A Whisker in the Dark (The Oyster Cove Guesthouse #2) + A Purrfect Alibi (The Oyster Cove Guesthouse #3) by Leighann Dobbs #bookreview #mystery
Title: A Whisker in the Dark
Author: Leighann Dobbs
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: July 31, 2019
Page Count: 223
My rating: 4 stars
About the book:
Discovering the 300-year-old skeleton of shipping tycoon Jedediah Biddeford in the ballroom wall is a big old hassle for Josie Waters, owner of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse. Especially when Biddeford’s descendants turn up, certain that a family legend about treasure buried nearby must be true.
Josie is too busy dreaming up the perfect cake for the Oyster Cove’s 250th anniversary celebration to worry about the Biddeford family – plus half the town – digging up her yard… until one of her guests is murdered in the guesthouse garden.
With worries that her guesthouse will get a reputation for being the kind of place you only leave in a body bag, Josie must put her detective skills to work to find the killer. Lucky for her, Nero and Marlowe and their gang of cat sleuths are also on the case.
From the old wharf, to the town common, to the guesthouse itself with its many nooks and crannies, the cats are sure to sniff out the killer… but can they help Josie stop the person behind the mysterious murder before they strike again?
A fantastic page-turner from a bestselling author, perfect for fans of H.Y. Hanna, Adele Abbott, cat lovers and everyone in between!
Title: A Purrfect Alibi
Author: Leighann Dobbs
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: September 18, 2019
Page Count: 218
My rating: 4 stars
About the book:
Fortune tellers and mediums have descended on the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, determined to finally solve the mystery of local seafarer Jedediah Biddeford’s murder 300 years ago. New owner Josie Waters has suddenly got bigger problems than burning the breakfasts: she’s up to her elbows in tarot cards and tea leaves…
When one of the mediums is found dead with an ominous note nearby, everything points to Jedediah’s ghost being the culprit. Suddenly, Josie finds that the fate of her guesthouse depends on not one murder but two, and she’s not going to rely on a crystal ball for answers. Despite the fact that cookbooks and candlesticks keep mysteriously falling off tables, Josie is sure there’s no such thing as ghosts. But guesthouse cats Nero and Marlowe know better…
Aided by her mom and eccentric family friend Millie, Josie sets out to prove the identity of the killer without summoning any spirits. Luckily Nero and Marlowe know the truth about ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night and they are on the case! Can they make Josie realize she is scratching up the wrong tree before the killer strikes again?
From the bestselling author of the USA Today bestselling Mystic Notch series, purrfect for fans of Adele Abbott, H.Y. Hanna and anybody who loves to curl up with a page-turning cozy mystery.
Yes, you are seeing double today with a two for one review special. A Whisker in the Dark and A Purrfect Alibi by Leighann Dobbs are books two and three of the cozy The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series and since I read them together from my catch up pile I thought the reviews would pretty much mirror one another so in the interest of me not typing it all twice and you reading it twice I’m doing both in one go.
The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series is one that has a slight twist to the normal cozy formula of a sleuthing amatuer with it’s lead, Josie Waters, sharing the stories point of view with two sleuthing kitties who get to share their voices and also help solve the mystery. The formula is still the same though in which each book has an all new mystery to solve so they can be read as a standalone if choosing to do so.
In A Twist in the Tail we meet Josie Waters who had wanted to completely start over in life after her divorce and get away from her ex-husband. Moving from Ohio to Maine Josie purchased the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, a Victorian mansion turned into a bed and breakfast. After solving (with some kitty help) one mystery Josie has a couple more in books two and three now.
Being one that loves different of course I seek out these types of book that bend the mold of genre norms and being a sucker for cute critters I adored the antics of the resident felines as they help their clueless human (their words not mine) solve a crime. I actually like Josie quite a bit too and don’t think she’s as clueless as her pets seem to think and have plenty of laughs along the way not only due to the felines but some creative secondary characters. So I definitely do recommend checking out this lovely cozy series.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Find this book online:
Goodreads / Amazon
About the author:
USA Today bestselling author, Leighann Dobbs, discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. When she’s not reading, gardening, making jewelry or selling antiques, she likes to write cozy mystery and historical romance books.
Her book “Dead Wrong” won the “Best Mystery Romance” award at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention.
Her book “Ghostly Paws” was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.
Don’t miss out on the early buyers discount on Leighann’s next cozy mystery – get a TEXT alert straight on your cellphone.
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Carries Book Reviews 
A sleuth getting involved in a case because it threatens their business is maybe my favorite motivation in cozies. It’s just so compelling! And this one sounds like a lot of fun—love the paranormal aspect. Great review!
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