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annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Murder at Royale Court is the second book in a cozy series by GP Gardner. Released 4th June 2019 by Kensington, it's 229 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
Mysteries are probably my favorite genre. I love cozies, gritty procedurals, golden age interwar British country house classics; bring 'em on! I was unfamiliar with this author previously, but loved the cover and premise (bonus points for yarn shops with cat). It was a quick and entertaining read.
Despite the cover, the plot is only tangentially associated with a fibrearts shop. The MC, Cleo, is a late middle aged early retiree who has moved to Alabama and taken a job working as an executive director at the retirement village where she also lives. Most of the plot is centered around her managing a large antique collectible car show and a series of lectures for the residents of her residential complex.
The plot and story arc are easy to follow and are paced well . The murder is bloodless and happens off page. There is a chaste romance element (one kiss, nothing graphic). and the language is very clean. Nothing to scandalize. There are a couple places in the text where a secondary character says 'gee-dee' and (I counted) 7 'damns' but nothing worse than that. The characterizations are, if a trifle formulaic, easy to follow and keep straight in context. All in all this is a solidly entertaining cozy mystery which will appeal to fans of the genre. The author plays by the rules with regards to the clues and the denouement is satisfying.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Murder at Royale Court is the second book in a cozy series by GP Gardner. Released 4th June 2019 by Kensington, it's 229 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
Mysteries are probably my favorite genre. I love cozies, gritty procedurals, golden age interwar British country house classics; bring 'em on! I was unfamiliar with this author previously, but loved the cover and premise (bonus points for yarn shops with cat). It was a quick and entertaining read.
Despite the cover, the plot is only tangentially associated with a fibrearts shop. The MC, Cleo, is a late middle aged early retiree who has moved to Alabama and taken a job working as an executive director at the retirement village where she also lives. Most of the plot is centered around her managing a large antique collectible car show and a series of lectures for the residents of her residential complex.
The plot and story arc are easy to follow and are paced well . The murder is bloodless and happens off page. There is a chaste romance element (one kiss, nothing graphic). and the language is very clean. Nothing to scandalize. There are a couple places in the text where a secondary character says 'gee-dee' and (I counted) 7 'damns' but nothing worse than that. The characterizations are, if a trifle formulaic, easy to follow and keep straight in context. All in all this is a solidly entertaining cozy mystery which will appeal to fans of the genre. The author plays by the rules with regards to the clues and the denouement is satisfying.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
karen_the_baroness's review
4.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Murder at Royale Court by G.P. Gardner is a wonderfully entertaining mystery set in Alabama.
Cleo Mack is a retired social worker and college professor, but currently, she is in charge of Harbor Village Retirement Living Center. She is also a mother, grandmother, and a widow. Cleo doesn’t get a lot of work done since she is so busy with Village Harbor functions, to the lives of her friends, new boyfriend, and ex-husband/boss.
She doesn’t take good care of herself (like remembering to eat and sleeping enough)
The mystery was well thought out and with clues laid out nicely. The suspect list is continually changing, which kept me wondering if my pick would be correct or not.
My rating for Murder at Royale Court by G.P. Gardner is four stars. I enjoy the story, and I figured out who did it before the sleuth. So, if you like cozy mysteries, this is a good book to read.
Prize: (3) Print Copy Murder at Royale Court (A Cleo Mack Mystery) by G.P. Gardner
The guy in the john is dead?
Murder at Royale Court by G.P. Gardner is a wonderfully entertaining mystery set in Alabama.
Cleo Mack
Cleo Mack is a retired social worker and college professor, but currently, she is in charge of Harbor Village Retirement Living Center. She is also a mother, grandmother, and a widow. Cleo doesn’t get a lot of work done since she is so busy with Village Harbor functions, to the lives of her friends, new boyfriend, and ex-husband/boss.
Likes
- Extremely smart, well educated
- Stays busy
- Has a social life
- She’s a social butterfly
Dislikes
She doesn’t take good care of herself (like remembering to eat and sleeping enough)
Mystery
The mystery was well thought out and with clues laid out nicely. The suspect list is continually changing, which kept me wondering if my pick would be correct or not.
4 Stars for Murder at Royale Court by G.P. Gardner
My rating for Murder at Royale Court by G.P. Gardner is four stars. I enjoy the story, and I figured out who did it before the sleuth. So, if you like cozy mysteries, this is a good book to read.
Other Books in the Series
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This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
jcbmathcat's review
4.0
This is the second book in the Cleo Mack series; however, if you have not read the first book, the author brings readers up to speed with regard to characters and relationships without interfering with the storyline.
I admit that I felt a slight twinge of dismay when I saw that the story revolved around an antique car show that was to take place in Fairhope. I am not a fan of cars, but one of the characters, Red Handleman, was invited to Harbor Village Retirement Center to host a series of lectures prior to the actual show. I admit that Handleman's presentations pulled me in, and, like Cleo, I wish I had known some of his tricks to use when I was in the classroom. Using his lectures as a way to introduce readers to interesting stories about cars was a clever touch.
