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

This book begins with Cloe taking a trip to Alabama and deciding to relocate. Naturally, she stumbles on a murder victim shortly after she arrives. To make it more messy, the victim was her ex husband's new wife....yikes! Can she help the police solve the mystery? Of course... it wouldn't be a cozy if she didn't! I really enjoyed Cloe and her new friends. Looking forward to the next addition to the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

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

"Murder at Harbor Village" earns 5/5 Laps in the Pool...Engaging Fun!

Welcome to Fairhope, Alabama! Cleo Mack, a college professor from Atlanta, has been offered a nice early retirement package; she has to decide before the fall semester. Although her daughter Stephanie hopes she'll move nearer to her in Birmingham, Cleo is very taken with what she sees of the retirement community of Fairhope, Alabama. Exploring the lovely shops and restaurants and meeting some very friendly residents, she falls into not only a nice place to live, but a job. Her background in social work may just be what Harbor Village needs. In Murder at Harbor Village, Cleo discovers a darker side of retirement when a dead body is found in the pool. The victim is not well liked...karma took care of that, and Cleo has found a place to retire.

A very enjoyable read. As a retired teacher myself, the idea of moving to a retirement community has been an interesting idea...but attached to murder? Only in my books! The murder mystery follows a traditional cozy formula with karma wielding some surprising justice, and there were intriguing questions about the retirement facility and its staff that seem ripe for future shenanigans. I did think that Cleo's link to the victim seemed a point overlooked, a missed opportunity for dramatic effect. Problem? No, just a personal preference. I enjoyed the first-person narrative punctuated by Cleo's mature perspective and that of many of the quirky residents. Was it just my imagination how friendly the people were to Cleo...a stranger? It worked out to create a connection quickly, but I like this to evolve realistically. G.P. Gardener's writing style is entertaining with vivid descriptions, dialogue that does well to illustrate personality, and a bit of snarky humor.

Murder at Harbor Village by G.P. Gardner is the debut novel in A Down by the Bay Mystery series. Cleo Mack has been offered a chance at early retirement from the university where she is department chair and teaches social work. Cleo decides to visit Fairhope, Alabama while trying to decide about her future. She falls in love with the picturesque town and a chance encounter with Nita Bergen helps the final pieces fall into place. Nita introduces her to Harbor Village, a retirement community, where she lives with her husband, and her circle of friends who welcome Cleo. Cleo is contacted by Jamie Barnes, Director of Assisted Living at Harbor Village, who offers her a part-time job handling resident services and Cleo works an apartment into the deal. A month later, Cleo returns to move into her new apartment and begins a new chapter of her life. The next morning, Lee Ferrell, the executive director, is found dead in the pool and Cleo finds herself in charge of Harbor Village. Travis McKenzie, Cleo’s ex-husband of twenty-three years, runs Harbor Health Services, needs fresh eyes on Harbor Village, and he feels Cleo is the right woman for the job. Something fishy is going on in this quiet community and Travis is relying on Cleo to ferret out the truth. How does is relate to Lee’s death? That is just what Cleo intends to find out.

Murder at Harbor Village is a light cozy mystery with friendly characters and a striking town. Cleo is looking forward to this new phase of her life when a murder disrupts her plans. She is suddenly thrust into an administrative roll (there goes the retirement) with a host of problems. She is shocked when she learns the victim is Travis’ new wife (makes him a good suspect). Cleo soon learns that murder is not the only mystery at Harbor Village. We are taken through Cleo’s daily tasks as she learns her new role which she handles with grace considering she has no clue what she is doing (practical knowledge goes a long way). We are introduced to numerous characters and learn the complexities of running a retirement village. I liked the author’s relaxed writing style which makes the book easy to read. The mysteries were complex and multifaceted. The suspects are limited, but I believe readers will find it challenging to identify the killer. I like how she bounces ideas off Nita, Jim, Dolly and Riley (her new circle of friends) and works with Chief Ray Boozer on solving the whodunit. The resolution relies on speculation instead of firm facts and there was an unanswered piece of the puzzle. I enjoyed reading the refreshing Murder at Harbor Village and I look forward to reading the next A Down by the Bay Mystery.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Cleo Mack is one capable and smart lady. She has been offered very early retirement and when she finds a part-time job at Harbour Village, she decides it will be a great way to retire but still feel useful. Boy, she sure gets more than she planned. After the woman who ran the senior’s village is murdered, she is enlisted by her former husband to take over the reins and figure out why the place has so many issues. She learns quickly that he has been far more involved in this entire affair, much to her chagrin, but does that include murdering his current wife...the previously mentioned victim.
It is a pretty convoluted situation with so many things off the rail that Cleo is going to need to call upon all her skills to set things right. She discovers gross mismanagement and embezzlement. Will she also be able to figure out who was the killer. It’s a good story with interesting characters and a really strong good heroine. She also inherits a feline sidekick who was abandoned by the person who lived in her apartment previously. Tinkerbelle, the calico, knows a good human when she sees one. I have to agree.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Murder at Harbor Village
By: G.P. Gardner
Published By: Kensington Books
Published On: November 13, 2018
4 Stars

