Molly Owens is ready to put down roots, so when she sees an ad for a managing editor for the local paper in Britton Bay, a small town on the Oregon Coast she applies and is hired. The problem is that there is one reporter that is not happy to work for her and gives her a hard time from day one. She is not ready to give up and fire him, so she pushes Vernon, to dig a little deeper into the story of a prominent local family, and he ends up dead. The problem is that he is not well liked, so there are many suspects, including Molly. Molly is an investigative reporter, so she begins to ask questions and her sleuthing has her receiving threats. Who killed Vernon and why?

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series to me. Molly is a wonderful character. She is smart, doesn't take anything from her team and is perseverant, she will not give up and wants to solve the crime. I also like Sam Alderich. He is the son of the owner of the B&B, were Molly is living and there is definitely chemistry there. They work well together taking the clues and piecing things together. There are a lot of twists and red herrings with a few people getting arrested along the way. As much as I enjoyed this story, I was a bit surprised by the insta-love between Molly and Sam. I also miss the eccentric and quirky characters that usually populate these small town cozies. Having said that, I enjoyed the mystery and look forward to seeing what is next for Molly and the town of Britton Bay.

A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

When I read a cozy mystery series I feel like I'm looking for a few things. I like a heroine who is intelligent, a mystery that is interesting but not too crazy, a fun town or setting, and maybe a little bit of romance. Jody Holford has definitely hit all those points with Deadly News.

Molly had moved to the little town of Britton Bay to become editor of the local newspaper. She is almost immediately thrown into the mystery when one of the paper's reporters is murdered and she finds the body. I do not want to give too much away as it is a mystery, but I thought it was well done. I was able to tell that a couple suspects were red herrings but didn't guess who did it until pretty close to the end.

Overall a very fun read and I am looking forward to book two!

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

What a great start to a new series!! Britton Bay has that small shore town vibe that we all fall in love with in our cozy books and television shows. It actually has a strong Hallmark town feel to it. The protagonist, Molly Owens, moves to Britton Bay to take a job as the editor of the towns news paper. She seems eager and ready to take on her new role but is she ready to take on a murderer?
The cast, the plot, and the setting are fantastic. I am already in love with Molly and Sam and can't wait to see where their relationship goes.

Molly moves to Britton Bay to bring life to the small town newspaper and online news. The staff is small. Vernon, the main reporter, is not welcoming.
Molly encounters Sam early in the story and it’s instant attraction. Molly ends up renting from Sam’s Mom. Many of the villagers are welcoming, but Molly becomes suspicious of most when she finds Vernon dead.
I like the setting on the coast and the welcoming small town. I like the characters. There is something about Molly’s persistence that wears a little thin when the police keep asking her to bow out of the investigation. I enjoyed the overall feeling of the book even while the mystery portion wasn’t my favorite in recent cozy’s I’ve read.

This was just an OK cozy mystery for me. Maggie has moved to a new town on the Oregon Coast to edit a small town newspaper. One of the newspaper reporters resents her arrival. When he does not show up for work she goes to his house and stumbles over his body. She sets out to solve the mystery. The mystery was easy to solve even though there were a few suspects. The motive was thin and the suspect did not make sense. I was not a big fan of the romance. There was a lot of repetition and the main character got on my nerves. She has the annoying cozy habit of insisting that she would not interfere but does. I also do not like it when the sleuth breaks the law or tampers with evidence. I did like the newspaper background and the town could be interesting. It was a quick read.

It’s a good start to a very promising series. I enjoyed it and liked meeting the characters. I’m looking forward to the next one. It was hard to put down.

Deadly News by Jody Holford is the first book in the Britton Bay Mystery series. Molly has moved to Britton Bay as editor of the town's struggling newspaper. One of her new co-workers, Vernon, is less than welcoming to Molly. After she pushes him to dig deeper on a story, he ends up dead, and Molly feels guilty. She learns that small towns have few secrets, but the identity of the murderer is one that seems to be staying a secret. The mystery is strong, and the book moved along quickly. My only issue was the very fast moving romance. The start of this series was interesting enough to make me look forward to the second book.

What an incredibly sweet cozy mystery! It was a different touch to have an experienced contemporary romance writer writing a cozy mystery, but I loved the whole atmosphere that gave the book! Kind of like a Hallmark movie. I've only read cozies so far by cozy mystery writers or ones who have written some suspense as well. Maybe the biggest difference for me (and this was definitely a good thing) was that Molly and Sam didn't bicker with each other like the main sleuth sometimes does with the man she's falling for but somehow doesn't think she should or doesn't think she deserves a guy like that. I like that Molly didn't want to play the martyr and swear off men for good, even though when she first moved there she said she was going to just work. She realized Sam was nice and way different from her ex. This was a fun treat and I am definitely looking forward to the next book!

