Mystery Review: Murder at the River Bend Resort

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Title: Murder at the River Bend Retirement Resort
Author: Stan Schatt
Publisher: self. 2017, 238 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1548656195
E-Book ASIN: B073WPDFPK
 
Publisher's Blurb: 
When a very disagreeable resident of the exclusive River Bend Retirement Resort is murdered, bestselling mystery writer Miriam Lipsky has to find the real killer to save a dear friend from prison. She finds the retirement home seethes with intrigue, passion, and jealousy. To make matters worse, it’s hard to distinguish what residents actually saw from what they imagined.
Miriam finds she has to search for the killer while juggling an autistic grandson, a divorced daughter with a tendency to choose the wrong man, her best friend’s overly friendly husband, and a stalker who who leaves her more and more threatening notes. To make matters worse, her rabbi won’t take no for an answer when it comes to fixing her up.
Miriam, a widow after a disastrous marriage, has given up on love. Just when she is sure that part of her life is over, someone new appears from a very unexpected place.
Murder at the River Bend Retirement Resort is a cozy mystery with a sleuth who has to learn on the job. Despite her best intentions, Miriam makes mistake after mistake and yet moves ever closer to discovering a cold blooded killer who has no remorse.

My Review:
This is a solid mystery, with reasonable markers for the culprit but enough red herrings to keep the reader uncertain. I think the best part is what it says in the blurb--Miriam is truly an amateur, and makes mistakes, but learns from them. I have no doubt she'll be a better writer for the experience, too! Miriam has a better excuse than many cozy sleuths for doing her sleuthing, and a little more legal standing than most, though she is on shaky ground there, and gets a lot of forgiveness from the police chief, which she needs.

There are enough interesting side issues to make the story well-rounded, and about the right amount of romance for my tastes (for new readers of my reviews, that means there is some, but it is far from a dominant feature of the story, and there are no sex scenes). There were a few minor editorial/proofing issues, but nothing that jarred me out of the story too far.

My Recommendation:
This has the promise to be an interesting series. If you like cozies, check it out.

About the Author
Stan is the author of over 40 books including the Frankie and Josh mysteries. He has published books on career changing, technology, and writers that include Michael Connelly and Daniel Silva.

Author Links
Webpage:www.stanschatt.com
@stanschatt
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Stan+Schatt
Purchase Links
Amazon    B&N




TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 18 –  Back Porchervations – REVIEW
September 19 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
September 20 – Readsalot – SPOTLIGHT
September 21 – Mythical Books – REVIEW
September 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
September 23 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW
September 24 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT
September 25 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW
September 26 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – Community Bookstop – SPOTLIGHT
September 28 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
September 29 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
October 1 – Lori’s Reading Corner – SPOTLIGHT



FTC Disclosure: I received an ARC of Murder at the River Bend Retirement Resort from Great Escapes Free Book Tours, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 







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