Callie Reed is trying to get involved in her small Maryland's Eastern Shore community where she recently inherited the House of Melody, a music box shop, and the little cottage behind the shop. The Keepsake Cove Merchant's Association has accepted her offer to plan and coordinate a special book signing, along with festive fall decorations to help draw in happy shoppers.

It is a quaint town center full of collectible shops, including Stitches Thru Time, a vintage sewing shop owned by Dorothy Ashby. Brian of Keepsake Cove Cafe is being groomed as a possible love interest. The visiting author, Lyssa Hammond, is an absolute delight and my favorite character of the book, being so well developed you wanted to meet her personally, as well as Tabitha, Callie's shop assistant, her right-hand person, and character in constant disguise.

Shortly after Lyssa arrives, however, the owner of the B&B where she is staying is found murdered in an adjacent downtown park. The victim is the estranged husband to Dorothy and appears to have died from being stabbed with a pair of vintage scissors--hers.

Although this is the second in the series, the narrative has no problem as a standalone. These characters are strong and unique. The well-plotted storyline engages the reader with red herrings and plot twists. I particularly loved the build-up to the book signing and the author's unusual entrance. Unfortunately, there is a discovery the following morning of a second murder, much in the same vicinity and in the same manner.

There is a supernatural or paranormal element to the narrative in a particular music box. Ms. Hughes will have you suspecting a few support characters as well as townsfolk, but the conclusion settles all, even with a couple surprises. I was given this ebook download by the publisher and NetGalley and greatly appreciate the opportunity to read and review. Recommended for all who enjoy a cozy mystery, women sleuths, and small-town drama.

What an adorable new installment to this great cozy mystery series! We catch up with Keepsake cove and all of its shops full of collectibles. Callie's music box shop is doing good and with the upcoming festival she is getting excited. There is even an author for a book event which was a nice tidbit to work on that made me smile. If course a murder (or two) has to attempt to ruin the day and when a friend ends up the main suspect Sallie starts asking around with a little help. The mix of town life, the shops, and murder flows smoothly making for an enjoyable story with a touch of charm. Great for fans of cozies. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

I’ve just had another wonderful visit to Keepsake Cove and I’m already looking forward to my next trip!

A VINTAGE DEATH was a book impossible to put down. I know I often say that about books I read (What can I say? I’m addicted to reading!), but it’s never been truer. Author Mary Ellen Hughes has upped her game in this second installment of her Keepsake Cove Mysteries. I wouldn’t have thought she could have topped book one, A FATAL COLLECTION, but I really should have known better.

I love a story where I can spend some time with the characters before the mystery begins. It’s a great chance to get to know more about the people involved. In A VINTAGE DEATH, there are a few chapters before the discovery of the body, and I was able to learn a bit about Keepsake Cove, and its merchants. Now, on to the mystery . . .

There are not one, but two murders in this story, with each victim being killed by a unique choice of weapon, vintage sewing scissors. It was very intriguing searching for the who and why of it all. Like knotted thread, unraveling the true truth wasn’t an easy task. But author Hughes expertly ties everything together in a reveal that had me riveted to my seat.

Cozy mystery at its finest, I give A VINTAGE DEATH 5 out of 5 stars. Heck, I give it 10 out of 5 stars!

A fun and cozy read that will draw you in making you wish you were there. Well at least until there's another murder in town and hidden secrets are exposed.
Is this a cozy little town or not?
The reader will journey along with Callie as she tries to settle in and
enjoy her inheritance and become a member of this sweet and cozy town. But murder follows murder and we are once again on a twisty ride to discover the truth and clear the name of a sweet woman.
Mary Ellen Hughes in this 2nd installment of the A keepsake Cove
Mysteries gives us charming characters and a good 'ole mystery that will have you turning the pages to figure it out.
Each book is written as a stand alone so you can jump in anywhere along the way. But beware you might get hooked.

I received a complimentary copy.

A Vintage Death
Keepsake Cove Mystery, Book #2
Mary Ellen Hughes
5 Stars

Synopsis:

"A satisfying mystery. ... Suggest for fans of other mysteries set in cute tourist areas, such as Lorna Barrett's Booktown mysteries."--Library Journal

Callie Reed has put together a special event, but a killer is ripping it apart at the seams
As the new owner of a music box store in Keepsake Cove, a quaint town full of collectible shops on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Callie Reed is eager to get more involved in her community. So she volunteers to plan the fall street decorations and welcome a visiting author who's come for a special book signing. But the celebratory mood is cut short when the local B&B owner is found dead, killed with a pair of vintage scissors.