While trying to decide whether or not to take an early retirement, Cleo Mack visits the small town of Fairhope, Alabama. While there, Cleo meets a handful of very nice, welcoming people. Cleo decides to visit the pier, and there she meets Nita Bergen, a local, friendly retiree. Nita sings the praises of Fairhope, along with Harbor Village where she lives. Cleos decides to take the plunge and retire and move to Fairhope.

In addition to moving to Harbor Village, Cleo is offered a part-time job. Cleo is hesitant, but decides to take it. Before she even has a chance to start her new job, the director of the facility is found dead in the Harbor Village swimming pool. Cleo suddenly finds herself thrust into the position of acting director. Cleo must not only quickly learn the ropes, but she also finds herself embroiled in the mystery surrounding the director’s death. Things are not as they seem, and around every corner Cleo finds a new question.

Right away, the author does a great job of painting a picturesque picture of Fairhope that help make the reader fall in love with it, too. Cleo describes it as St. Mary Mead without the stone walls which helps the reader get a feel for the town’s atmosphere as well. The author goes on to describe what she calls a sky cathedral. It makes me want to sit on the pier and experience it as well.

In addition to creating such as idyllic setting, the author also created some great characters. We get to meet both resident of Harbor Village and employees. Cleo’s friendship with Nita and her husband, Jim, grows as the story progresses. Jim and Nita also introduce Cleo to two of their friends, Riley and Dolly. The author seems to set the stage for a possible romance with Riley. Cleo’s relationships with her employees are a bit more complicated. There seem to be some discrepancies at Harbor Village and Cleo is not sure who to trust. She decides to put her faith in Patti, a very likable character. Cleo wonders if she could be working with a murderer.

Speaking of murder, the murder is the driving force of this story. The murder draws Cleo and her new friends closer together, and it leads her to get to know everyone at work a little better. While the murderer gets narrowed down to just a couple of likely people towards the end, the reader must still piece together the whys and the exact circumstances that led to the murder. This was a great cozy mystery that kept my interest all the way through. I hope the author writes more books in this series, as I’m looking forward to reading more.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #MurderAtHarborVillage

Cleo Mack has a decision to make about whether to take an offer of early retirement from her position as a lecturer at a university. While she's considering this, she takes a few days to visit the town of Fairhope, Alabama. Here, she meets Nancy, a friendly, chatty local who more or less convinces her that Fairhope is Utopia and that the retirement community in which she lives is ideal for Cleo as well, despite Cleo being well under 'real' retirement age.

A rather random meeting in a restaurant with the director of the above-mentioned community lands Cleo a part-time job and an apartment in the complex. This makes her decision easier, and she takes the offered early retirement, sells her house and shifts the remains of her former life to Alabama. However, when she arrives in Fairhope, she is rather taken aback that she does not have the job offered, but rather the director's job, which has been vacated rather suddenly by the same director that offered her the part-time job at the random meeting in the restaurant a few weeks earlier. Despite this unexpected development, she is actually quite good at it and makes a few wake-ups and shake-ups within the community.

