My Review
Dee Stern is loving life at the retro California motel that she runs with her best friend (and ex-boyfriend) Jeff Cornetta. They have set up a sluice for guests to pan for gold, prepared to give away fool's gold, and are surprised when real gold is found. Tourists descend upon the motel, including an obnoxious group of four wealthy tech wizards. When one of those tourists ends up dead, Dee sets out to solve the murder.
I wanted to read Solid Gold Murder because I love cozy mysteries, enjoy Ellen Byron's writing (her vintage cookbook series is another favorite), and love this new Golden Motel Mystery series.
This is such a fun book - and a perfect summer read! I absolutely love the retro motel setting, the small town craft fair drama, and the local gold rush history of Foundgold and Goldsgone. Dee is a smart, funny, and resourceful amateur detective. I enjoyed her friendships and of course her lovable hound dog Nugget. There are even cute cartoons that Dee draws of a bear who likes to visit the motel!
The mystery aspects of the story are well done. The killer surprised me! I enjoyed sleuthing along with Dee as she worked to solve the mystery.
I highly recommend Solid Gold Murder - and this fun series - for cozy mystery fans.
Book Synopsis
Dee Stern’s Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into a hotspot for mayhem and murder . . .
With the summer season looming, former Hollywood sitcom writer Dee Stern has one small goal—scrubbing her motel’s unflattering moniker as the “Murder Motel.” Dee and ex-husband-turned-business-partner Jeff Cornetta are excited to introduce a family-friendly panning activity complete with fool’s gold just in time for the peak tourist months. Except neither could have anticipated the discovery of a real gold nugget or the ensuing social media frenzy. In a flash, the viral sensation draws grizzled prospectors, wide-eyed adventurers, and trend-chasing thrill seekers to the abandoned mines scattered around the woods . . .
The instant popularity proves great for business, but it also attracts a group of out-of-touch Silicon Valley techies with dreams of striking it rich—again. Dee finds herself particularly annoyed by the insufferably smug Sylvan Burr, a retired CEO who sold his startup before age 30 and won’t let anyone forget it. But things take a sinister turn when Sylvan meets a grim fate at the bottom of a mineshaft, leaving Dee at the center of a deadly mystery that could end her days as a motelier. And while Sylvan had plenty of enemies, Dee suddenly faces adversaries rooting against her own success. Now, with her life and the future of the Golden Motel hanging by a thread, Dee must unearth a minefield of suspects and outwit a greedy killer before she finally digs herself too deep . . .
Author Bio
Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country Mysteries, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, Catering Hall Mysteries (as Maria DiRico), and Golden Motel Mysteries. She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents, but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.
A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups. Visit her at http://www.ellenbyron.com/.
Author Links
Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/ https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico
Goodreads: Ellen Byron (Author of Plantation Shudders) | Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico
Purchase Links – Amazon – Kensington – Bookshop.org – B&N – Hudson Books – Target – Walmart
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