt all the characters were pretty well fleshed out for the first book in the series.
Ms. Berry has written a really unique mystery full of corkscrew twists and gritty turns. Tess's years of writing thrillers help her envision several different scenarios of what could be happening in the woods by her grandfather's cabin and she is happy to share all of them with Sheriff Boyd. Some are pretty out there but she soon was on the right track. It was a lot of fun to follow in her footsteps as all the clues started to fall into place but I was totally surprised by the super exciting ending.
As I said, this book is so funny, I had several laugh-out-loud moments. But there were a few scenes that if I were watching it as a movie I may have covered my eyes. That being said those scenes were true to the plot the author was building so it made total sense in this off-the-wall mystery.
Buried in a Good Book will keep readers on their toes while tickling their funny bones. Tess and Gertie's relationship really evolved into something wonderful by the end of the story and I am anxious to see what the author has in store for them next.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Buried in a Good Book is the debut of the By the Book Mysteries series set in the remote town of Winthrop, and featuring mystery thriller writer, Tess Harrow and her sassy 14 year old daughter, Gertie. After a messy divorce, Tess decides to leave the city and spend a month at her Grandfather's cabin in order to unwind and finish her latest manuscript. The problem - there is no electricity, no Wi-Fi and no running water, not the ideal situation for an already disgruntled teen. Within minutes of arrival at the cabin, a series of explosions results in fish (and body parts) raining down from the property's pond.
Tess soon finds herself embroiled in a mystery that not even she could have plotted for her main character Detective Gonzales, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Winthrop's real life Sheriff Victor Boyd. Between Bigfoot sightings, exotic animals, whacky locals and the mysterious bookmobile librarian Nicki Nickerson, Tess begins to wonder if leaving the city was such a good idea.
A fun, laugh out loud plot that will keep you turning the pages from beginning to end. I can't wait to see what happens next with Tess and Gertie, and highly recommend giving this new series a read.
Tess soon finds herself embroiled in a mystery that not even she could have plotted for her main character Detective Gonzales, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Winthrop's real life Sheriff Victor Boyd. Between Bigfoot sightings, exotic animals, whacky locals and the mysterious bookmobile librarian Nicki Nickerson, Tess begins to wonder if leaving the city was such a good idea.
A fun, laugh out loud plot that will keep you turning the pages from beginning to end. I can't wait to see what happens next with Tess and Gertie, and highly recommend giving this new series a read.
