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Murder in the Secret Maze (A Tory Benning Mystery Book 1) Kindle Edition
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Landscape architect Tory Benning knows the lay of the land, but she’ll have to dig through the clues to unearth a killer . . .
After a whirlwind romance and a glorious wedding at the luxurious Hotel Santa Sofia, Tory Benning is ready to let down her hair, slip into her dancing shoes, and celebrate—until she discovers that her newly minted husband has vanished. The police suspect cold feet and second thoughts are behind Milo’s disappearance, but Tory’s certain he’s met with foul play. And since she designed the plush resort, she knows every nook and cranny of the grounds and adjoining secret maze, and wastes no time delving into her search.
As clues begin to emerge that Milo may have taken his last breath in the maze, Tory steps up her sleuthing, even as she learns she’s the prime suspect of a cop with a chip on his shoulder and is squarely in the sights of a menacing stalker. And when a second body is found on the grounds, Tory fears she’s up against a killer determined to silence any and all who get in the way.
Not to be deterred, Tory forges ahead, navigating a case with more twists and turns than the maze itself, until the labyrinth of clues leads her to shocking revelations about her husband, her family, and the identity of a killer who’s dead set on making her the next victim . . .
About the Author:
Judith Gonda is a mystery writer and Ph.D. psychologist with a penchant for Pomeranians and puns, so it’s not surprising that psychology, Poms, and puns pop up in her amateur sleuth mysteries featuring landscape architect Tory Benning.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 26, 2020
- File size2343 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B084HNMVGV
- Publisher : Beyond the Page (February 26, 2020)
- Publication date : February 26, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 2343 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 247 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,485,865 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4,892 in Cozy Crafts & Hobbies Mystery
- #5,311 in Cozy Craft & Hobby Mysteries
- #5,890 in Mystery Romance
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Follow me here on my Amazon Author Page, on social media, and sign up for my newsletter to keep updated on new releases, special deals, and the antics of my two rescue Pomeranians, Izzy and Ollie: https://www.judithgonda.com/
Judith Gonda is a mystery writer and Ph.D. psychologist with a penchant for Pomeranians, plants, and puns, so it’s not surprising that psychology, Poms, and puns pop up in her amateur sleuth mysteries featuring landscape architect Tory Benning.
If you enjoy my books, please leave a review! And if you already have, thank you so much!
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If this wasn't enough, Tori also finds out some family secrets, along with some improprieties in the company she runs which adds to her stress. Will Tori find out what happened to Milo, her husband, before she becomes a victim herself or ends up in jail?
One thing I (and this is subjective to the reader) didn't particularly like is that I thought Tori was maybe a little too interested in the private investigator so soon after the "love of her life" disappeared. Other then that point, I thought the writing was good and the author laid out the clues to bring the mystery to a conclusion was great. All in all, it was really a good cozy mystery and I would recommend to cozy lovers.
Please note: I was given a copy of the book from the publisher through Netgalley.com.
Though I haven’t read a lot of cozy mysteries, this author’s descriptive writing pulled me in from the very start. The characters were well developed and mystery well plotted, with many twists and turns that took me on a wild ride. I also enjoyed learning a little about landscape architecture, and always enjoy when dogs make an appearance in any story.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
First in a new series featuring California landscape architect Tory Benning!
Landscape architect Tory Benning knows the lay of the land, but she’ll have to dig through the clues to unearth a killer . . .
After a whirlwind romance and a glorious wedding at the luxurious Hotel Santa Sofia, Tory Benning is ready to let down her hair, slip into her dancing shoes, and celebrate—until she discovers that her newly minted husband has vanished. The police suspect cold feet and second thoughts are behind Milo’s disappearance, but Tory’s certain he’s met with foul play. And since she designed the plush resort, she knows every nook and cranny of the grounds and adjoining secret maze, and wastes no time delving into her search.
As clues begin to emerge that Milo may have taken his last breath in the maze, Tory steps up her sleuthing, even as she learns she’s the prime suspect of a cop with a chip on his shoulder and is squarely in the sights of a menacing stalker. And when a second body is found on the grounds, Tory fears she’s up against a killer determined to silence any and all who get in the way.
Not to be deterred, Tory forges ahead, navigating a case with more twists and turns than the maze itself, until the labyrinth of clues leads her to shocking revelations about her husband, her family, and the identity of a killer who’s dead set on making her the next victim . . . (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well developed and well rounded. Tory loses her husband shortly after they are married. She decides that she has to help figure out the killer, so with the help of her friend, Ashley, that is what she tries to do. You could tell that Tory felt bad, but I did not think that her reaction was very realistic. If that had been me, I would have been incapacitated. But Tori was able to put that beside and get on with her life. That is only my opinion and other readers may not agree with me. Adrian, one of the police involved in the case, seems like a good guy. And Ernie Gomez, another officer that is involved, is a jerk and I dislike him greatly.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and the descriptions pulled me into the story from the beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. I thought that the mystery was well plotted and there were enough twists and turns and red herrings thrown in, and it was not easily solved.
I really like the premise of the book and the fact that the Secret Maze exists. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and finding out what is in store for Tory.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Beyond The Page Publishing, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.