Suspicion is cast on the victim's estranged wife, Dorothy, who owns Keepsake Cove's vintage sewing shop. Callie is sure Dorothy is innocent, and the visiting author agrees. Together, they begin their own investigation, only to discover that many people in Keepsake Cove have secrets. Secrets that are worth killing to keep.

Praise for the Keepsake Cove Mysteries:
"Hughes kicks off her new Keepsake Cove series with a charming locale."--Kirkus Reviews

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Callie is a smart, caring, loyal woman. When one of her friends is wrongly accused of murder, she does not hesitate to jump in with both feet to find the real culprit. I liked that fact that this time she had the help of a visiting thriller/horror author. That added another level to the mystery solving and I enjoyed that. I really liked finding out what character, Tabitha, Callie shop assistant, was going to be dressed as each day. She is a quirky character and has unusual fashion sense, which was great. And I even felt that Aunt Melody, Callie’s deceased aunt was part of the characters through the magical music box, which I loved.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The descriptive writing of the author pulled me into the story from the very beginning and pulled me along for a great read. The music box store came to life in my mind and I would love to stop by and check it out.

The mystery was well plotted and carried on well throughout the book. The were plenty of suspects to consider and clues to sift through and the mystery was not easily solved. I kept changing my mind as to who the killer was.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. With great characters, a whimsical music box store and an intriguing mystery, what’s not to like.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Midnight Ink, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Review of A VINTAGE DEATH by Mary Ellen Hughes
(Keepsake Cove Mystery #2)

Even in a delightful and scenic location like Keepsake Cove, Maryland, human greed, cupidity, and anger still flourish. Keepsake Cove is a special tiny community where the shopkeepers promote gifts and collectibles, and in theory collaborate to make their community a winning draw for tourism, civility, and positive values. This holds true for most of the merchants and residents, but some don't see it that way. Callie Reed, who recently inherited her aunt Melodie's collectible music box shop and cottage (and also solved her aunt's death) desires to be a valid addition to the community, and sets up a book-signing event for the Halloween season. All is good, until a neighboring merchant's estranged husband is killed and the merchant herself is the Prime Suspect. Callie's not going to stand back and let her friend Dorothy's reputation be trashed..or worse. Then incidents of arson commence, and it's clear somebody doesn't want the book event to occur.

Callie Reed owns a music box shop in Keepsake Cove, a quaint town on the coast of Maryland. She becomes involved in a murder investigation when a body is found with stab marks from a pair of antique scissors. The scissors came from a vintage sewing shop nearby and the shop owner is under suspicion. Callie decides to investigate to find out what happened.

A Vintage Death is the second book in the Keepsake Cove Mystery series. I have not read the first book (although I now want to!) but picked up on the characters and back story within a few chapters. This book was enjoyable as a standalone read.

I absolutely loved the quaint Keepsake Cove setting with the cute little shops and the description of Callie's small cottage home. I am a vintage seller and was delighted with the details of vintage items in the shops. I especially enjoyed reading about the vintage music boxes in Callie's shop.

Callie was helped in her investigation by a new friend, Lyssa, a mystery author who came to town for a book reading and signing event. I enjoyed their detecting adventures. I especially liked the mysterious inn that played a part in the story -- complete with secret passageways and rooms!

The mystery had a lot of characters - and potential suspects. I am an avid mystery reader but did not solve this one before Callie did! I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot.

I recommend A Vintage Death for cozy readers and especially for anyone who enjoys small town settings and vintage details. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

As the new owner of the House of Melody, a music box shop in Keepsake Cove, Callie Reed is eager to get more involved in her community. She volunteers to plan the fall street decorations and welcome a visiting author who's come for a special book signing to kick off the fall festivities. But the celebratory mood is cut short when the local B&B owner is found dead, killed with a pair of vintage scissors.
Suspicion is cast on the victim's estranged wife, Dorothy, who owns the vintage sewing shop. Callie is sure Dorothy is innocent, and the visiting author, Lyssa Hammond, agrees. Together, they begin an investigation, only to discover that many people in Keepsake Cove have secrets. Secrets that are worth killing to keep.
--

Series: A Keepsake Cove Mystery - Book 2
Author: Mary Ellen Hughes
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Business
Publisher: Midnight Ink

A Vintage Death is a wonderful book and a great addition to the Keepsake Cover Mystery series. Ms. Hughes is a highly entertaining writer with a creative streak that is top-notch. Her writing is smooth, well plotted with characters that come to life within the cover of her books. With Midnight Ink closing its doors next year, it is hoped that this series will be picked up by another publisher and allowed to continue.

Callie Reed took over her aunt’s music box shop, House of Melody, after her aunt was murdered. It may not have been her first choice for her future, but she is making the best of it and finding that she loves the town and the business. Callie is a hardworking, down-to-earth type of person who finds it odd when she keeps coming across murder victims. Common sense would tell her to stay out of it, but her heart has other ideas. She can’t help herself getting involved with an investigation when one of her friends is the prime suspect.

