Open For Murder by Mary Angela is the first book in the NEW “Happy Camper” cozy mystery series, coming November 24, 2020.

Deep in the heart of touristy small-town Spirit Canyon, South Dakota, former journalist Zo Jones runs the Happy Camper gift shop, where she sells everything from locally made souvenirs to memorabilia. She even rents out mountain bikes, and dabbles in the adventure industry—and sleuthing . . .

It’s Memorial Day weekend in Spirit Canyon, and for Zo that means the return of summer shoppers. It also means the return of her good friend Beth, who’s moved back to the area to reopen her family’s premier hotel, Spirit Canyon Lodge. Beth and Zo spent many childhood summers there and Zo can’t wait to reconnect and celebrate the Grand Opening. But the festivities go from bad to worse when a power outage knocks out the lights—and morning reveals a competitor’s dead body found on the premises . . .

Soon enough, Beth is the prime suspect in the suspicious death. Fortunately, Zo isn’t afraid to put her investigative skills to work and prove her friend’s innocence. To start digging for information, she appeals to Max Harrington, a local Forest Ranger and unlikely ally. Though they’ve argued about Happy Camper’s tours, in this case they agree on one thing: Beth isn’t a murderer. Stranger things have happened than their collaboration. After all, this is Spirit Canyon. But as the list of suspects grows, Zo will have to keep her guard up if she doesn’t want to be the next lodge guest to check out . . .

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Dru’s Musing:
When her long-time friend became the prime suspect in a murder, there’s nothing left for former journalist Zo Jones to do but start an investigation as to the who and why. What follows is an invigorating whodunit with a comfortable tone that had me immersed in all aspects as we are introduced to an eclectic cast of characters who all had pivotal roles in the telling of this tale.

There is so much mystery surrounding the main protagonist and her ability to ferret out clues among the suspects and their likelihood of committing this crime. The author kept up the play-by-play interaction making us believe that each suspect had the opportunity. It was the visually descriptive narrative and the engaging dialogue that created a solid storyline that held from the first page to its conclusion. The pacing was on par with how well the story was being told and as it progressed, I could not stop turning the pages as the heightened awareness of the killer’s motive and identity was revealed. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and look forward to reading the next book in this terrific new series.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.