I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
No More Time
by Suzanne Trauth
Series: Dodie O'Dell Mystery #5
Series Rating:
Published by Lyrical Press on July 23, 2019
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 216
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Kobo
Also in this series: Killing Time
DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY Restaurant manager Dodie O’Dell has found her niche in the cozy New Jersey town of Etonville, creating menus that make a delicious double-act with the community theater’s productions. Now she’s ready for a vacation at the Jersey Shore town she called home before a hurricane hit. Sun, salty air, and seagulls make for a nostalgic escape from regular life—until a contingent from Etonville arrives to compete in a Jersey Shore theater festival. Roped into helping her former boss cater the event, Dodie also gets a visit from her old flame, Jackson, who’s hoping to revive his charter boat business and is looking for a place to crash. Before Dodie can tell him that ship has sailed, Jackson’s partner is found murdered on his boat. Dodie knows her ex is a mooch, but she’s sure he’s no killer. But as she follows a trail of evidence that leads into her own past, Dodie stumbles on a dangerous conspiracy theory that could bring the festival to a shocking finale…
Car theft and murder, what has happened to this town?
No More Time by Suzanne Trauth is a story about returning home and getting wrapped up in a murder investigation. Its a wonderfully written mystery with lots of fun subplots. And the setting is the Jersey shore.
The vacationing couple
Dodie and Bill are vacationing in Candle Beach at the end of summer. They have rented a bungalow and plan to enjoy the beach and boardwalk together. However, they are both not focused solely on their holiday.
Bill’s car is stolen, and he is beside himself. Since he is the Police Chief of Etonville, who has statewide connections, he is doing whatever he can to help get his car back.
I like Bill. He is a fabulous character with lots of integrity, cunning, and some good acting skills. Bill loves Dodie for who she is. They make a wonderful couple.
Dodie’s ex-boyfriend, Jackson shows up at their home hoping to crash. The Etonville community theater group is in Candle Beach for the state competition of community theater groups. But it really goes off the rails when Jackson’s former charter boat partner is killed after Jackson has a fight with him in public. Now, Dodie must clear Jackson’s name and keep him out of jail, and the only way is to figure out who killed Vinnie in the first place.
Dodie is marvelous; I was rooting for from the beginning. She is likable, seems to have a sixth sense, and she is a great friend. I like Dodie, and I look forward to reading her next mystery.
Mystery
The mystery was so well played that I didn’t get it until the final clues were coming out. I totally fell for the red herring. Although now that I know who it is, I can see the clues that I missed.
4 Stars for No More Time by Suzanne Trauth
My rating for No More Time by Suzanne Trauth is four stars. I enjoyed the story, the mystery, characters, setting, and the touch of love. It is well written and entertaining. I recommend this book to all cozy fans.
Excerpt
By noon we were both hot and famished. I suggested a break from the sun at the tiki bar and we gathered our beach gear and trudged through the sand to the Polynesian music. We were halfway through our bucket of steamed clams when an elderly twosome at a table next to ours gasped in shock. We couldn’t help noticing.
“Is everything okay?” I asked gently.
The woman’s head bobbled and her wide-brimmed sunhat swung from side to side. She picked up the newspaper she’d been reading, the Candle Beach Courier, a local rag, and shoved the front page at us. “He was such a nice boy. We knew his parents years ago.”
I smiled sympathetically and scanned the sheet. Then I gasped.
“Dodie, what’s the matter?” Lola said.
“Were you acquainted with him too?” the woman asked.
I nodded numbly. Was I ever. The headline read LOCAL MAN DEAD. Underneath was a photo of the victim: It was Vinnie C. I rotated the paper so Lola could see the front page. “It’s him,” I said hoarsely.
Lola blinked. “Vincent Carcherelli,” she read.
I scanned the story. Apparently, his body had been washed up on the beach sometime overnight and was discovered by a jogger early today in time to make the mid-morning edition. The police were calling it a drowning and speculating that he’d fallen off his boat, The Bounty, which had drifted half a mile off the shoreline. No foul play suspected at the moment but the investigation was ongoing.
I offered to return the newspaper but the couple refused to accept it, saying the story was too upsetting. They picked up their bill and left.
“Wow. What a coincidence. We were talking about how Jackson saw him yesterday …” Lola stopped. A light bulb went on. “The police will want to speak with Jackson. He might have been one of the last people to see Vinnie alive.”
It was Lola’s last word that brought me up short: alive. Jackson had been steamed during that meeting on the boardwalk. Did he know anything about Vinnie’s last hours? If Bill were here he’d tell me to mind my own business, let Jackson alone, let the police determine the actual cause of death. Bill was right, of course. But something about the whole event didn’t sit right with me. Why did Jackson lie about what happened when he met Vinnie?
Other Books in the Series
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About Suzanne Trauth
Suzanne Trauth is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and a former theatre professor at a university. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the Dramatists Guild, and League of Professional Theatre Women. When she is not writing, Suzanne coaches actors and serves as a celebrant performing wedding ceremonies. She lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Cloak and Dagger
- 2019 Craving For Cozies Reading Challenge
- 2019 Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge
- 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2019 New Release Challenge
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