Characters in this series are growing in many ways; they are maturing, becoming more defined and increasingly important. There is no doubt that reader will love the residents of Keepsake Cove. It's very easy to envision the town and the shopkeepers through Ms. Hughes’ words; it's also easy to want to get to know them more and more. A new character that may be recurring pulls readers in and becomes the character they will count on to get Callie involved even when she doesn’t want to be.

The killer is hiding in plain sight. Many readers will not know who it is until the unveiling, which the killer manages to do all on their own with no help from Callie. The twist and turns will keep readers turning the page and going through the same mental questioning that Callie finds herself doing.

This is the second book in this series, and A Vintage Death provides everything a reader wants in a cozy mystery. There is no foul language, no sexual activity. It is simply a fun, interesting story right up to the last word. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good who-done-it and wants to spend a couple of hours losing themselves in another place.

ARC provided by NetGalley

I liked the first book in this series as much as I liked this one. It's an enjoyable and entertaining read, never boring and with a good pace.
The cast of characters is lovely and Lyssa, the new one, was a pleasure to read.
I like the story, the description of the dynamics of the small town in accusing a person basing only on gossip, the relationship between the main characters.
A very good read, I look forward to reading the next instalment.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Midnight Ink and Netgalley for this ARC

The second book of this new mystery series is very strong and well written. I continue to enjoy the characters and small community. It is not easy to figure out a mystery when you are sort of new in town and some of the suspects are people you have not yet met. History, deceit and betrayal all are behind the scenes as Callie attempts to solve one murder while trying to become more involved in community activities. A second murder is so not what this town needs!
I think my favorite addition is a visiting author who really is not what people are expecting.
Her personality added much to the story as do the clues and notes of encouragement from a music loving spirit.

Another engaging visit to Keepsake Cove. This one introduces a new mystery solving partner for Callie who happens to also be a mystery writer. I look forward to seeing her return in future books in this charming series. One of those towns I would love to be able to visit if only it were real.

A Vintage Death by Mary Ellen Hughes is the second book of the cozy Keepsake Cove Mystery series. Each book in the series is centered around it’s own mystery so they can be read as a standalone if choosing to do so however there is some character building carried over story to story.

In the first book of the series Callie Reed had gone to visit her aunt Melodie in Keepsake Cove where her aunt owned a collectable music box store. However shortly after arriving Callie found her aunt murdered and with faint hints of help from a favorite music box Callie had to find a murderer.

Now Callie is settling into Keepsake Cove and running the shop she inherited from her aunt and settling into the community. Callie has planned to volunteer for the fall decorations and welcoming a visiting author but celebrations are halted when another dead body is found in the small community.

When reading the first book of this series Keepsake Cove quickly became one of those charming little places that I wished I could visit with all of it’s specialty shops and cozy cottages so the setting alone is enough to return to book two. But this series also holds likable characters and good mysteries to go along with the wonderful setting too. There’s only a touch of paranormal to the book with the mysterious music box but it’s just enough to give the story an extra touch of uniqueness. Will be looking forward to seeing what Callie and friends have in store in the next installment.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Classic cozy with Callie the shopowner trying to prove her friend Dorothy did not kill her ex with a pair of sewing scissors. She befriends Lyssa, an author staying at the B&B and together they discover there are plenty of secrets in this small imaginary town. As with the earlier installment, this town does not comport with any real town on the Eastern Shore but I like Callie so .....thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book seems to have everything I would enjoy. An October Festival full of hanging skeletons and ghosts and a book signing and reading by an author who writes paranormal stories. A quaint collector’s village with every type of collectible shop you can imagine…vintage music boxes, a vintage sewing shop, vintage cookware, a store called “Shake it Up” filled with vintage salt and pepper shakers, a bookstore; even a vintage Bed & Breakfast. The shop names were all so clever it made me want to take a trip there myself. Except I might not want to come upon dead bodies as people seem to be doing in Keepsake Cove. Callie, the owner of House of Melody music boxes (see what I mean? Makes you want to go look doesn’t it?), needs to help her friend Dorothy who owns Stitches Thru Time. The dead body was stabbed with a pair of vintage scissors, no less.

The reason I mentioned I wanted to visit Keepsake Cove has to do with the way Mary Ellen Hughes laid out the scene description. I even wanted to live in Callie’s cottage. Hughes did just as well with the leading or main characters. This is just a fun read you want to curl up and sit down for the day with. It didn’t take me much longer than that to read because I didn’t want to put it down. It’s sweet and entertaining.

