Dune to Death (A Bed-And-Breakfast Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mary Daheim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

Bed-and-breakfast hostess Judith McMonigle and her policeman beau Joe Flynn hgave finally gotten hitched-and they're off on a sunny honeymoon to beautiful Buccaneer Beach.But an unfortunate confrontation with a dune buggy run amok puts hubby Joe in hospital traction-leaving his beleaguered blushing bride stranded in paradise with a bad case of ennui by the sea. Luckily irrepressible cousin Renie has selflessly agreed to keep Judith company. And when the landlady of their cozy, costly cottage by the shore turns up dead in their living room, the cousins suddenly have a murderous mystery to keep them afloat. Rumors of a fortune in buried pirate gold add spice to their adventure. But digging up both a treasure and a killer is dirty business-and Judith and Renie might end up digging their own graves.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sly humor and domestic details...light and cozy fare." -- Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Mary Richardson Daheim is a Seattle native who started telling stories with pictures because she didn't know how to write.  After acquiring the rudiments in grade school, Daheim penned her first mystery novel at age eleven.  She admits it was terrible, but "showed promise."  Thus encouraged, she went on to graduate from the University of Washington's School of Communications, having acquired the knowledge and skills to support herself until she wrote a better book.

In 1983, Daheim published her first historical romance, Love's Pirate, for Avon Books.  She followed this award-winning novel with Destiny's Pawn, Pride's Captive and Passion's Triumph, all for Avon, as well as several historicals for Harlequin.  An avid mystery reader, Daheim decided to try her hand at murder and mayhem with the creation of the Bed-and-Breakfast series from Avon, beginning with Just Desserts, and followed by Fowl Prey, Holy Terrors, Dune to Death, Bantam of the Opera, A Fit of Tempera and Major Vices.

Daheim is married to David Daheim, an instructor of cinema, literature, and English at Shoreline Community College.  The Daheims have three daughters: Barbara, Katherine, and Magdalen.  Daheim is member of the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380769336
• ISBN-13: 978-0380769339
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #609,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Dune Mystery, October 13, 2004

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dune to Death (A Bed-And-Breakfast Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

In this mystery, Bed-and-breakfast hostess Judith McMonigle and her new husband, Police Lieutenant Joe Flynn, are on their honeymoon at Buccaneer Beach. But during a dune buggy ride, Joe crashes the buggy, breaking his leg. Judith calls her cousin Renie who agrees to stay with her while Joe is in the hospital. Soon after Renie arrives, they find their landlady dead in their cottage, strangled to death with a kite string. Never one to pass up a mystery, Judith and Renie investigate the murder, as well as look for a buried treasure. Can they solve the mystery and find the treasure before returning home?

This is another fun "cozy" mystery by Mary Daheim. There are tons of humorous moments in this book. It's well plotted and, while I was able to figure out who the murderer was near the end of the book, there were still a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming.

I've read several of these bed and breakfast books by Mary Daheim and I enjoy them more and more. Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dune to Death, February 26, 2001

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dune to Death (A Bed-And-Breakfast Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Judith McMonigle and her new husband, Police Lieutenenat Joe Flynn, set off optimistically for the Oregon coast to spend their honeymoon. A dune buggy accident sends Joe to the hospital and leaves Judith alone in a spacious cottage. She decides to ask her cousin Renie to come and keep her company while Joe is on the mend. As soon as Renie arrives, the cousins find a dead body, that of their landlady. They become involved in the tangled affairs of the the landlady's family and their past, as they conduct their own investigation of the murder. Another dead body appears and the cousins become even more confused about the identity of the perpretrator. This is another entertaining "cozy" from the dependable Judith Daheim and should be pleasing to her fans.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dune is Delightful, January 9, 2007

By 

Cory L. Kemp "http://www.creatingwomenministr... (Warwick, RI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dune to Death (A Bed-And-Breakfast Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mary Daheim never disappoints. Her fine writing and sense of relational storytelling is displayed with joyful attention to detail, a wry humor and deliciously unexpected connetions between well-defined characters. Buccaneer Beach, Oregon, the setting for Dune to Death, is a place that feels familiar, so much so that I can smell the ocean, feel the waves wash over my feet and the sand squish between my toes. Small seaside towns may all seem pretty much the same, but not necessarily when murder lurks beneath the surface. It is then that Dune takes off running, pulling us along for the ride for all we are worth. I can' wait to read it again!