Deadly Reception (Tawnee Mountain Mysteries)
by Karen Randau

About the Book

Deadly Reception (Tawnee Mountain Mysteries)

Suspense Thriller Mystery
Self Published (April 16, 2018)
Paperback: 138 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1984380807
Digital ASIN: B079DGBW37

Deadly Reception is a part of the Tawnee Mountain Mysteries series, a collection of seven brand new mysteries, from seven award-winning and bestselling authors, taking place at the same final destination, the Tawnee Mountain Resort.

Deadly Reception features characters from Karen Randau’s Rim Country Mysteries series.

Each book in this multi-author series is a standalone novella, and the series can be read in any order.
The Tawnee Mountain Mysteries series includes:

Leona’s Last Resort by Karen M. Bryson
Dark Side of the Mountain by R.J. Rosatte
Deadly Reception by Karen Randau
Black Diamond Graves by Wendy Fallon
Deadly Misfire by Laurie Fagen
Cassidy’s Deadly Exit by Marla J. Hayes
The Quinnipiac Disappearance by Lee Tidball

A severed head. A philandering husband. A skeleton in the basement. This was not the perfect wedding Rita Avery planned for her daughter Zoe!

Rita Avery and her detective husband Cliff arrive at New Jersey’s Tawnee Mountain Resort prepared to greet Zoe’s wedding guests in just three hours. Who would have expected to find a man’s torso in their closet?

Things explode into high gear when the victim’s head shows up at the golf equipment shack. A good look at his social media makes Rita wonder if a wife murdered her husband as revenge for infidelity. Or did a secret admirer decide to liberate the wife from her scoundrel husband?
Worse, is Zoe in life-threatening danger . . . again?
And will Rita and Cliff escape the trap in which the murderer snares them?

Murder and a passel of twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Zoe’s wedding is the most exciting you’ll attend!

Review

Talk about a wedding getting off to an inauspicious start! Poor Rita simply wants to help Zoe have the wedding of her dreams. The cake is ordered, caterer is booked, the dress is ready and the venue is a murder scene. As much as Rita and Cliff want to be on a vacation they’ll be working to catch a killer and keep themselves safe.

Deadly Reception features characters from Karen Randau’s Rim Country Mysteries, with which I am not familiar. That said, my introduction to them in this novella was sufficient to get an idea of who they are, and was flavoured with just enough incentive to investigate the series. The suspects introduced in this story are interesting and varied. The victim’s wife, in particular, is very well fleshed out.

I wouldn’t call this one a Cozy Mystery. The focus is on solving the crimes of a serial killer. The tale falls somewhere between a light mystery and a suspense. Rita suffers from PTSD, but we’re not given the full scope of that story in this novella. Her determination to work through her struggles is interesting to read.

The twists and turns in this plot are many and varied and the story moves at a swift pace. Perhaps there are too many elements packed into this novella as only some are given the full development they deserve. I think there’s fantastic scope for this story to be expanded into a full length book.

If you’re looking for quick, intriguing read, you should definitely give this one a shot!

I give this reception 3.5/5 espresso shots.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Great Escapes Tours.

About the Author

Karen Randau is the author of the Rim Country Mystery series. Her fast-paced novels include Deadly Deceit, Deadly Inheritance, and Deadly Choices, each with intricate plots and lots of action and told from the point of view of protagonist Rita Avery.

Author Links

Website: http://www.karenrandau.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karenrandauauthor

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/karenrandau

Purchase Link – Amazon