This is Book 2 in a series titled “A Keepsake Cove Mystery”. There is no question this book couldn’t stand alone as a good read. However, Mary Ellen Hughes has two or three series and there isn’t a one of them without good reviews. Better check them out everything out.

***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are definitely my own.

A Vintage Death is the second title in the Keepsake Cove Mystery series and while it can be read as a stand-alone title, it is best read after the first title (which I have read and enjoyed).
In this book there is, of course, another murder, and Callie, the owner of a music box store is dismayed when her friend Dorothy is implicated in the murder since the murder weapon, a pair of vintage scissors, came from her shop. After discussing the 'case' with a visiting author and other friends, Callie decides to investigate the murder in the hopes of clearing Dorothy.
While the storyline is somewhat slower than the first, this story includes some great character development and a satisfying denouement.
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange of an unbiased review.

Callie Reed, owner of House of Melody and member of the Keepsake Cover business association, is heading up a committee for a visiting author. When the author arrives in town, Callie visits the B&B to drop off a welcome gift and meets the B&B owner as well as the visiting author Lyssa Hammond.

While Callie and Lyssa hit it off, the B&B owner manages to creep her out. Before long he is found murdered in the park and fingers are pointing at his estranged wife Dorothy, a local shop owner and friend of Callie’s. Lyssa teams up with Callie to clear Dorothy’s name but when Dorthy’s long time nemesis is found dead in a copy cat murder, is she really innocent? Who can Callie really trust?

The story moves at a good pace and keeps you guess as to who the murderer is…and just when you have it, you have to think again. Great character development and the inclusion of current events that make this a fun step back into nostalgia while staying on top of what’s going on today. Being a Maryland girl, the location makes it even more endearing to me. Can’t wait for Callie and the gang to come back around in the next installment in the series.

House of Melody owner Callie Reed partners with author Lyssa Hammond to find out who killed Clifford Ashby, owner of the Foxwood Inn in Keepsake Cove.

Lyssa, a well-known writer of scary books, is visiting Keepsake Cove for a big book signing event. She is staying at Foxwood Inn when Ashby is found murdered with a pair of vintage scissors that belong to his estranged wife Dorothy, owner of Stitches Thru Time, a vintage sewing shop.

Since neither Callie or Lyssa believe Dorothy is guilty they begin their own investigation. And when they discover Ashby has been blackmailing local merchants and residents, the list of suspects grows very quickly.

Once again Mary Ellen Hughes drops readers into a well-developed mystery with fascinating and relatable characters, realistic dialogue and suspense driven pacing. The future looks bright for regular trips to the House of Melody and Keepsake Cove

A Vintage Death is the second book in the A Keepsake Cove Mystery series.

I really enjoyed my return visit to the Keepsake Cove area of Mapleton on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Keepsake Cove is an area where the businesses all sell collectible items.

Callie has recently inherited her store, House of Melody from her aunt. Callie is quite busy what with learning the business, she is also handling the autumn decorations for The Cove and is getting ready to head out to the Foxwood Inn to deliver a Welcome basket to Lyssa Hammond, an author of scary, supernatural books, who in Keepsake Cove for a signing at the Fall Festival. Callie delivers the basket and has an enjoyable visit with Lyssa and Callie is happy to have supper with her. At supper, Lyssa says she is enjoying her visit, but Ashby is kind of creepy.

A couple of days later Lyssa comes rushing into House of Melody and tells Callie that Clifford Ashby’s body has been found near where the festival will be held. She adds that the police had said he was stabbed with a pair of vintage scissors. When it is determined that the scissors did it fact come from Stitches in Time and the fact that Dorothy will probably inherit the Inn, she becomes the prime suspect. Even though things look bad for Dorothy. Callie doesn’t believe that she is capable of killing. Especially since she makes every effort to avoid seeing Clifford.

Callie soon learns that Clifford has started trying to coerce businesses into paying him for his promoting their shops at his inn. Callie is quite surprised when Lyssa comes to her and suggests that they begin to look into who the killer might be. They soon learn that Vernon Parks wants to buy the inn and has had run-ins in the past with Dorothy. They wonder if he would go far as to kill Clifford and put the blame on Dorothy to get the inn for a bargain basement price. When a second murder happens, they know they need to go all out if they want to keep Dorothy out of jail.

A Vintage Murder is a well-plotted and told story with an interesting and believable cast of characters.

I will be definitely watching for the next book in this delightful series.

Very enjoyable! Also very timely tie-in with everything that's been going on lately. Loved the cast of characters and Tabitha funky clothing. Enjoyed the blossoming relationships/friendships that are happening. Very excited to see what's next for this group.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The story held my attention and the characters were well written. I look forward to reading more books by this author.