The characters are well developed and the story is interesting. I requested this book because I have lived in a retirement community for four years now and was curious to see how one would be represented in a mystery. Fairhope, Alabama is an actual place, and was named the best small town in the South by Southern Living magazine in 2016. My community has about 2,000 residents, and is much larger than Harbor Village. Still, the problems Cleo faced as Executive Director and resident of Harbor Village seemed to fit in with what I know about life in my own community. Residents do have their quirks, and the murder took place in the Royale Court shopping center rather than at Harbor Village, which allowed residents to gossip and pose possible scenarios without living in a crime scene.
I recommend this book to readers of cozy mysteries. If you are of "a certain age," you will probably enjoy Harbor Village even more!
Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
I admit that I felt a slight twinge of dismay when I saw that the story revolved around an antique car show that was to take place in Fairhope. I am not a fan of cars, but one of the characters, Red Handleman, was invited to Harbor Village Retirement Center to host a series of lectures prior to the actual show. I admit that Handleman's presentations pulled me in, and, like Cleo, I wish I had known some of his tricks to use when I was in the classroom. Using his lectures as a way to introduce readers to interesting stories about cars was a clever touch.
The characters are well developed and the story is interesting. I requested this book because I have lived in a retirement community for four years now and was curious to see how one would be represented in a mystery. Fairhope, Alabama is an actual place, and was named the best small town in the South by Southern Living magazine in 2016. My community has about 2,000 residents, and is much larger than Harbor Village. Still, the problems Cleo faced as Executive Director and resident of Harbor Village seemed to fit in with what I know about life in my own community. Residents do have their quirks, and the murder took place in the Royale Court shopping center rather than at Harbor Village, which allowed residents to gossip and pose possible scenarios without living in a crime scene.
I recommend this book to readers of cozy mysteries. If you are of "a certain age," you will probably enjoy Harbor Village even more!
Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
wulfwyn's review
5.0
This is the second book in the Cleo Mack series. I won a copy in a Goodreads Giveaway. This was my first time reading G. P. Gardner.
I have become enchanted by Fairhope, Alabama. I want to go live in Harbor Village. It took me a bit to get into this book. I’m not a car enthusiast. The story has quite a bit for a car enthusiast to enjoy. For someone like me, it has quite a bit that may turn you into wondering when the next car show is going to held near by. The story gradually gripped me, then before I realized it, it refused to let me go. I honestly did not know who did it until the reveal. I had quite a few suspects, including the killer. My list, though, was written all over and suspects were scratched out only to be added back. I really had a better time with this book than I first thought I would. I was genuinely sorry to get to the end! I became friends with many characters. I’m so curious about them. I was left hanging with a question I had regarding Patti. I like the slow burning romance with Cleo and Riley, though at times I wished she would reunite with Travis. Maybe that is for Stephanie rather than Cleo or Travis. There are many other characters that I could speak about. I’m intrigued by many. Yes this series has me hooked. When is the next book coming out?
I have become enchanted by Fairhope, Alabama. I want to go live in Harbor Village. It took me a bit to get into this book. I’m not a car enthusiast. The story has quite a bit for a car enthusiast to enjoy. For someone like me, it has quite a bit that may turn you into wondering when the next car show is going to held near by. The story gradually gripped me, then before I realized it, it refused to let me go. I honestly did not know who did it until the reveal. I had quite a few suspects, including the killer. My list, though, was written all over and suspects were scratched out only to be added back. I really had a better time with this book than I first thought I would. I was genuinely sorry to get to the end! I became friends with many characters. I’m so curious about them. I was left hanging with a question I had regarding Patti. I like the slow burning romance with Cleo and Riley, though at times I wished she would reunite with Travis. Maybe that is for Stephanie rather than Cleo or Travis. There are many other characters that I could speak about. I’m intrigued by many. Yes this series has me hooked. When is the next book coming out?
annarella's review
4.0
I liked the first book in this series and I liked this one.
It's a bit slow paced at the beginning but it soon becomes a page turner you will not be able to put down.
I like Cleo, she's a very clever no-nonsense woman. I also love the cast of senior characters who are all likable and well written. Tinkerbelle the cat is sweet and lovely.
The mystery is good, no plot hole, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I like the setting and I would have preferred some less discussione about cars.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's a bit slow paced at the beginning but it soon becomes a page turner you will not be able to put down.
I like Cleo, she's a very clever no-nonsense woman. I also love the cast of senior characters who are all likable and well written. Tinkerbelle the cat is sweet and lovely.
The mystery is good, no plot hole, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I like the setting and I would have preferred some less discussione about cars.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
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