Tents, Trails and Turmoil: murder, tourism and a secret in the forest

Tents, Trails and Turmoil is the eleventh book in the Campers and Criminals series by Tonya Kappes. Tourism is important to Normal and the Daniel Boone National Park and it is important to Mae West. Nothing stops tourists like a dead body. When Yaley Woodard, a local tour guide, is found dead at the Happy Trails Campground, Mae is determined to find the killer before it ruins the upcoming tourist season. With a few suspects on the list, there is  much to keep them busy. As Mae and the Laundry Club ladies investigate, they learn that Yaley’s death caused much more turmoil than they could have imagined. Such turmoil that maybe her death is linked to someone trying to close down the tourism for good? 

Tents, Trails, and Turmoil was a fast and enjoyable read. With each book, this series keeps getting better and better. I love the continued growth and development of Hank and Mae’s relationship. Added to the stress of saving the tourism and her campground business, Mae is worried about Dottie, her office manager and close friend. Even though Dottie was grating at the beginning of the series, she has grown on me and I worried along with Mae, hoping nothing seriously wrong with Normal’s favorite chain-smoker. Overall, I am loving this series. It has become my go-to cozy mystery series and I am now eagerly awaiting the next book on my To Be Read List! I recommend Tents, Trails and Turmoil and the previous books in this series!

Tents, Trails and Turmoil is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries: a fun cozy mystery

Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries is the first book in the Campers and Criminals Cozy Mystery series by Tonya Kappes. Thirty-one year old Mae West finds herself homeless, friendless and penniless after her husband, Paul, is imprisoned for a Ponzi scheme. The only thing to her name is a tourist campground, Happy Trails, in Normal, Kentucky, and an RV to live in. By the looks of the brochure, the campground is a paradise with plush Kentucky bluegrass and a crystal clear lake. She forms a plan to take a little vacation while she finds a buyer. When she arrives, it is clear the campground is nothing like the brochure with the bluegrass dried up and the lake is murky with green slime. To make matters worse Mae discovers that many of the residents’ invested with Paul and lost their savings. The reception she gets is less than warm. But when Paul has escaped from prison and found dead, murdered, in the Happy Trails lake, Mae becomes suspect number one! Can she clear her name, find the real killer and prove to the residents of Normal that she is not like her husband? 

Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries is a fun, fast read. I’m still fairly new to the cozy mystery genre, I would say it is a mystery that one reads for fun and not to take too seriously. I read many criticisms of this book, especially how things were too outrageous to be real. I don’t know about you, but one of the reasons I read is to have fun and suspend reality for a time and this book did that for me. I enjoyed the quirky residents of Normal as they welcome and then “unwelcome” Mae once they realize who she is. Mae works hard to convince them she is not like her husband. Overall, I enjoyed Mae and her desire to right the wrongs her husband did regardless if she was at fault or not. Although the constant references to the famous actress Mae shares her name did get tiresome. I enjoyed Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries and I look forward to reading the rest of the Campers and Criminals series. If you are looking for a fun cozy mystery, I recommend Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries. 

Beaches, Bungalows and Burglaries is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook