A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.
After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.
In book 5 in the series, the new bank president, who happens to be the son of the man who founded the community bank, is found dead and buried in his own grave. The man was not popular in the small community after making a lot of changes with his fathers passing and the list of possible suspects who might want him dead is extensive.
Meanwhile, it is October and the inn is hosting Halloween themed events. The haunted weekends are just for fun but when guests report hearing noises in the hallway, Abby wonders if the inn might actually be haunted for real.
A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.
After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.
In book 4 in the series, the remodel is almost complete and Abby and Georgia are planning a huge grand opening. The only thing left for Abby to do before Lonnie can wrap things up is to go through the items left in the attic by prior residents. Abby is just about to get started when a woman named Trinity Roswell shows up claiming to be the great, great, great, niece of Abagail Chesterton, the wife of the man who built the house, Chamberlain Westminster. Trinity, a woman in her thirties, is doing a family history and has questions about Abagail. Abby only knows what she has been told by others but decides to help the woman locate the information she is seeking. They visit an old cemetery and come away with more questions than answers.
While Abby and Trinity seek out the last of the secrets the house once held, Colt is busy with his own cold case murder, Tanner has a new litter of puppies, Nikki is dating a man Georgia doesn’t like and doesn’t trust, and Annie notifies Abby about a death in the family.
A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.
After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.
In book 3 of the series, the remodel continues as Abby and Georgia start to make plans for a grand opening celebration. A specialist is brought in to refurbish the century old fireplace mantel and makes a startling discovery. Meanwhile Lonnie is looking to adopt, Colt has a new mystery to solve, and Velma comes face to face with a blast from her past.
Join Abby, Georgia, Rufus, and Ramos, as they continue with the remodel on the old mansion, prepare for a busy summer season, and continue to find a new meaning for their lives in the charming small town of Holiday Bay.
A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.
After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.
In book 2 of the series, Abby finds a bundle of letters which had been written in 1954 in the wall of the library after Lonnie tears it down as part of the remodel. Intrigued by the secret revealed in the letters, Abby and Georgia set out to find the rest of the story.
Meanwhile, Chief Colt Wilder uncovers a new clue relating to the death of a local girl the previous summer. In spite of her vow to focus her time on her writing, Abby finds herself pulled into the tangled web of half truths that may tell a different story than was first believed true.
Join Abby, Georgia, Rufus, and Ramos, as they continue with the remodel on the old mansion, prepare for a busy summer season, and continue to find a new meaning for their lives in the charming small town of Holiday Bay.
Kay Monk 5.0 out of 5 stars Second chances Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2019 Format: KindleVerified Purchase Letters in the Library is the second book in the exciting new The Inn at Holiday Bay cozy mystery series. This book is filled with elements of a cozy mystery including suspense, romance, humor, love, friends and family, and a sense of community. The story takes place in the charming, festive, tourist town of Holiday Bay, Maine. Residents are planning the upcoming Valentine’s Ball.
The main character is Abby Sullivan, a writer from San Francisco who, after suffering a devastating personal tragedy, sold her condo, packed up all her belongings, bought a huge old house she had never seen in a town she had never been to, and moved to Holiday Bay. She works with her new friends, including the local police chief, Colt Wilder, to uncover the answers to the many questions they encounter in three or four different (but perhaps connected) mysterious circumstances, including old love letters that were found in the wall in the library.
This story contains heart-warming side stories within the mystery. There is a strong theme of second chances in this series and in all of Mrs. Daley’s stories. I love the way she writes in a continuing saga fashion with hints and clues to stories in the future (and red herrings). I love that not all questions are resolved in each book. I enjoyed the character development and the expansion of Abby’s friend set. As always, this author’s writing flows smoothly, and her setting and relatable characters make for an extremely enjoyable and quick read. I really look forward to reading the next book in this series.
First in the series! Memorable characters, a cozy seaside inn, small-town charm, and a celebration for every holiday.
After suffering a devastating personal loss, Abby Sullivan leaves San Francisco and impulsively buys a sprawling old mansion in Holiday Bay, Maine—sight unseen. She hopes to find solitude and healing but instead finds herself unexpectedly adopted by a giant Maine Coon cat named Rufus, a mysterious drifter named Georgia, and Georgia’s lovable but insecure dog named Ramos. Even though Abby initially believed that solitude would be essential for her to heal, she discovered an inn she never planned to own, a cat who refused to leave, and a family she never imagined needing.
In the first book in this series, the small seaside town is rocked by the murder of a local girl. Abby is drawn into a tangled investigation when she stumbles across boxes in her basement that may hold clues to the killer’s identity. She’s not a detective, but as a New York Times bestselling mystery author and the widow of a homicide detective, she knows how to follow the trail. Together with Georgia, Rufus, Ramos, and Police Chief Colt Wilder, Abby races to solve the case before the killer strikes again in what could be an annual spree.
RO G'ma 5.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting New Start Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018 Format: KindleVerified Purchase This is the first book in a new series written by Kathi Daley. The writing style flows smoothly, and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in descriptive writing, and much of the time I was reading, I felt like I was right in the midst of the activities taking place and sharing the characters tragedies and joys. The mystery was well plotted and complex, with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. The setting is charming, the well-developed characters are affable, compassionate, and caring, and this book is a perfect blend of humor, mystery, heartache, joy, and caring.
When a distracted driver swerved into oncoming traffic, Abby Sullivan’s life changed forever because her husband, Ben, and their five-week-old son, Johnathan, didn’t survive. A year later, Abby, a published author, hadn’t written a word since the accident and was still struggling to cope with her loss. She decided a change was in order, so she bought a huge old house in the charming town of Holiday Bay, Maine without even seeing it, sold her condo, packed up her belongings, and left San Francisco. Over the years, the house had been neglected and was in need of repairs, but there was an adorable little cottage on the property that she was able to move into. Abby isn’t a cat person and had never owned a pet, but the day she arrived, a large orange cat she later learned was a Maine Coon named Rufus whose owner had recently passed away, entered into her life, and she finds that she can’t resist his sweet meows and cuddling. Abby contacted Lonnie Parker, a highly recommended contractor, and a decision was made to convert the main house into an inn. She became fast friends with him and his wife, Lacy. A young woman, Georgia Carter, who’d gone through some hard times and been on the road for over a year with her rather large dog, Ramos, shows up on her doorstep looking for a job and a place to stay. Being kind-hearted and knowing how devastating the curves life throws at a person can be, Abby puts Georgia in contact with Lonnie and offers her the cottage’s second bedroom for at least a few nights. The body of Darcy Jared, a murder victim, was found in the woods on Abby’s second day in town. Abby found four boxes in the basement of the main house, each containing possessions, and photos of teenage girls, which she thought was odd. When Police Chief Colt Wilder showed her a picture of a group of people, she recognized one of the young women as one of the girls whose pictures were in the boxes she’d found. Abby becomes intrigued with the girls, two of whom had died, one who was missing, and the final one who was still alive and well and starts investigating. Although she’s not a trained professional, she always did research for her books and used to brainstorm with her husband, who had been a homicide detective, on some of his cases, and he’d often told her she had a natural knack for seeing details others had missed.
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree 