Cleo Mack is a young widow in Alabama who is offered early retirement from her teaching job at a university. While she's still deciding - her daughter wants her to move to Birmingham - she stops off in Fairhope and immediately falls in love with the town. Then she meets an older woman who tells her how nice her retirement community is; and a younger woman who is an RN at the same facility, and she makes the decision then and there to call Fairhope home.

When she's offered a job at the facility the next day, she's surprised but accepts. Then someone is murdered and she's offered the job of Executive Director - which she agrees to take on a temporary basis only. Soon enough she finds out that there's more to the story, and as circumstances will have it, that there's also a very real reason she was offered the job...

I honestly wanted to love this book. It's a mystery, which I love, and the cover was enticing. However, there were too many unnecessary details, which seemed like the author only wanted to get her 'word count' up enough to get it published. Things like, "I added some chocolate covered almonds and put the snacks into a plastic bag from the grocery store." Do we really need to know it was a 'plastic bag from the grocery store'? Or about all the snacks? Then there were conversations (and thoughts in her head), things like asking where the detergent is, the bed linens, where to put the modem, etc. These are all superfluous and too much like the things we do in our ordinary life. We know they need to be done; we don't need to hear Every Single Detail. Even to putting the iron on the shelf in the laundry room. Did we think it would be on the coffee table instead?

But then it explains why Cleo - in her 40's - would want to move into a retirement community and hang out with people in their 80's playing dominoes. Who would do that? Isn't that like a teenager wanting to hang around with people in their 40's? I can't see how anyone would think this was normal behavior. It's nice that she's friends with the residents; but they shouldn't be her only source of a social life if they think playing dominoes, eating sandwiches and going to bed at 8 pm is a fun night. (I also can't see someone owning two cats and just leaving one to fend for herself while taking the other with her. I'm a cat owner, and I would never do anything like this.)

So while the first half of the book was really strange and didn't make any sense, the second half picked up a bit and it got interesting. I enjoyed reading about how Cleo was actually taking charge of everything and figuring out what was going on; it brought the book to a nice pace. The writing was done very well, and the descriptions of the harbor area were lovely; I do believe this author has potential.

Although I never felt that Cleo was threatened in any way or in danger of any kind, and I felt the circumstances surrounding the murder was rather 'mild' to put it, it was still a decent start for a first book, and I hope to see this author hone her skills and improve over time. I'd like to see less mundane details and more teeth in the series. All in all, not a bad beginning for a new series and I will read the next.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book being at a retirement community and that the newest resident, Cleo, ends up being the person who gets involved in solving the mystery. This was well-written with a spunky main character and the minor characters seems to fill in the traits missing in her own character, definitely a plus on the author's end - the character's seems to fit together wonderfully.

It's a small world, but even smaller in the cozy genre - Cleo is debating on early retirement, but comes to Fairhope and falls in love with the town and the people. She decides to move and accepts (reluctantly) a part-time working in the community in which she now resides,known as Harbor Village. Her daughter tells Cleo about her father, Travis (Cleo's ex-husband) getting married and guess who the murder victim ends up being? None other than Travis' new bride and owner of Harbor Village! Cleo has to set out and prove that Travis isn't the killer, but in this community people are not all what they seem. 4 stars.

#netgalley, #harborvillage #GPGardner

Murder at Harbor Village is the debut of a new series set in the small town of Fairhope, Alabama and featuring recent retiree Cleo Mack. Having been prodded into early retirement from her position as a social worker, Cleo is looking for a new place to settle down and call home. On her way to visit her daughter, Cleo decides to spend a few nights in Fairhope.

Shortly upon arrival, Cleo meets a resident of the retirement community, Harbor Village. In a weird twist of events, she is offered a part time position and a full time apartment. Walking home from dinner with her visiting daughter and grandson, they see the Senior director sitting in the lobby, much to their surprise she is discovered floating in the pool the next morning. It's really a shock for Cleo to learn that the unlikable lady is also the current wife of her estranged ex husband.

Named as Acting Director, Cleo sets out with the help of a few of the Senior residents and staff members to find out who hated the woman enough to kill her. Cleo soon discovers that things inside the idyllic community are a lot darker under the surface - someone is stealing drugs and medications from the residents, there are squatters living in some of the vacant apartments, someone is manipulating the financial reports, and a few of the Seniors exhibit very odd behavior.

A fast paced plot that will keep your interest. The whodunit is easily identifiable, the circumstances surrounding Cleo's involvement in Harbor Village are a little unbelievable, and her immediate acceptance into the community is a little quick, so this cozy set in a retirement village might not be for everyone but I think there is a potential for many future adventures with Cleo and the residents of Harbor Village.