Molly Owens was just settling into her new town and sweet little rental home when her grumpy reporter turned up dead--she was the one that found him in his home when he didn't report to work for the second day in a row. Molly felt responsible for sending the man to interview a local woman from the founding family in town. She thought maybe Vernon had stumbled onto something that got him killed, and she wasn't going to be satisfied till the real killer was caught.

I absolutely loved the main characters in this book. Alan is just the nicest boss, Elizabeth turned out to be a very sweet co-worker, Sam of course is awesome and Cali is such a character! I wasn't real impressed with Clay, but I don't think readers were supposed to be impressed with him. Since Molly had no typical best-friend-of-the-main-character, I loved that Sam was such a good sounding board. Although Bella may prove to be a good friend in future books when Molly needs a friend who's a girl. The little dog Tigger sounded so adorable too!

This book had all the elements I love in a cozy of great characters, sweet small town, an adorable pet, cops who weren't grumpy--and a more unique job for the guy interest--Sam is a mechanic, not a cop! ;) I don't dislike cop boyfriends, they can come in very handy, but sometimes it's fun to switch it up.

Molly Owen's needed a new start, and she picked Britton Bay as her fresh beginning. Molly has accepted a position as an editor at a struggling newspaper with a quirky ensem let of fellow employees, among one of whom apparently despises her arrival. Molly begins to challenge get and set deadline is to freshen up the line up, but Vernon, the staffer who does not like his new boss ends up dead while on assignment. Molly feels horribly guilty so while finding a new place to live, settling into her new town, meeting the locals and find ding a stray dog who ends up a permanent guest, Molly decided to solve the mystery of what happened that night.
I enjoyed the developing friendships, the rapport with her new landlord and her new relationship with Sam.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my thoughts. Can't wait for the next one to come out.

One of the best debuts I’ve read in a while. Love the series already.

Molly is used to a life of moving from place to place with her dad being in the Army. After walking in on her now ex-boyfriend sizzling the sheets with his ex, Molly has decided to expand her horizons and work and live in a small town as the new editor of the local newspaper.

Molly pushes Vernon, to be the reporter he used to be and write with passion and dig deeper for the story. When he does not show up to work for the second day in a row, Molly takes her new position seriously and goes to his home to check on him. Unfortunately, she finds more than she bargained for with Vernon on the floor in a pool of his own blood. She realizes he was not a favorite of the town but who would want him dead? As Molly investigates she finds there is someone who doesn't like her as well and the threats against her are mounting up faster than the heat between her and Sam, the local mechanic. Will Molly survive long enough to test the flames that Sam ignites?

I am always a little hesitant and guarded when I start a new series with an author I am not familiar with. First books in a series can make it or break it for me and this series was a pleasant surprise. I feel in love with the characters and the town from the beginning. I am disappointed that I cannot automatically start reading book two.

The mystery was one of the best I've read lately. Plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. When the killer was revealed I was shocked. It was well hidden.

The language and romance were clean. An easy read, meaning you can stop at any point and be able to pick right back up without having to review. A perfect book to introduce someone to the cozy mystery club.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington/Lyrical Underground through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Deadly News by Jody Hedlund is set in Britton Bay, Oregon. Molly Owens has moved from Lancaster, California to Britton Bay to become editor for the Britton Bay Bulletin. The Britton Bay Bulletin’s owner, Alan Benedict, is hoping Molly can revitalize the struggling paper to increase readership and revenue. Vernon East, a reporter for the paper, is antagonistic and resents Molly’s presence. She assigns Vernon to interview Vanessa Phillips on her family and two days later he is found dead in his home. The suspect list is long since Vernon was disagreeable, but Molly did spot a good clue at the crime scene. Molly works her way through the suspect list which includes an ex-wife, victim’s son, and her fellow employees. Someone feels Molly is getting too close to the truth and leaves her a threatening message. Molly is a reporter and not about to be dissuaded in her quest for the truth. When not out on the trail of a killer, Molly is settling into her new abode and making friends. She also finds an adorable bouncy puppy in need of an owner. Britton Bay will be a lovely home for Molly once she pinpoints Vernon’s killer.