She also discovers that the previous tenant of her apartment abandoned a cat when she left, and Cleo spends some time trying to discover the name of this cat while adjusting to her sweet, new four-footed roommate. The death of the Executive Director of the facility complicates matters for Cleo, particularly when she discovers that the woman was married to her ex-husband! Along with her new-found friends, Nancy, Riley and Jim, Nancy's husband, she investigates.

I found parts of it a bit unbelievable (the way she gets her job, for example, and that she wouldn't be considered a serious suspect when it's found that the murder victim was married to Cleo's ex-husband, regardless of the length of separation), and that Cleo would be allowed to live in the retirement complex when it's designated 55+ (but that possibly has something to do with the other shady dealings that are going on at the community), but overall it was a good read and I enjoyed the characters and how their relationships built.

It's also nice to see an older MC, one who has a bit more life experience behind them, in a cosy. I'll be on the lookout for the next in the series.

Murder at Harbor Village by G.P. Gardner is the first book in the Cleo Mack series. This book is a true cozy mystery without the folly found in some series. Cleo is offered early retirement by her current college employer and finds herself in Fairhope, Alabama. She stumbles into a new job at a retirement community, Harbor Village. It seems like the perfect place until the body of the director is found in the community pool. Cleo gets promoted to the director position and inherits the mess left by the former director. She sets out to do a bit of investigation of the murder and of the problems with the community. I loved that this book had everything needed for a cozy mystery (life change, adorable pet, mystery) without the silliness that can be found in some cozy mysteries. Cleo is an intelligent woman and has a great cast of supporting characters. The premise of how things fall into place is a slight stretch, but it was not enough to make me dislike the book. I would describe this as a mature cozy mystery, and I am already looking forward to the next book!

Cleo Mack decides to take early retirement from her position as a Social Work professor and chooses to settle at Harbor Village retirement community where she will get a reduced rent on an apartment by working part-time. After moving in, she is placed in an awkward situation when the Executive Director is discovered murdered. It turns out that the victim was the current wife of her Ex and that he is in control of the Corporation that runs the community. He now wants Cleo to take over and find out what happened.

The story was fun (reminding me a great deal of the Assisted Living facility where my Mom is) and how that characters interacted. Nice start.

This is the first in a new series. Cleo Mack visits the town of Fairhope and likes it so much she moves there. Then she gets offered a new job in a retirement village. Then a cat adopts her.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read the next book. A great mystery.

Murder at Harbor Village is a debut of a new cozy mystery series. I loved the characters in the story. they are well developed and their story flows with a very good writing style. The plot kept me reading and enjoying the mystery. I look forward to the next book in the series. thanks to netgalley for the arc in exchange for this honest review.

This was a quick fun read. I enjoyed it very much. It was a good book and I would recommend it to others. I look forward to more in this series.

Ahh, another day and another wonderful first new book of a series. I love first books in a series more than anything and this one was by far one of the best! Cleo is new in Fairhope and she is feeling the vibes of her retirement until the murder. Now she is in charge of the activities and things get fun.

I really loved the setting of this mystery, it was fun and pleasant to think about. I really love the charm to the community and all the community members. It is a hoot to read and you will have many chuckles and smiles. I think it is a great way to start the newest series in the cozy world, that many will love!

G.P. Gardner's Murder at Harbor Village features a quaint, idyllic coastal setting that is sure to appeal to fans of Lea Wait's A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series and Eva Gates' Lighthouse Library Mystery series.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading other books by this great author.

Cleo Mack hadn’t expected to retire just yet, but when she is pushed into early retirement, she accepts. Cleo visits the town of Fairhope in Alabama and immediately chooses that town to call her new home.

The people of Fairhope are super nice, especially those living in the Harbor Village retirement community. Her retirement seems to be short-lived when she is offered a position in Harbor Village and she jumps at the chance. Things, however, take a nasty turn when she discovers a dead body in the pool. It turns out to be her new boss and the director of the community. Cleo is made acting director until the murderer can be found.

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series. The first part of the book felt like an introduction into the series and characters. It took some time for me to get into, but about halfway through, the murder mystery picked up.

