Summary

Framed for Murder is a cozy mystery with many crimes to be solved and clues to be sifted through as suspects are added and/or ruled out.  Enjoy this small town's mountain air and the friendly people as you figure out whodunnit!

4-STAR REVIEW: FRAMED FOR MURDER by Marla A. White

About The Book

A Pine Cove Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: June 17, 2024

After a life-changing injury, Mel O’Rourke trades in her badge for bed sheets, running a B & B in the quirky mountain town of Pine Cove. Her peaceful life is interrupted when an old frenemy, the notorious and charismatic cat burglar, Poppy Phillips, shows up on her doorstep, claiming she’s been framed for murder. While she’s broken plenty of laws, Mel knows she’d never kill anyone. Good thing she’s a better detective than she is a cook as she sets out to prove Poppy’s innocence.

The situation gets complicated, however, when the ruggedly handsome Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks flirts with Mel, bringing him dangerously close to the criminal she’s hiding. And just when her friendship with café owner Jackson Thibodeaux blossoms into something more, he’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime in New Orleans. Should she encourage him to go, or ask him to stay? Who knew romance could be just as hard to solve as murder?

The Review

Framed for Murder by Marla A. White is the second book in the Pine Cove Mysteries series. There was enough background information in this book that it was easy to follow what I missed since I have not yet had the pleasure of reading The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder. I do hope to read it and fill in some of the details of what I was able to piece together.

Mel is the owner of a bed and breakfast that she owns with her family after getting injured on the job as a police officer in Los Angeles. It’s an inn her family visited when she was younger. It is located in a small mountainous town with lots of winding and narrow roads. But she knows nothing about running an inn, not even how to cook or make a decent cup of coffee. With Mel’s family’s help, even from a distance, she’s learning as she goes.

We’re introduced to many characters, and many of them are quirky and dysfunctional. Family and friends, as well as her friend’s dog, Chewie, are front and center at various times, but none more so than her new friend Poppy, who was a cat burglar and has many secrets.

Mel’s grandmother and brother are sent to help get the inn in better shape. Her grandmother turns out to be a computer whiz, helping Mel and the police with her research. We get to know some of the small businesses and business owners in town, as well as the local police. Multiple stories are told and woven together nicely.

This cozy mystery has crimes committed as well as injuries sustained.  There are several murders, thefts, lots of clues, multiple suspects, and Mel “helping” the local police solve the crimes, much against everyone’s wishes. There are some twists and turns to the story, as well as some romance and love interests for several characters. The story has a good flow with some laugh-out-loud moments. There is some closure and a cliffhanger, but the epilogue didn’t go far enough for me.

I look forward to returning to Pine Cove and seeing what Mel, Poppy, and the others are up to next.

Framed for Murder is a cozy mystery with many crimes to be solved and clues to be sifted through as suspects are added and/or ruled out.  Enjoy this small town’s mountain air and the friendly people as you figure out whodunnit!Buy Links

Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks Kobo
Add to Goodreads

About The Author

Marla White is an award-winning novelist who prefers killing people who annoy her on paper rather than in real life. Her first full-length mystery novel, “Cause for Elimination,” placed in several contests including Killer Nashville, The RONE Awards, The Reader’s Favorite, and finishing second in the Orange County Romance Writers for Romantic Suspense. Originally from Oklahoma, she lived in a lot of other states before settling down in Los Angeles to work in the television industry.  She currently teaches at UCLA Extension and gives seminars about the art of script coverage. When she’s not working on the next book, she’s out in the garden, hiking, cheering on the LA Kings, or discovering new craft cocktails.

FacebookInstagramTwitterGoodreadsAmazon-SocialBookbub

Blog Tour Schedule

June 17 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

June 17 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT 

June 18 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 18 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

June 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

June 19 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

June 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

June 20 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 21 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

June 21 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – AUTHOR GUEST POST

June 22 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

June 22 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 24 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading – REVIEW  

June 25 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

June 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 26 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

June 27 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

June 27 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 28 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

June 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

June 30 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

REVIEW AUTHOR

JoAnne
JoAnne
JoAnne Weiss, nee Montalbano, was born and raised in NYC until moving to CT with her family when she was 16 and she's never left. Married for 43 years with one grown son, she works in an elementary school office where she's been since it opened in 2003. Prior to that, she was an accountant in several corporations before becoming a stay at home mom for 12 years. JoAnne enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with her family, and extended family as well as with friends. She enjoys cooking and rarely uses a recipe the way it was intended but instead uses them and cooking shows to give her new ideas and suggestions. JoAnne has a huge bucket list of places she'd like to visit but has been lucky enough to travel to England, Italy, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and many states in the U.S. including Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, and Maine among others. Some of JoAnne's favorite genres include contemporary romance, chick-lit, romantic suspense, and historical romances including regency and those set in the west. JoAnne is on several author's street teams and enjoys interacting with many of them on Facebook as well as reading their newsletters. She has been lucky enough to meet some of her favorite authors among them Susan Mallery, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, Meg Tilly, Beatriz Williams, and Marie Bostwick. JoAnne took a road trip with her sister in the fall of 2019 and visited Nora Roberts' bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland for an authors' signing. She hopes to do more of this in the future. JoAnne leaves reviews for all books she reads on Goodreads and her reviews can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5001736?ref=nav_mybooks JoAnne currently reviews for - NovelsAlive.com. Previously she reviewed for Romancing-the-Book.com and RomanceJunkies.com both of which have since closed. Payment is in the form of receiving free books to read and review. Her mantra is too many books and not enough time!

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisement -
Framed for Murder is a cozy mystery with many crimes to be solved and clues to be sifted through as suspects are added and/or ruled out.  Enjoy this small town's mountain air and the friendly people as you figure out whodunnit!4-STAR REVIEW: FRAMED FOR MURDER by Marla A. White