I enjoyed this book but I don't think this series is for me, I'm not really interested in bird watching so I tend to gloss over that part. It doesn't mean it's a bad series because I have enjoyed the 2 books I've read, I just don't think I'm going to be continuing with it.

*Huge thanks to J.R. Ripley, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Solid entertainment with likable characters and setting. It's a wonderful cozy mystery with twists. I haven't read the others in this series, but I had no trouble following along. Amy Simms is great, and her love of nature and sleuthing go hand in hand. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you are a cozy mystery fan and love red herrings that have you second guessing yourself.

The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice by J.R Ripley is book three in the Bird Lover's Mystery series. Amy, owner of Birds & Bees, is up early thanks to the woodpecker outside her window. She witnesses a body being thrown out of the window of a local hostel. Unfortunately the police cannot find any evidence of a body. When two women are found dead, the police (and Amy) are on the case. The characters and setting in this series are charming. I particularly love all of the bird information thrown in. This book did not disappoint, and I am already looking forward to the next!

Ok, so this didn't really work for me - the main character gave me the pip and pretty much everyone else had something they did that annoyed me too. The mystery was seemed a bit over complicated - or at least it seemed so in its execution. Never mind.

This is a great quick murder mystery with wild birds mixed in. You're fed bits and pieces of clues throughout until it's all wrapped up in the end. Loved it!

Delightful cozy for a bird lover, but fun for all. Pleasant small town with the usual mix of interesting characters, plus a new group of foreigners added. Entertaining series. I am eager to read the next one.

The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice: A Bird Lover’s Mystery
By J.R. Ripley
Lyrical Underground Kensington
May 16, 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

A bit groggy after once again being awoken by the red-bellied woodpecker named Drummy, Amy Simms can barely believe the scene she glimpses through the rain at the McKutcheon house across Ruby Lake. As the owner of Birds & Bees, an aviary, bee, & nature supplies store, Amy may not be an ornithologist but she definitely knows the difference between a bird and a falling body. The rest of the town is not so certain though, and when Ruby Lake’s chief of police Jerry Kennedy finds no evidence of a corpse, his mocking doubt even has Amy questioning herself. Determined to find some sort of evidence, Amy leads her monthly bird-watching hike to McKutcheon house and its apparent conversion into a hostel. Amy is stunned to discover what she believes what could be a fresh grave, but before she can return to (literally) uncover more, she finds an even fresher corpse propped up against a tree. Irritable Bessie Hammond has grumbled about her last bird-watching venture, and this time even Jerry has to admit that it is murder.

The chief of police still behaves as though he was the high student who once dated Amy and was a student in her mother’s classes, so Amy doesn’t have much confidence that he will be able to solve this latest murder. This leads her to invite herself over to the McKutcheon house, whose owner Grant McKutcheon has filled with youthful Europeans. The relationships of these newcomers pale in comparison to the locals, who are using the McKutcheon’s connection to the legendary widow in the Lake to attract tourists to her annual ghostly appearance.

This third in the series entertains with the impulsive escapades led by the very focused and determined Amy. This allows her very little time to operate Birds & Bees, so it’s fortunate that he she has the help of her mother, Aunt Betty, and much less reliable cousin Riley for daily operations. As the investigation leads in completely unexpected directions, it ensures for a surprising conclusion that few readers will see coming. Amy’s humorous insights provide endless laughter for readers; to put off a possible “we need to talk” breakup session with her boyfriend, Amy determines that all she needs to do is to completely avoid him. Amy’s best friend Kim is dating the latest in her string of short-term boyfriends, so she’s prime for an epic breakup soon. Amy may lead more with her intuition than actual evidence, but she continues to be an undeniable delight who will have readers giggling long after the crime is solved.

Amy Simms is a great character in The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice.

This was a classic whodunit mystery and I was captivated from beginning to end.
When Amy is looking out her window through her binoculars, she sees something odd, she sees a body being tossed outside a window at the old McKutcheon place.
Rushing through the house, Amy heads off full steam in the rain, to the home, where she finds.......nothing.

No body, no evidence, not even a usable foot print. How can that be? Amy knows what she saw.
The police chief is annoyed, he wishes she would keep selling bird supplies and leave the detecting to him.

When another body turns up, Amy knows she is right, there is a murderer in their small town and she aims to solve this hysterical whodunit.

I really enjoyed this story. It was well written and I couldn't stop reading it, I was entertained from beginning to end.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Books & NetGalley.
This book is available May 16, 2017

Amy Simms loves running her shop for bird lovers, Birds & Bees. But lately she's a bit tired because a woodpecker has been waking her up early every morning tapping on a tree outside her bedroom window. Imagine her surprise when she picks up a pair of binoculars to get a good look at her feathered nemesis only to see a murder in progress across Ruby Lake at the old McKutcheon house. Even though the police find nothing -- no body, no crime scene -- to prove anyone was killed, Amy still thinks something strange is going on at the old house. Her suspicions are confirmed when a local woman is found dead in the woods near the house. What's going on at the old McKutcheon house? Will the legend of a dead McKutcheon ancestor rising from the lake on the anniversary of her death really happen? And did Amy really see a murder?

The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice is the third book in the Bird Lovers Mystery series. I enjoy this series! Amy Simms is a fun, independent, spunky main character. The quirky group of supporting characters around her are great, especially her unwanted boarder, the curmudgeonly Esther Pelaster (AKA Esther Pester). This newest book in the series, in my opinion, is the best so far. The mystery was well-paced with plenty of twists and turns. There are lots of suspects and some great surprises. The theme of birds and bird watching doesn't overpower the mystery portion of the plot, but adds color and flavor to the story. I will definitely be reading more of this series! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys birds and cozy mysteries.

