Cleo Mack isn't yet 55 but her teaching position (social work) has come to a cross roads for her. Does she stay on or take a very generous offer at early retirement? She has just one month to decide. On her way to visit her daughter, son-in-law and grandson, she decides to stop for three days in the charming coastal town of Fairhope. Her first impression is "It's St. Mary Mead come to life". Little does she know that, just like St. Mary Mead, homicide is part of the "village" fiber.
She makes a friend the day she arrives and one thing leads to another, more friends are added and, before she knows it, she has retired and moved into Harbor Village. They make her a deal that will allow her to work 20 hours and it comes with an apartment. Unfortunately a dead body in the pool becomes part of the deal and, in a major coincidence, the dead woman was the current wife of Cleo's very long ago ex husband. The last thing Cleo needs is that complication because now she is doing the job that had been held by the dead woman. There are strange things going on in Harbor Village and, with the help of her new friends, she investigates.
I loved the setting and I had no trouble believing that Cleo would feel the urge to stay. Sometimes you just know when something is right. The friends she makes are well developed and quirky. Yes, it is a bit of a stretch that the ex-husband is front and center in her life after a 20 year gap but, hey, this is fiction and it's allowed. The mystery worked, too and I have added this new series to my to be read list. Cleo will return for another mystery June 4, 2019 - Murder at Royal Court.

Murder at Harbor Village by GP Gardner is a debut novel in a new mystery series and it definitely shows promise.

When Cleo decided to retire she goes on a vacation to the little picturesque town where she is introduced to a retirement community and few lovely people that she takes to immediately. Having been offered a job has sealed the deal.
Unfortunately, as soon as she moves in unthinkable happens and someone ends up murdered.
When her ex husband asks her to help, she decides to give it a go, cooperating with the local police.

I really enjoyed reading about Cleo"s adventures although I felt that at moments things seems slightly too pat.
I liked that she discussed the case with her new friends, that there were enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.
Style of writing in uncomplicated making it easy to read and enjoy.
All in all a very good start of a new series.

A pleasant start to an interesting series. I look forward to learning more about the village, its inhabitants, and especially Cleo.

Murder at Harbor Village is the debut of a new series set in the small town of Fairhope, Alabama. Cleo Mack is considering taking retirement after being offered an incentive, but she is still too young to retire and is not sure if she can handle it financially. She is a social worker, but has recently been teaching at the University. She is in town looking to see if she wants to move to the small town, close to her daughter and her family. Shortly after arriving in town, Cleo meets a resident of the retirement community, Harbor Village. As well, she meets the director of the village at a coffee shop. After a conversation, she is offered a part-time position as resident director at Harbor Village and an apartment in the complex. When the Director of the facility is found floating in the pool dead, a strange set of circumstances is set into motion. It's also a shock for Cleo to learn that the unlikable lady is also the current wife of her estranged ex husband. Cleo is named Acting Director and works with the police to help solve the murder. Cleo soon discovers that things inside the idyllic community are not what they seem.

This was a fun and interesting cozy with a couple of mysteries that tie together in the end. There was a lot of questionable circumstances, especially surrounding how Cleo got her job, but it is fiction. The culprit was pretty easy to figure out, but it was finding the evidence and being able to determine who was involved that kept the story going. I enjoyed most of the characters, but especially Patti. It will be nice to see her continue to develop in future books. This was a good start to a new series, and I am looking forward to seeing where G.P. Garner goes with these characters in her next book. The publisher, Lyrical Underground, generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

A very good debut for a new series. The plot is enganging and enjoyable, the cast of characters is lovely and the book never bores.
I loved Cleo, the heroine, and Nita even if the entire cast of characters is well written.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

When there is a Murder at Harbor Village, everyone is a suspect in this new cozy mystery series.

Cleo Mack is offered a golden parachute to retire early from her Social Work professorship at an Atlanta university. She decides to move to Fairhope Alabama, recognized as one of the best retirement towns. Cleo quickly gets a job and apartment in Harbor Village, a retirement community.

The weekend before starting her new job the little seen corporate bigwig, Lee, is found dead of apparent drowning in the resident’s indoor pool. Cleo is surprised to learn that her long ago ex-husband, Travis, married Lee a month earlier. When Lee’s sister, Jamie, leaves her Director job the day after the murder, Cleo is made acting Director.

Police Chief Boozer soon discovers that Lee was bludgened to death. As the one to benefit the most by inheriting his wife’s considerably wealth, Travis is suspect number one. Cleo decides to investigate to clear Travis’ name.

The characters in Murder at Harbor Village were genuine. Cleo would make a good friend—helpful and intelligent. However, I found it difficult to get over the many unbelievably coincidences in the novel. Cleo kept meeting random strangers in Fairhope that all had a connection to Harbor Village. Her new boss married her ex only a month earlier? Still I liked the characters enough to read the next in the series, Murder at Royale Court, coming out in June 2019. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, Lyrical Underground, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cleo Mack is an almost early retiree who by chance finds herself with a new home and job but it turns out if wasn't all by chance. By the time she starts her new job one employee has been murdered and two have left leaving Cleo with a promotion and on her own to figure out her new position. What she finds out entails a lot more than just job facts.

