Title: Inn the Spirit of Murder
Author: Rhonda Blackhurst
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Book Blurb:
Six-year-sober life coach and skeptic, Andie Rose Kaczmarek, and her red retriever emotional support animal, Aspen, become the new owners of the surmised haunted Spirit Lake Inn in Minnesota. When Andie Rose finds a body in the inn’s kitchen, she fears it will be the death of what’s most important—the stellar reputation of the inn her grandparents, Grandpop and Honey, built.
Aware of the risk of stress in sobriety, she gets an AA sponsor—feisty, spirited Sister Alice who, 30 years ago, traded in one habit for another. Andie Rose falls prey to a new, potentially more dangerous addiction—solving the murder. But in typical Sister Alice fashion, she transforms the danger of solving a murder into a spirited good time. Will Andie Rose flip from skeptic to believer?
My Review:
A haunted inn, a dead chef, and a life coach turned innkeeper Andie Rose. Can Andie Rose solve the mystery of her ex-chef’s murder before it’s too late? Inn the Spirit of Murder is a delightful cozy mystery with a quaint small-town inn located in Minnesota. Innkeeper Andie Rose and her support dog, Aspen, are the heart and soul of this book. The mystery is a blend of cozy with an amateur detective and paranormal with an inn inhabited by more than the staff and paying guests. The narration is equal parts descriptive and emotional. Readers won’t be able to put down Inn the Spirit of Murder.
Let’s start with the characters. Andie Rose is an intriguing main character. She’s inherited the inn from her grandparents and she’s making a go of it. She’s got an emotional support dog named Aspen who’s her best friend. Together, they investigate the murder of the inn’s longtime chef and hated rival of Andie Rose. What a great team they are.
The supporting cast of characters are sometimes fun, oftentimes annoying, but entirely entertaining to read. They flesh out the mystery nicely while adding just the right amount of tension.
The mystery itself is well-written with details, false clues, dead ends and a rather large list of suspects. The pacing of the mystery is just right. I got caught up in the story while reading and wound up reading late into the night. The ending was a bit of a surprise which only speaks of the quality of the writing.
This is my first book by Rhonda Blackhurst. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more mysteries written by her. If you’re a cozy mystery reader, pick up Inn the Spirit of Murder. You’re in for a treat.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D482MDFC
Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0D482MDFC
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D482MDFC
Author Biography:
Rhonda is an avid reader, writer, certified life coach, and a coffee and dark chocolate connoisseur. She has 10 independently published novels: The Inheritance, a contemporary fiction novel; The Melanie Hogan cozy mystery series; and Finding Abby and Abby’s Redemption in the Whispering Pines romantic suspense duology. She was awarded the 2022 Master of Literary Arts Award from the Brighton Chamber. She can be found at her online home at www.rhondablackhurst.com.
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Reviewed by: Nancy