loribonesscaswell

Dollycas’s Thoughts

I must start out this review by saying Kathi Daley is an amazing writer. She has such an imagination. My only question is when does this woman sleep. She has several series all going at the same time so she also has to extremely organized and must write at warp speed. I am absolutely thrilled that Henery Press is re-releasing the previous books in this series so we can get all caught up for the new story coming our way in April 2017.

Now let me tell you about this first story Pumpkins in Paradise. It is time for the annual pumpkin festival in Serenity, Nevada. The air is crisp and there are so many things to do before the tourists arrive and the residents take part in the many contests and events. Tj Jensen is a busy high school teacher but she is volunteering to help for several different things. She also knows she needs to check in on her elderly friend Zachary Collins. He has become a recluse over the years and a mystery to many of his neighbors, many think he is a cranky old man and others are afraid to even go near his house. Not Tj, she has a special bond with the man, a bond that started on Halloween many years ago. When she arrives at his house she knows immediately something is wrong and when she finds him dead, sitting in his favorite chair, she is shocked beyond belief. When his death is classified as by natural causes, she just can’t except that. She notices several puzzling things. The love of puzzles were something she and Zachary shared, so she knows he would have left her some clues if he could. She is going to solve the puzzle of his death both for justice for her friend but also to show the new deputy in town that he was wrong about everything.

This story is so much more than a mystery. The relationship Tj and Zachary had just warmed my entire heart. She took him as he was and after learning such much more about him after his death, she along with a readers learned how special he truly was. I am sorry he had to be the victim in this story for us to see that. He was a character that leaped from the pages even after his passing.

All the characters were well crafted and believable. I enjoyed meeting them all, from Tj’s half sisters, her dad and her grandfather. Of course that are some furry characters too. I enjoyed that together as a family they run Maggie’s Hideaway, so we get to meet additional characters who stay at the family resort. At first I was concerned there would be too many characters for me to keep track of, but they were all unique and I had no trouble at all.

The mystery was very well plotted and truly was puzzling. I love the way the hidden clues were found and were not easy to solve. It kept the story pushing forward in a treasure search type of way except instead of a prize we are searching for a killer.

This book has given a series a terrific start. I am already plotting out how to squeeze 5 books into my reading schedule before April. I may have to schedule a read-a-thon!