At first this story seemed a little disjointed but it soon become clear it was all relevant information and it came together nicely. This is the first book in a new series and I look forward to reading the next one to see how the characters develop.

Having never read anything by this author, I was eager to check out Murder at Harbor Village. In this book, college professor Cleo decides to accept an early retirement offer after visiting, and opting to move to, the resort town of Fairhope. Through a series of events she quickly finds an apartment and a job... along with a mystery. In her new senior living community, a woman is found dead, a boatload of business problems have been discovered, and Cleo must learn who she can trust to get everything going in the right direction again.

I really enjoyed this book. The heroine that Gardner has created is strong and mature. Cleo has a good head on her shoulders, and easily connects with others. I appreciated the fact that while she was brave and willing to step out of her comfort zone, she didn't take all manner of unnecessary risk as do some amateur sleuths I've encountered, and didn't need her law enforcement love interest to come rescue her at the last moment! She seemed like the kind of woman you would love to befriend.

The story was interesting and had enough characters that you were kept guessing as to just what had happened. The final reveal seemed to be less a point of focus, with the narrative centering more around relationships. I hope that the series continues, and I'd certainly like to learn more about Cleo and her friends and see what adventures come next.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for a complimentary review copy of this title.

.Review of MURDER AT HARBOR VILLAGE

No moss grows on Cleo Mack, Professor and Department Chair at an Atlanta University. Inexplicably offered early retirement (she's not yet 50), impulsively she decides to take it, and sells her home, moving to a condo and an onsite job at a Seniors community in scenic Fairhope, Alabama. All is working out well, until somebody is murdered, marring the peace of the community and Fairhope's claim as “the nicest town in the world.” Now Cleo has an unexpected promotion, but she must be careful she won't be next to go.

Author G. R. Gardner provides a clever and sparkly amateur sleuth and a heartwarming community.

Cleo has been offered early retirement at her job. She's looking for a place to live and happens on to another job opportunity. While she's thinking about it, the manager of the facility gets murdered...

Lyrical Underground and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published November 13th.

Lee was not well-liked, so there's no end of suspects. What surprises Cleo most is to find out the dead woman was her ex-husband's new wife. She'd rather not talk to him. After all, they've been divorced for more than twenty years. However, he owns the franchise and she has no choice. He asks her to fill in temporarily as an interim manager. She agrees, but things aren't what they seem...

The first thing she finds is embezzlement and it's not for a small amount. As she traces down the culprit, she finds other discrepancies. The deeper she digs, the more things she finds wrong. But she hasn't found the killer yet...

I enjoyed the characters, the mystery was good, and Cleo might even be finding a new romance interest. I enjoyed it, why don't you give it a try?

Murder at the Retirement Village
This is a fun and cozy mystery with a retirement community as the backdrop. The plot is great with lots of suspects and strange happenings. All of the characters could be people from your hometown. I think that this will be a great series. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.

Loved this well written murder mystery. A good plot and cast of quirky characters kept me engrossed until the ending. Mystery fans will love this book.

As Cleo Mack is debating over taking an early retirement opportunity from her job as a professor of social work she decides to take a few days to stay in Fairhope, Alabama. As Cleo is exploring the small town and it’s charm she meets a few residents that direct her over to the retirement community which Cleo immediately adores.

Looking into becoming a resident even though she’s not quite of age yet Cleo ends up meeting with the director who offers her a part time job thus eliminating another of Cleo’s worries. Before Cleo even settles in though a murder takes place and she finds herself handed the reigns of the whole facility with a murder to solve on top of the new duties.

Murder at Harbor Village by G.P. Gardner is the first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring an older protagonist. This one so far has a lot of glowing reviews but I find myself with a few doubts when done with this one. One big thing for me as a reader is this one wasn’t the over the top quirky/comical I enjoy the most but that is simply a matter of taste.

However, what I did find in this book that was a bit over the top was the believability factor of Cleo’s story. We have a character arriving in a random town to think about retiring suddenly being handed a job she did not look or apply for along with a place to stay. Then to go even further she’s handed the director position and running the whole establishment within days instead of becoming a suspect when it’s found that by total coincidence her ex is married to the victim. Really? Of all the towns in all the world….

So needless to say the set up of how Cleo comes to the community didn’t sit quite right with me although I did like her as a character. I also did enjoy the idea behind why the murder happened and think that was the more believable side of the story although it might have also benefited from a few more suspects. In the end though I think this setting and character have potential if the coincidences are toned back in the future and I’d rate this one at 3.5 stars for now.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, women-sleuths, embezzling, murder, law-enforcement, retirement-community

After being encouraged to take early retirement, Social Work professor Cleo discovers a lovely small town on Alabama's gulf coast, meets some kind and interesting people, and makes fortuitous decisions. Despite Harbor Village's label as being for *old folks*, she decides to live there and work there part time. Good thing, too! There are some oddities which turn out to be a lot more than they seem once her job changes after a murder is discovered. There's a lot more to the story and a whole cast of real characters, but that would get into the spoiler thing. I totally enjoyed reading it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Disclaimers--I am a retired RN and have worked in a similar setting, I was disturbed that the drug theft was not given suitable attention since it was included in the story; my daughter is an LMSW; and I dislike cats because of allergies.

