Customer Reviews

Innkeeping with Murder (Lighthouse Inn Mysteries, No. 1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After Alex Winston inherits the West Hatteras Lighthouse Inn from his deceased Dad, he has trouble keeping up with the antiquated infrastructure. An old boiler, decrepit pipes, and a lack of guests make it difficult to make ends meet. When a close friend is found murdered at the top of the lighthouse, things really take a turn for the worse. As usual, the local police are a bit nearsighted, so it's up to Alex and his new, and quite lovely maid Elise to solve the murder (s) and hopefully clear the name of the B&B.

Although the mystery was a bit easy to figure out, 'InnKeeping with Murder' is a quick and light read. The characters are interesting, although we don't really get to know them very well as the book is a bit slim. The writing is nice and breezy, and the book certainly bodes well as the opener of a new cozy series.

I'm looking forward to the second installment as this introduction certainly leaves you wanting more, and the developing relationship between Alex and Elise is definitely intriguing and one to be watched. Hopefully, the second book in the series will flesh out our main characters a little bit more and introduce some more unusual residents of Canawba County.

INNKEEPING WITH MURDER is the first book in a cozy mystery series set at Hatteras West Inn and Lighthouse. The Inn was inherited by Alex Winston after his father died and his brother had no interest in keeping the family business. It is located near a small village populated with quirky characters. The area was described so vividly by the author that I wanted to visit the inn myself!
After Alex discovers a body on his property, and the local law enforcement agencies prove themselves not up to the task of solving the crime, Alex undertakes the sleuthing himself. While some of the character development was predictable, the culprit and the motive were not readily apparent. Several local characters were introduced, giving the author potential to further develop their personalities and relationships in future books.
I would recommend this book as a pleasant read, and look forward to reading more in the series!

As a mystery author with my debut novel in its initial release, I enjoyed this debut effort by Tim Myers. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the Hatteras West Inn, INNKEEPING WITH MURDER is an unapologetic cozy. Alex Winston operates this struggling bed and breakfast. His B&B needs constant maintenance and many more guests. He does have a lovely maid named Elise, but unfortunately, a one of his few paying customers ends up murdered at the top of the lighthouse. As the experienced reader expects, the police can't get their act together so Alex and Elise launch their own investigation. Guess who solves the crime? INNKEEPING WITH MURDER is a breezy read and an entertaining book. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in this series, wondering how Alex will keep his inn in business with dead bodies constantly popping up there.

I love lighthouses, and I was intrigued by the premise of the book, but the execution (no pun intended) left something to be desired. The potential is there, with setting and characters, but the promise is not realized. I found the writing stilted and dull and aimed at a (at most) sixth-grade reading level. You would be hardpressed to find a compound sentence in this book. There were some inane observations in this book, including the observation that the cafe was "surprisingly deserted between breakfast and lunch." Wouldn't it obviously be so? It seems nitpicky, but these things add up.

I liked it enough to see if the second in the series is an improvement.

Alex Winston is desperately trying to hold on to the family lighthouse named Hatteras West which is interestingly located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not your typical location for a lighthouse, but one that attracts a wide variety of people. That is until one guest is found dead at the top of the lighthouse with an ice pick in the back and another looks to have been pushed off of Bear Rocks. It is now up to Alex to find the killer, keep the boiler running on the old Inn and have the beds made before the next guest checks in. Just your typical day as an Innkeeper.

Fun start to the lighthouse series by Tim Meyers. Look forward to seeing the unique characters again that make up the background in this book.

Alex Winston loves his Hatteras West Inn & Lighthouse, inherited from his father. But it's touch-and-go with his expenses at times, and his housekeeper, emotional at the best of times, just quit. Finding the body of his longtime friend and annual guest dead at the top of his lighthouse was icing on the cake. When the rest of his guests start checking out - of the inn, that is - Alex's woes increase. He's got to find the murderer before things can get worse - and not fall for his new housekeeper like every other man in town. A pleasant cozy with twists and descriptive scenery that makes you want to book a room

At the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Elkton Falls, North Carolina is the Hatteras West Inn and Lighthouse. The reason for the lighthouse, a replica of the more famous one on the coast, is part of the family heritage of current owner Alex Winston. However, Alex has doubts that he can financially survive much longer as innkeeper.

Alex soon has a new problem to face when someone murders long time returning guest and friend Reg Wellington Sr. with an ice pick to the neck at the top of the lighthouse. Adding to Alex's woes is that his maid quit though she sends her more competent cousin Elise to replace her. Alex realizes that no one wants to stay at a temporary lodging facility where an unsolved homicide occurs even if several individuals say otherwise. Rather than wait for the Sheriff to solve the case, Alex investigates feeling that the killer might strike again.

INNKEEPING WITH MURDER is an entertaining amateur sleuth tale. The plot works because the key cast seems so authentic they make readers feel that they are visiting the Blue Ridge foothills. The story line is fun as a worried Alex searches for a killer, struggles with avoiding bankruptcy, and begins to fall in love all in one novel. Tim Myers provides the audience with a wonderful regional mystery that will have readers re-booking for future stays at the Hatteras West Inn and Lighthouse.

Harriet Klausner

Alex Winston is trying his best to keep the family inn running. But his job gets harder when one of his guests is murdered at the top of the lighthouse and his maid quits. Hiring Elise on the spot, he focuses on finding out who killed Reg, who was also a good friend. But when further accidents start happening, Alex begins to wonder if he can keep the inn afloat. Is it even worth it to try? Who is behind everything? And what about his relationship with Elise?

This book marks the debut of the Lighthouse Inn series. Alex and Elise are great sympathetic characters and I'm looking forward to seeing them again in further books. I also enjoyed meeting the locals and hope to see them again. The plot started out a little slowly but picked up speed as it went and finished with a bang. Probably the biggest problem was the setting. It, too, wasn't nearly as developed as it could have been until later in the book. But these flaws weren't big enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Tim Myers has started what promises to be a fun cozy series. I look forward to reading the further happenings at Hatteras West Inn.

Innkeeper Alex Winston has inherited this quite unique inn tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The quirky local characters remind me of those in Pickax (setting of Braun's Cat Who series). It was a quick read, and although the solution was obvious to me from early on, enough red herrings were thrown along the way to keep one second-guessing. I look forward to my next visit to Hatteras West. A promising new series.

I picked up this book because of its cover - murder in a lighthouse. How romantic. How thrilling. How dull - I was disappointed.

I figured out who did it halfway through the book. The characters were rather stereotypical. It was a given Alex and Elise would be attracted to each other. It was a given Alex would find a way to keep Hatteras West. I found the book predictible...

...BUT, Tim Myers' writing style is good. Even though I knew what was coming I kept reading. I am looking forward to his next book in this series. Keep up the good work!