#christy fifield

This is book one of Haunted Souvenir Shop mysteries. As you might recall I accidentally read book two first, so I knew the plot of this book before I started. Thankfully it didn't detract from the story. I love cozy mysteries. They are quick and light, and bad stuff might happen but it doesn't make you turn away from the book. In this book Glory first realizes that her Uncle Louis's spirit is coming through her parrot Bluebeard. She also discovers that there's something fishy going on with the vehicular death of the town's star quarterback. Oh, and this handsome man moved into the shop next door and it might be beneficial to get to know him. The character development in this book was a little intense, I think Fifield wanted the reader to know everything right away, so you end up learning a lot that isn't all that necessary right away. I do appreciate the southern manners and the food descriptions though. Well worth picking up for a fun mystery.

This is a new author for me, but I wanted a new cozy mystery author to read and this series seems perfect. Book two in A Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery series, because I made the mistake of picking the second one off my shelf instead of the first one, thankfully provides enough background to the characters so it doesn't matter what book you start with. Which is one of the things I like best about cozy mysteries, it doesn't matter where you start you don't need to know anything about the characters. Unlike some mysteries where if you haven't read the previous ones you've missed some important character development. In Murder Hooks a Mermaid, Glory is struggling to get the money to buy out her cousin Peter from the souvenir shop, increase sales over the spring break rush, and figure out what her ghost uncle is really trying to communicate through his pet parrot Bluebeard. Her friend Karen is struggling to figure out what to do for their weekly dinners, except she suddenly gets a phone call from her ex-husband as his brother has just been arrested after getting caught in a possible smuggling ring. Eventually he is released on bond, only to be arrested the next day for the murder of an undercover agent. Glory, Karen, and the rest of the cast work the small town for clues to prove his innocence. I really enjoy cozy mysteries, but I'm always amused at people's need to jump into danger instead of letting the police deal with it. This series provides a unique twist having a ghost supply vague clues through a parrot, and also has a small romantic interest going on. The other fun aspect of this novel is that it provides recipes at the back of the book for the wonderful food that's often talked about, which is another amazing fact about cozy mysteries. Now I have to go read book one.