Things came a bit too easy for Cleo as she makes friends immediately and gets a good job without even looking for one. It’s a case of “ if it looks too good to be true, it usually is”. In this case, she has to deal with murder and a retirement community with huge problems. Not exactly how I would want to spend my retirement. LOL

Overall, I liked the characters. Cleo is a strong character and she meets a few quirky residents of Harbor Village that can be fun. I didn’t particularly like Cleo’s adult daughter. She seemed to want to take over Cleo’s life. Cleo isn’t even fifty yet and is perfectly capable of making her own decisions.

The mystery is a puzzle with Cleo trying to figure out how it all fit together. I tried to help her, but I was all over the place with theories :) Besides the murder, there is obviously quite a bit of mystery surrounding the retirement community and its staff. Cleo needs to sort through all of it and get everything into place. She has her work cut out for her to right this ship.

This series has the potential to be a good one. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

This is a delightful debut of a brand new cozy series that I hope will become a long running series as this first in series is already one of my favorite new cozy series of 2018. The author has all the right elements for the perfect cozy series. I was thrilled that the author wrote of a retirement age protagonist as that is not often found in cozy series and so appreciated by us "older readers". Right away I found so much to like about this series ! The setting, charcters and sleuth are enjoyable, believable and fun to read about.

Murder at Harbor Village is the debut of a new series set in the small town of Fairhope, Alabama.
Cleo Mack is a retired social worker, just getting settled into her new town and looking for a position she enjoys for fun. Cleo is offered a part-time position as director at Harbor Village Retirement village and an apartment in the complex. However life is far from idyllic as her ex husbands wife is found dead in the complex . Soon Cleo is on the case working with the local police and proving to be a excellent investigator. She soon is finding clues with the help of the community and even making friends. as she finds she enjoys life in her new town and being part of a retirement community.
This was a fun and well crafted cozy with a great sleuth and lots of evidence for clues for the reader. This was a good start to a new series. Thank you to the publisher and author for the advance review copy . I highly recommend this book for all cozy readers who enjoy a smart savvy protagonist that is skilled at solving a murder. The opinion is my own.

Cleo Mack is weighing possibilities of an early retirement when she discovers Fairhope, a beautiful iconic Alabama coastal town, and is almost immediately drawn in by friendly local Nita Bergen, a resident at Harbor Village. The same fact-finding day she runs into Jaime, also of the senior community, who offers her a part-time position as Resident Services Manager along with an apartment.

Cleo is sold, quickly clears her desk at the university where she formerly taught and accepts Apartment No. 8 keys at Harbor Village. Before she can fully settle into her cozy little apartment, however, the corporate bigwig, Lee, whom she met only briefly, is discovered in the pool--dead--and is determined to have been murdered.

Jaime is immediately "kicked upstairs," off to another complex, leaving Cleo thrust into the unlikely position of Executive Administrator in Jaime's place. It doesn't take long before Cleo begins to discover there are a lot of problems just under the surface of what appeared an idyllic situation. Along with realizing the enormity of her employment situation, she has inherited the resident cat, a calico, who decided it was time he came home to inspect the new occupant.

Cleo is further shocked that her ex, Travis McKenzie, is part owner of the complex and Lee was his new bride. There is a whole host of interesting and colorful support characters, and I loved the author's sense of humor in naming them...Patti (Wagon), Police Chief Boozer. The quest to discover the name of the feline provided a sweet sub-plot as well.

The logistical plan for fact-finding worked seamlessly into the subtle search for the antagonist and the conclusion weaved in a restrained and delicate delivery. I received this ebook download by the publisher and NetGalley and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. This is a first in the series and sets a promising stage for some delightful retirement community adventures. I'm interested in seeing these characters grow (particularly Patti). Recommended for those who enjoy a cozy mystery, beautiful geographic setting, and cantankerous and quirky characters. 3.5/5

Murder at Harbor Village is the 1st book in the Cleo Mack mystery series, and a very enjoyable book. Cleo Mack is offered early retirement from her position as a social work professor and travels to Fairhope, Alabama. When Cleo arrives to town, she falls in love with Fairhope and quickly makes friends, gets a job, and a place to live. When an unpopular director of the senior center is found dead in the pool, Cleo is offered the director's job, and she is determined to find out the truth. I really enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.