Review of Death By Chowdah

 

Death By Chowdah

Shipwreck Cafe Mysteries, Book #1

Donna Walo Clancy

5 Stars

Synopsis:

Jeremy Hallett leaves a flourishing law career in Boston to return to his hometown of Anchor Point on Cape Cod. He secretly purchases the local lighthouse and surrounding property to open The Shipwreck Café.

Rich in history, the lighthouse is rumored to be haunted by multiple ghosts and hiding a buried treasure worth millions.

Robbie, Jay’s younger brother, surfs by day and bar tends at the café by night. He doesn’t like ghosts, but it’s okay, because they don’t like him either.

Stormy, an abandoned golden retriever, who has been living at the lighthouse is adopted by Jay. Together, they move in to the keeper’s cottage.

Two murders in as many weeks, transpire in Anchor Point. The town is thrown into a state of distrust. Who is killing the locals and why?

Jay, Robbie, and Roland Knowles, the ghost keeper of the lighthouse must work together to bring answers and peace back to Anchor Point. Will the murders be connected to the treasure that may or may not have been found in the last one hundred years? Only Roland knows. (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  Jay is a very likable character: he is a hard worker, he is loyal and he loves dogs.  It is very unusual to have a male protagonist in a cozy mystery, but Jay is more than able to carry on a series.  I enjoyed getting to know his brother and mother, and some of the workers in the cafe.  There are a few ghosts we are introduced to in the book, the main one was Rowland. He seems like a true gentleman.  And of course the dogs stole my heart.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all the action taking place around me.  I could picture the lighthouse and the surrounding area very easily in my mind.  The mystery was carried on well throughout the book.  There were enough suspects to consider and clues to gather and decipher that even the most experienced armchair detective would find it difficult to solve.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  This book had everything that I look for in a cozy: great setting, great characters, great mystery and suspense.  Plus this one had the added bonus of ghosts and dogs.  What more could you ask for?  I would recommend reading this book and I am looking forward to the next one in the series.