It isn't necessary to read the books in order. A reader could jump in with this book and still be able to follow the plot and characters relatively easily. As with most cozies, the books are light, enjoyable reads suitable for teens to adults. There is no bad language or detailed sexual situations.

The next book in this series, To Kill a Hummingbird, will be released in July 2017. I can't wait! :)

J.R. Ripley is a pseudonym of the author Glenn Meganck. For more information on the author and his books, check out his website at http://www.glennmeganck.com/

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice is the third installment in the A Bird Lovers Mystery series featuring Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees, located in Ruby Lake, North Carolina. Business is bustling for the specialty shop and Amy is enjoying her new relationship with lawyer Derek Harlan.

On a foggy morning, woken by a red bellied woodpecker nicknamed Drummy, Amy thinks she sees two men fighting across the lake at the old McKutcheon mansion. When one of the men appears to throw the other out of the window, she immediately calls the police only to be quickly rebuffed by Chief of Police Jerry Kennedy. Chief Kennedy and Amy have a tenuous relationship, he resents her interference in his investigations and she resents his ineptitude.

The recently vacant McKutcheon home has a mysterious past. It is rumored that during the Civil War Era, Mary McKutcheon's husband was murdered and she put a curse on his killers. After the last man died a horrible death, Mary walked into the lake and drowned herself. Now the locals claim that her ghost rises from the depths of the waters each year on the anniversary of Mr. McKutheon's death. Distant relative Gus McKutcheon has now turned the rundown home into a hostel with a group of transients working on repairs in exchange for room and board.

Amy has a bad feeling about Gus and his tenants and she sets out to discover what she actually saw that foggy morning. Things take a turn when a member of her bird watching group is found bludgeoned to death, and Amy begins to wonder if the two incidents are connected. With the town abuzz over the approaching widow of the lake anniversary, Amy relies on best friend Kim Christy and elderly tenant Esther "the Pester" to drum out the truth.

A terrific series with a well developed cast of characters, a close knit picturesque community and a touch of romance.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground, a division of Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

A Bird Lover's Mystery. This is the third book in this series set in North Carolina. The first is Die,Die Birdie and the last one we read was Towhee Get Your Gun.

Amy Simms, owner of Birds and Bees, has no use for her alarm clock now that she has her very own red-bellied woodpecker waking her up at the crack of dawn. The rat-a-tat -tat is waking up the entire neighborhood.

When Amy stumbles from her bed and grabs her binoculars to check out her little friend, nicknamed Drummy., a storm is brewing outside and the rain is beginning to pour down. Just as she is about to put down the binoculars she glances once more across Ruby Lake and sees a light at the old Mckutcheon house. No one has lived there in forever.

Peering hard through the rain she can vaguely make out two people struggling in the upstairs window. And then one of the people toss the other one out of the window.

The police say it is just her imagination, but Amy isn't convinced of that. And we know she is going to set out to prove she was right. That's our Amy. When she leads a group of birdwatchers on a hike the next day she makes a detour but finds nothing. The group in itself is an odd bunch. And when another body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

The little town of Ruby Lake is hiding secrets. Some deadly. Who would have guessed such a small town could have so much drama simmering underneath the lovely small town charm.

I always enjoy the Bird Mystery series. Amy is becoming more confident and I love the characters, especially the ones in the Senior Center.

I always thought of bird watching as a rather dull activity. Until this series. Now all of a sudden I'm searching Pintrest for woodpeckers and the different types and which are male and which are female. And learning that not all birds like nesting in cozy houses but rather ledges. Who knew?

I've read a sneak peek at the next one too. Yes, it's good.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington for the early read!
May 16, 2017 Release Date

Books,Books and More Books Patricia Fairweather Romero

This is a new series to me and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it.
I was able to follow it without reading the previous books, but I will definitely read them now.
I enjoyed the characters and the whodunit was well written.
I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of the book.

The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice is the third book in J. R. Ripley’s Bird Lover’s Mysteries series. This is a fun cozy, with a good plot, well-developed, quirky characters, and some humorous situations. The story flows at a steady pace, with twists and turns, and no shortage of suspects. I’m looking forward to reading future installments in this series.

Amy Simms lives on the third floor of an old three-story Victorian Queen Anne-style house in Ruby Lake, North Carolina with her mother. She has one cantankerous tenant, Ester Pilaster (a/k/a Esther the Pester) who she “inherited” from the previous owner, plus one apartment on the second floor. Paul Anderson, who has ties to her ex-husband, is a temporary tenant while his house is being renovated. Amy and her friend and business partner, Kimberly “Kim” Christy, are the owners of Birds & Bees, which is located on the ground floor. Early one rainy morning, Amy thinks she thinks she sees a body thrown out a window at the old McKutcheon house, which she thought was vacant, but investigators find no evidence of a crime. Amy is convinced she’s right and starts snooping, only to discover the body of Bessie Hammond propped at the base of a tree with a broken neck. Jerry Kennedy, the Chief of Police, and his team are investigating but Amy just can’t keep her nose out of things and finds herself in some sticky situations.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

A really fun, fast, entertaining read with engaging characters and all sorts of nonsense going on (that is really fun to read). Love this book... Hope to find more in this series of wonderful characters.