Deadly News is a cute new cozy mystery. The cover is adorable with the black and white puppy who Molly names Tigger (it suits him). Molly is a likeable main character. She is starting over after catching her boyfriend in flagrante delicto with his ex-girlfriend. Thanks to mechanic, Sam Alderich, she finds a charming carriage house to live in with a landlady who will become a good friend. I would have liked more backstory on Molly, but she is an interesting, friendly character. I did find it odd, though, when she spilled out case details. As a reporter, I expected her to keep details to herself (it seemed out of place). The pace alternates in Deadly News. It starts out brisk, then slows down through the middle (especially when Molly is thinking about the case) with it picking up towards the end of the book. The mystery has several suspects with subtle clues. Avid cozy mystery readers will find this whodunit a cinch to solve. I was surprised by the quick romance between Molly and Sam. The sparks fly right away between them and he jumps into to help her with the mystery. I prefer a romance that develops slowly and is not as prominent in the story (the mystery should be the focus). I am giving Deadly News 3.5 out of 5 stars. A Britton Bay Mystery series has potential, and I will pick up the next book in this new cozy mystery series.

The first in Holford's new cozy series will have readers anxious for the next in the series. I look forward to more!

A delightful start to a new series. The characters are interesting, and the story moved along so well, I lost track of time while reading. The setting comes across so wonderfully. I look forward to reading more of the series. Thank you for the opportunity to read and introducing me to this great author.

Former Army brat Molly Owns is looking for a change. When she finds an ad looking for an editor for the Britton Bay Bulletin on the Oregon Coast, she applies, and gets the job.

An experienced journalist, Molly is ready for the challenge, but when she pushes Vernon, a longtime Bulletin reporter to dig deeper into a story, and he turns up murdered, she blames herself. As she looks into the death, Molly realizes there is no shortage of suspects, from Vernon’s ex-wife to his own son to Molly’s boss, who has a secret of his own. But when Molly’s attempts to sleuth out the truth result in her receiving frightening threats, the trouble is just beginning.

I’m a sucker for newspapers stories, because I worked as a journalist for so many years. Deadly News was a bright spot in my reading week. Watching Molly in her new job made me wish for the olden days when I was a working journalist. She tackled the job head on, and it drew me into the story and made me savor every word.

One of the things I liked about the story was the fact that, as a working journalist, she had a reason to do an investigation of her own. She did a good job of it, too, which made for a fast and enjoyable read.

There is a great deal of romance in this book, as Molly begins a relationship with Sam Alderich, a local mechanic. Their attraction happened fast, as did the connection. It fit into the story, although I did wish it was been drawn out just a little bit. There is the addition of a sweet dog, and the animal features into the mystery. I did figure out the whodunit before it was revealed, but still enjoyed the tale to the end.

Small town life can be tough on journalists, as Molly found out. Watching her take her place in town, and work on the newspaper, made this a fun read. I look forward to seeing what happens in book two.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is a solid start to a new cozy mystery series centered on a newspaper editor. Though I found some aspects of the plot predictable, I really liked getting to know Britton Bay alongside Molly, and I found a lot of the characters she met very charming and memorable. There is a bit more of a romance subplot in this book than in many of the other cozies I've read, but the author does a good job of keeping it light and sweet, and of intertwining the love story with the who-dun-it. I also enjoyed the added tension of Molly's difficulties in winning over the newspaper staff. I will say that the story felt a bit slower to me than what I would consider to be my favorite cozies, but the writing was strong, and I'll be curious to see where things take Molly in book two.

4.5 stars. A terrific mystery with engaging characters. I really enjoyed this series kickoff. The introduction of characters and suspects was paced perfectly for me - nothing felt rushed or dragging. I loved Molly and Sam, both alone and together, as well as Tigger the dog. The setting and the townspeople will be great for future stories. I look forward to spending more time in Britton Bay in the future.

Hear ye, hear ye; read all about it. Deadly News has it all – an appealing heroine, an intriguing mystery, a cute puppy, and, yes, a little touch of romance. Deadly News is the first offering in a new cozy mystery series by Jody Holford, and it’s a good one! Molly Owens moves to Britton Bay, Oregon to take a job as the new editor of the local paper, never imagining that within a couple of days of her arrival, her co-worker would die under mysterious circumstances. Fearing that he had been murdered as a result of a story she had assigned to him, Molly decides to investigate. Her inquiries lead her to explore the various relationships among members of the town, and we meet a lot of colorful characters along the way. Molly is smart and funny, and her would-be romance with local mechanic, Sam, seems natural and not forced. And the mystery kept up the suspense until the end. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!