I received an advanced copy of Murder at Harbor Village from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground, a division of Kensington Books. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

This book sounded promising but I was left disappointed. Although I enjoyed the characters, I found I easily solved the whodunit and why early on.
The protagonist’s story of how she ended up in Harbor Village, subsequent employment and fast fitting in with everyone did feel unrealistic.
I would possibly read the next one in the series but it would not be high on to to be read list.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I enjoyed reading this book. This is the first book I've read by this author. The characters are well developed and likable. Cleo is the main character is a nice strong, thinking character. The other characters are a good backup and I could picture running into people like them. The mystery was interesting and the tie into to Cleo's past life was a nice touch.

All in all a very good cozy.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. - I look forward to more by this author.

Cleo takes early retirement and begins what she hopes is a part-time job at a retirement village on the Alabama coast. She's immediately befriended by some of the residents, but soon becomes more involved than she intended upon the sudden death of the manager of the village. It turns out her ex-husband was married to that manager and asks Cleo to take on the full time job of managing the village. Part of her job is finding irregularities in the administration that may lead to the woman's killer.

The book has several interesting characters, but it's rather obvious from the start which ones are involved in the murder. But, it was a good read, in part, due to the subplots relating to Cleo's adjustment to retirement, as well as her adoption of a cat who was left behind by a previous resident. I enjoyed the book, and wonder if there will be additional episodes in this series!

I found this title at first to be a little hard to dig my teeth into, but I am glad I stuck with it. The setting and characters are completely charming. The story was hard to get into at first, but hopefully as the series gets it stride it will improve.

Cleo takes early retirement from her job as a Professor and falls in love with Fairhope Alabama. A chance meeting leads her to Harbor Village where she starts a new job and meets an eclectic bunch of retirees. A dead body is found in the pool and Cleo is promoted and finds out she's connected to the victim.

With the help of the retirees Cleo does some sleuthing and finds all sorts of problems with the care home. A fun cast of characters and an easy to read cosy mystery.

Murder at Harbor Village was a lovely cozy mystery that captivated me from the first chapter.

I enjoyed meeting Cleo Mack and the other residents of Harbor Village in Fairhope, AL. Cleo has recently retired from her position at a university and fell in love with Fairhope while visiting. She knew that she was too "young" to retire; but the retirement offer was too good to pass up. Then a chance meeting led to a job offer and her decision was made. No sooner had she moved in than the murder occurred and Cleo's adventure began. There were several twists, both personally and professionally for Cleo, in this quickly paced plot. Other residents that live in Harbor Village are diverse and some are quirky but all seem to be likable. I look forward to visiting again and hope the next book is released soon.

An early retirement, a big move, an unexpected job offer and a murder. What a life changing pile of events. Some nosy neighbors too. The senior living center was full of drama on every level. The story was full of interesting characters with plenty of plot activity. I thought the book was well done but makes me leery of ever needing senior care. The lesson was clear that the village is only as good as the people running it. Thank goodness change was in the air. This was a good story.

Sometimes you come across a light and fun mystery that is both charming and a breath of fresh air in the genre. Murder at Harbor Village is one of those books. Cleo relocates to Fairhope, Alabama upon taking an early retirement from her job at a university. She takes a live-in part-time position at Fair Harbor, a 55+ community where there are plenty of fun things to do and pleasant people to meet. But Cleo soon discovers that all is not as idyllic as it seems on the surface when the Director of Senior Living is found lifeless in the pool and foul play is suspected. Cleo is thrust into the vacated position and soon finds out that the former director had a few things in common with Cleo’s own past.

This is a charming new addition to the world of cozy mysteries. Cleo Mack, a college professor, is offered early retirement and chooses to settle in the town of Fairhope, Alabama right on Mobile Bay. When she first goes to investigate the area she meets some local people who help her find an apartment in a lovely senior citizens complex as well as a job there as director of resident services. But as soon as she arrives and moves in, the executive director of the facility is murdered and Cleo finds out the she was married to her own ex-husband who becomes a major suspect. Cleo takes over the executive director job and finds herself embroiled in not just murder but embezzlement and stolen drugs as well. But with her intelligence the help of her new friends she is able to get both the investigation and the job done. The writing is well paced, the dialog is authentic and it was hard to put this book down!

This is a wonderful new addition to the ranks of cozy mysteries. Cleo Mack is an intelligent, resourceful woman who has just taken early retirement from her job as a university professor and moved to a retirement community in Fair Harbor, Alabama. Through a chance meeting at a restaurant she gets a part time job as Director of Resident Services, but before she can even begin work the Executive Director, Lee Ferrell, is found dead in the swimming pool, she finds out that Lee was the wife of her Travis, own ex-husband and Cleo is thrust into the head job by Travis. There are several issues to be resolved within the retirement community and between that and figuring out what happened to Lee, Cleo has her hands full. This is a delightful story with great characters and an interesting glimpse of what life is like in a retirement village. I will definitely be back for more.

Murder at Harbor Village is the first book I've read by this author.
I was intrigued by the cover and the description, and once I began reading, the story drew me in and kept me there until the very end.
Cleo Mack is a great character and I'm looking forward to get to know her.
This story is full of twists and, a nasty murder and some shady dealings going on at an assisted living facility.
The supporting characters are fun and colorful, adding excitement to the story.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.