Murder at Harbor Village is the first book in what I hope will become a new series written by G. P. Gardner. The author has provided great background information for the venue, the storyline is well plotted, and the diverse cast of characters is well developed. This quick-paced whodunit is an easy to read cozy with an interesting murder mystery, some colorful and quirky characters, lots of potential suspects, and twists and turns to keep readers engaged. I’m looking forward to reading future books by this author.

Cleo Mack is a widow and a professor at an Atlanta university. She has a close relationship with her daughter, Stephanie, who lives in Birmingham with her husband, Boyd, and their young son, Barry, but is estranged from her ex-husband, Travis McKenzie. While on her way to visit her daughter, Cleo plans to spend a few days in Fairhope, Alabama while she contemplates accepting the early retirement package the university recently offered her. Cleo meets Nita Bergen, a resident of Harbor Village Retirement Center, in Fairhope. She quickly becomes friends with Nita, her husband, Jim, Dolly Webb, and Riley Meddors. Things move rather quickly, and Cleo accepts a part-time position handling resident services at Harbor Village and rents an apartment in one of their buildings. When Lee Ferrell, Harbor Village’s Executive Director, is found lifeless in the outdoor swimming pool, foul play is suspected. Chief Boozer, and one of his officers, Mary Montgomery, begin their investigation, and it turns out that Cleo has some surprising connections to some of the players that she was unaware of. Cleo becomes the retirement community’s Acting Executive Director and, with little or no direction, she familiarizes herself with the community, staff members, and residents and dives in to identify and fix the various problems she discovers. Most of the staff is receptive to her presence and the changes she wants to incorporate at Harbor Village. She’s also determined to find out what happened to Lee, and with the help of some staff members and residents, adds the title of amateur sleuth to her resume.

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

A nice start to a new series featuring, ahem, mature characters! The last thing Cleo expects when she moves to Harbor Village is to find her ex- husband's current wife Lee working there. AND< she really doesn't expect Lee to be found dead in the pool and to be offered her job. Every small town has it's secrets and the same is true here. People didn't like Lee but who wanted her dead? Hmmm. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a nice set up- Cleo settles in and meets people (and gets a cat!)- and hopefully we'll see more of her.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character is fantastic and the supporting characters are believable and fun to read about. The murder case is just enough but not too disturbing. I really like the author's writing style and I'm happy I came across this book. I really look forward to the next!

This new series is off to a great start with this brand new cozy mystery by G. P. Gardner. The book is filled with characters I got to know and enjoyed reading about. The author definitely has the ability to bring life to the scenery and people in her story. I look forward to visiting Harbor Village again in future books.

Cozy mystery lovers will be thrilled by the plot that is easy to follow and clues that narrow down the suspects a bit at a time. There are some surprises along the way as well as twists and turns that kept me on my toes. Not all the characters are nice, and not all of them are what they at first appear to be.

Moreover, this cozy mystery will be valued by those of us who are tired of the profanity and sex scenes that are creeping into all fiction these days. I am thrilled to say the author didn’t feel the need to add anything of the sort. I highly recommend this book.

This first in a new series starting Cleo Mack, debating retirement in a coastal town of Fairhope, Alabam. She's visiting, debating what her next step is for herself and if she should relocate. She begins talking with the locals and before she knows it, she's got a job offer to work and live at a retirement property. Cleo barely gets through her first day and there's a dead body in the pool (and a couple of employees playing hooky or MIA).. Is it happenstance or homicide? And there's missing drugs in the nursing unit that needs to be investigated.
Cleo finds herself stepping into the executive role, trying to keep things running while the police conduct their investigation.. Next, she finds the deceased is the new wife of her ex-husband. And it goes from there.
I enjoyed this story because Cleo is so business focused and task cocused between her relocation and new job role, that I learned several things reading what she went through each of her days. She had to be in the rental/real estate aspect of it, resident services, assisted living, while still taking care of customers. Cleo handled it with grace under fire. I think there will be more adventures at Harbor Village that do not disappoint!
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

A new author for me and the first in a new series. A lovely cozy mystery that captivated me from the first chapter.

Cleo Mack has taken early retirement and moved to in Fairhope, Alabama. The town is friendly as most are newcomers. There is a retirement village called Harbor Village. Cleo excepted a part-time position in the area as activity director.
While moving into an apartment Cleo learns that her ex-husband is the CEO of the corporation who owns the community. His current wife, Lee is the director. Cleo hadn't met or talk to him in over 20 years. Then Lee is found drowned in the pool...murdered.
Cleo is named acting director and she is not given any directions of how to run the department.

Its nice this is set in a retirement community, that is a new setting for me. enjoyable.