Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose

Item: Murder on Devil's Pond
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted May 4, 2024 by karenbaron in Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Murder on Devil's Pond

by Ayla Rose

Series: Hummingbird Hollow Bed and Breakfast Mystery #1
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington Cozies on June 9, 2024
Setting: Jasper, Vermont
Genres: Cozy Animal Mystery
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook

A quaint Vermont inn offers idyllic peace–until a body is found on the property–in this charming series debut, perfect for fans of Ellen Byron and Ellery Adams.

When thirty-three-year-old Hannah Solace returns to her hometown to renovate and reopen the inn she co-owns with her sister Reggie, her mission is to give the old Victorian hotel an entirely new life. She’s even planting pollinator gardens around the inn–native flowers and fruit trees to lure honeybees and houseguests alike.

Hannah’s fresh start is stymied by Reggie’s continual interference, unreliable contractors, a check-the-couch-for-coins budget, and townspeople Hannah left behind fifteen years ago. Her main source of camaraderie is Ezra Grayson, an eighty-year-old recluse who lives nearby. After an unsettling conversation with a disgruntled Ezra, Hannah is horrified to discover him dead on her property later that day.

Ezra had always had plenty of people to complain about, especially locals trying to force him out of his property for its prime real estate. As buzz around town grows after his death, Hannah finds herself on the short list of suspects. Hannah starts digging and quickly discovers that secrets lurk beneath the charming surface of the town she once again calls home.

Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose questions if what we do in our past determines our future.

Will Hannah Solace find the truth?

Hannah Solace

Our sleuth is Hannah Solace, who returned to Jasper, Vermont, two, almost three years ago now. Hannah is tasked by her older sister to run and manage the bed and breakfast however she wants. Well, Hannah is making it a pretty awesome bed and breakfast. She is also bringing out a lot of wildlife, and she wants to preserve that type of thinking. Hannah is an amazing character, and I love how she tries to make the bed and breakfast a whole lot different than any other bed and breakfast. She is growing her own produce, has an amazing garden, and has access to the lake. Another thing that I like about Hannah is that as she’s trying to solve her friend’s death, we find out more about her, how she ended up back in Jasper, and why she left in the first place.

Hannah has a kind heart and an old soul that loves animals and nature. I truly enjoyed being with Hannah and seeing how her mind works.

The Mystery

Hannah Solace found her friend’s body, Ezra Grayson, in the last place that she would have thought to see him. Since she is suspected of killing him by the police, he decides to find out who the murderer actually is. As Hannah looks not only in the present but in the past, she finds out more than she was bargaining for and wonders how that relates to Ezra’s death. I had three suspects the entire time but kept writing each off since they all seemed like red herrings. Surprisingly, I was right about one of the suspects but not the motive. That motive was quite the doozy.

Five Stars

Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose’s rating is five stars, and I truly recommend it to all the cozy mystery readers out there. You won’t be disappointed as this is a fantastic book. I can’t wait to see what else Ms. Rose brings to Hannah’s doorstep.

The back of this book contains recipes, but since I have an ARC copy, it doesn’t have them.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Ayla Rose

Ayla Rose is an author and lawyer who lives in the Green Mountains of Vermont. When not writing, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her husband, sons, and the family’s three dogs.

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