Peach Clobbered by Anna Gerard is the first book in the NEW “Georgia B&B” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Crooked Lane Books – July 9, 2019

What’s black and white and dead all over? Georgia bed and breakfast proprietor Nina Fleet finds out when she comes across a corpse in a penguin costume.

Nina Fleet’s life ought to be as sweet as a Georgia peach. Awarded a tidy sum in her divorce, Nina retired at 41 to a historic Queen Anne house in quaint Cymbeline, GA. But Nina’s barely settled into her new B&B-to-be when a penguin shows up on her porch. Or, at least, a man wearing a penguin suit.

Harry Westcott is making ends meet as an ice cream shop’s mascot and has a letter from his great-aunt, pledging to leave him the house. Too bad that’s not what her will says. Meanwhile, the Sisters of Perpetual Poverty have lost their lease. Real estate developer Gregory Bainbridge intends to turn the convent into a golfing community, so Cymbeline’s mayor persuades Nina to take in the elderly nuns. And then Nina finds the “penguin” again, this time lying in an alley with a kitchen knife in his chest.

A peek under the beak tells Nina it’s not Harry inside the costume, but Bainbridge. What was he doing in Harry’s penguin suit? Was the developer really the intended victim, or did the culprit mean to kill Harry? Whoever is out to stop Harry from contesting the sale of his great-aunt’s house may also be after Nina, so she teams up with him to cage the killer before someone clips her wings in Peach Clobbered, Anna Gerard’s charming first Georgia B&B mystery.

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I’m going to enjoy my time spent in Cymbeline, Georgia. Nina (pronounced Nine-ah) has settled into her new home with Matilda. Little did she know that the Penguin-costumed occupant that graced her door would soon would grace her existence when the said Penguin-costumed is found stabbed but not with the previous occupant. So who wanted Bainbridge dead? Seems like a lotta people had a grudge against the murdered victim.

This was a fun-loving whodunit that immediately grabbed my attention, quickly becoming a page-turner as I could not put this book down. The pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. The author did a great job in setting up the mystery with first the mascot of the penguin being the victim – how brilliant is that? Then for the brief moment, we are not sure of the murder victim and it is this revelation that sets the stage for this solidly and well-written tale that had me immersed in all that was happening in this this quaint little town. The backstory of the residents presented us with enough clues, and I like how the author presumably singled out a few characters to whet our appetite to learn more.

I thought I had an idea of what was going on, but then the author changed direction and I was a bit surprised when the killer’s identity was revealed and the motive. Well done. Well done. It was also a thrill to meet the Sisters who I hope we get to see again, I love Harry, Gemma and David, but not fond of Jack and Jill. I do love the Shakespeare-inspired name of some of the shops in the town that oozes out southern hospitality. Boasting a lovable cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a small-town atmosphere, this was a delightfully charming series and I hope it is here to stay. One of the best gems to enter the cozy-genre.