Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams is the first book in the new “Book Retreat” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, August 2014

WHO WOULD RESORT TO MURDER?

Tucked away in the rolling hills of rural western Virginia is the storybook resort of Storyton Hall, catering to book lovers who want to get away from it all. To increase her number of bookings, resort manager Jane Steward has decided to host a Murder and Mayhem week so that fans of the mystery genre can gather together for some role-playing and fantasy crime solving.

But when the winner of the scavenger hunt, Felix Hampden, is found dead in the Mystery Suite, and the valuable book he won as his prize is missing, Jane realizes one of her guests is an actual murderer. Amid a resort full of fake detectives, Jane is bound and determined to find a real-life killer. There’s no room for error as Jane tries to unlock this mystery before another vacancy opens up.

I like it. This is a tantalizing mystery that teased me with a perfect setting of a resort that was wrapped about books and more books beyond one’s wildest dream. A murder puts a damper on things and that’s when this book kicks it into high gear with a light whodunit that carried me from one chapter to the next as I had to know what happens next. The author did a beautiful job in creating a wonderful escapism that was both engaging and entertaining with a very comfortable tone and lovable characters that I can’t wait to learn more about. Jane is determined and a strong heroine who takes her new role with honor and I love her interactions with her family and friends. I want to be part of the Cover Girl group. Ellery has done it again by creating another heart-felt character-driven drama that I enjoyed tremendously. This is a great read and I look forward to the next book in this delightfully charming series.