Fowl of the House of Usher, #7 A Bird Lover’s Mystery by JR Ripley

From the back cover…

It really is the dead of winter in Ruby Lake when a party becomes an invitation to murder for Birds & Bees owner Amy Simms . . .

No one ruffles Amy’s feathers like Craig “The Gigolo” Bigelow. Not only has the two-timer returned to town, but his new girlfriend has invited Amy to a dinner party. And at Usher House of all places—legendary home to ghosts, freak accidents, and now, most horrifying of all, an ex-boyfriend and his fiancé. Regrettably, there are also sick ducks on the property that need attention. For a bird lover like Amy, it’s fowl before pride.

When everyone becomes snowbound, Amy can’t imagine the evening getting worse. Until a guest is found with a carving knife stuck in his chest. And he’s not the first to call it a night. Now Amy’s got till dawn to go hunting for a killer—before someone else ends up a dead duck . . .

MY REVIEW

—————————————————————————————————————————————–This was my second book to read by JR Ripley, although Fowl of the House of Usher is actually the seventh in A Bird Lover’s Mystery series. It is a very tense time for Amy and Kim, who along with a handful of other guests, are snowed in at a mountain retreat, guests of Amy’s ex-boyfriend Craig and his girlfriend. First, they find one guest murdered. After that terrible beginning, the remote location and the weather both collude to cause events to move quickly downhill.

I enjoyed getting to know the recurring characters a little more. Ripley had an ace up his sleeve that he holds onto until the last moment; perfect. Bits of humor are interspersed periodically with good timing. I thought Amy’s carping at her ex is a little over the top, but this is a cozy, so that could be part of the “quirky.” However, someone needs to assure North Carolina folks that 30 degrees F., while cold, is not freezing in the first minute.

All in all, I really did enjoy this book. Now I have a whole series to catch up on. If you are looking for a cozy without bad language or embarrassing scenes, check out A Bird Lover’s Mystery. I think you’ll like it, too.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review, and I am solely responsible for all opinions.