Murder in Waiting

Lynn Cahoon

Jun 2020 · A Tourist Trap Mystery Book 11 · Lyrical Press

About this ebook

In the latest Tourist Trap mystery from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Lynn Cahoon, bookshop café owner Jill Gardner contends with a best friend-turned-bridezilla while trying to solve a local historian’s untimely date with death . . .
 At Coffee, Books, & More, Jill’s the boss. But as Amy’s maid-of-honor, she can barely keep up with marching orders--and now she’s in charge of organizing an epic bachelorette! Adding to Jill’s party-planning panic, the South Cove Heritage Society just unceremoniously dumped her historic landmark bid. While vying proposals rush in from a loaded land developer and a pushy travel guide company, Jill finds an unexpected ally in Heritage Society expert, Frank Gleason. But their happy union is cut short when Frank is mowed down in a suspicious hit-and-run. With Amy’s big day on the horizon, Jill vows to catch the killer before she has to catch a bouquet.
 
Praise for Lynn Cahoon
 
“I love the author’s style, which was warm and friendly . . . [A] wonderfully appealing series.”—Dru’s Book Musings on the Tourist Trap Mysteries
                                                                                                         
“Well-crafted . . . Cat and crew prove to be engaging characters and Cahoon does a stellar job of keeping them—and the reader—guessing.” —Mystery Scene on A Story to Kill

 

Ratings and reviews

Murder in Waiting by Lynn Cahoon is the 11th novel in A Tourist Trap Mystery series. Jill Gardner has her hands full. Jill is Amy’s maid-of-honor and she had no idea that Amy would become consumed with the wedding. It seems that all Amy can talk about is the wedding (decorations, where to sit people at the reception, linen colors, table decorations). Jill is trying to plan a bachelorette party in Vegas while handling extra duties at work. Aunt Jackie is wrapped up in Harrold and plans for her own upcoming nuptials. Jill must deal with Sabotage, complaining emails, persistent realtors, a travel writer, and a developer. Just after Jill talks with Frank Gleason from the South Cove Heritage Society, a car hits the man and then takes off. Detective Greg King, Jill’s beau, is investigating, but the leads are sparse. I was surprised that Greg accepted Jill’s help (he normally tells her to stay out of the case). Jill digs into Frank’s background and speaks with his first wife. I found Murder in Waiting to be disjointed with so much going on. The mystery tied together in the end (mostly). I wanted it to be the focus not a side story (which is what it felt like to me). Eating seemed to be have a higher priority than the whodunit (there is a lot of food consumed in this book). I then felt the wrap up was rushed with an odd chase scene. The mystery can easily be solved before the solution is revealed. The trip to Vegas seemed so out of character for Amy and Justin who prefer outdoor activities. I am curious how they can afford a $40,000 wedding (I could not help but wonder considering their occupations). A Tourist Trap Mystery series is character driven. Jill, Aunt Jackie, Toby, Greg, Amy, and the gang are what make this an enjoyable series to read. I like visiting them in each book to see what they are up to. It is nice to see Aunt Jackie happy with Harrold. Emma, of course, continues to be a highlight. It is wonderful that Jill loves books and reading. I like how it is featured in the series. Jill gets ARCs that she devours and she even comments how she loves the smell of books (I concur). Murder in Waiting can be read as a standalone for those new to A Tourist Trap Mystery series. Murder in Waiting is a blithe cozy mystery with a determined developer, an assertive realtor, a scheming saboteur, party planning problems, work worries, and a bridezilla bestie.

About the author

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho expat. She grew up living the small town life she now loves to write about. Currently, she’s living with her husband and two fur babies in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. Guidebook to Murder, Book 1 of the Tourist Trap series, won the 2015 Reader’s Crown award for Mystery Fiction. Visit her at www.lynncahoon.com