A ghost, secrets and murder all come together to make A Death at Tippitt Pond a fascinating, twisty and gently edgy novel.

Synopsis:
Secrets long buried surround the murder of teenage Melanie Tippitt. The daughter of a wealthy family in a small town, her lifeless body was found floating in Tippitt Pond in the summer of 1971. Six people were there that day, and one was convicted of her murder. Case closed.
Now, forty-five years later, Beth Russell, a freelance researcher and genealogist, is brought to the town by a lawyer who believes Russell is the daughter of Melanie Tippitt and long-lost heir to the Tippitt fortune. Soon Beth finds herself surrounded by people who want her gone as soon as possible, people with a great deal to lose. The more they push, the more determined Beth is to discover the truth. With the help of a handsome detective, Beth vows to uncover what happened that day at Tippitt Pond.

I'm not certain how this is classified but it feels like a cozy mystery.

Beth is trying to figure out who killed her mother and makes all kinds of crazy, reckless and dangerous decisions.

The story started so good that I thought I would count this as a real hidden gem. But alas, as the story unfolded, I became less enthusiastic. A ghost that warns of harm but too late to do anything about it and relentlessly do anything else. Characters who make a statement that therapy aren't doing something and then two sentences late day they are going to do it. The dialogue between characters was simple and uninteresting

The good news, it did tie up nicely in the end and the main character was very likable.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this read in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. It was my first read from this author and I will look for other books from her.

Researcher Beth is surprised to be called to the town of Sweet Iron and declared the heiress to the family home and a large estate. When Beth’s identify is confirmed she is surprised to learn her birth parents were Melanie and Brian. Not really satisfied that burn murdered her mother at Tippitt Pond, Beth begins to investigate. It seems there was a conspiracy between her mother’s “friends” to cover up the truth, With the help of some new acquaintances....Beth is determined to find the truth.

Will she unravel the mystery? Is Brian still alive? Will Beth decide to stay in Sweet Iron or return to her safe live in New York?

A Death at Tippitt Pond is the first book in a new amateur sleuth mystery series by Susan Van Kirk. Released 15th June 2019 by Encircle, it's 196 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

I really enjoy amateur sleuth series, especially featuring researchers/reporters/librarians, etc, researching and solving cold-cases which have repercussions into the present day. It's a wonderful setup premise with potential for all sorts of skulduggery and scandal. If that sounds oddly specific, it's because it's almost a sub-genre itself. Because of the historical aspects of the original crimes, the author has an automatic boost in the suspension of disbelief from readers because it's almost certainly not an ongoing investigation from law enforcement who get testy when amateurs horn in on their business.

Main character researcher and genealogist Beth is thrust into a world and family she didn't know existed almost literally overnight. She's the niece and last heir of a sizeable family fortune. From the start, she's fascinated and determined to find out more about the other family she never knew she had. Her birth mother died tragically young more than 40 years ago, her father was accused and convicted of culpability in the murder. When she starts actively seeking the truth surrounding the circumstances of her mother's death, she finds out that there are still people who are most anxious that the past stay firmly buried.

Possibly triggering themes of anxiety and abandonment, adoption, etc. The language is quite clean with only a scattered few 'damns' and nothing worse. There's a slowly developing relationship with the local handsome detective, but it's chaste.

The writing and plotting are very well done and the author has a natural and readable voice in her narration. The dialogue is well done and believable. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. This would make an excellent book club read. I would also recommend it to fans of the genre. Well written and enjoyable.

Four stars.

I don’t know how I waited so long to read this book. It’s an easy read- but a good one. Full of intrigue and messy small town politics. I could hardly put it down once I started, and finished it in one day. 5 stars!

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

The author's writing style is not to my taste. Transitioning between first person and third person, even with so many 'Beth thought's to show clearly which parts are happening in her head, just makes the book pretty messy and a chore to read. The plot, however, seems fairly intriguing. I would have loved to read on if it's written better.

I stopped reading halfway through chapter three. This is written based on the ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley.

If you are going to have a surprise inheritance make it a big one! The house sounded wonderful and full of history. This book has a good mystery and lots of surprise twists. The hint of a budding romance was a nice touch. The book was well done and held my interest. I liked it.

A Death At Tippitt Pond drew me in just from looking at the cover and it did not disappoint(such a page-turner!). I love the story and how the author kept me guessing right up until the very end. I had a hard time putting it down! i loved how each character came to life as i read it. I would recommend it to anyone. I am hoping there are more books to follow this one as it would make a great series. Keep up the good work Van Kirk I cant wait to see what you come up with next!

5 stars

Elizabeth “Beth” Russell, researcher extraordinaire, receives a letter from an attorney stating that she might be the daughter of Melanie Tippitt who was murdered when she was nineteen. She was murdered by her boyfriend – supposedly. He served fifteen years for the murder after having pled guilty.

A DNA test proves that she is Melanie's daughter. Why didn't her adoptive parents ever tell her that she was adopted? Beth thus learns that she is the last surviving member of the extremely wealthy Tippitt family.

Beth begins to ask questions and meets some of the people who were at Tippitt Pond the day Melanie was killed. Being a researcher in her New York life, she can hardly help herself. She has to look into the murder, the history of the town and the mansion she now owns.

She learns that there is a group of people who want her to leave town – like right now. They are the same people who were with Melanie on the day of her death. What are they hiding? Could it be that her father, Brian Nash really was innocent of Melanie's murder?

This is a remarkably well written and plotted novel. It is written in a linear fashion; one event follows another in a logical manner. The protagonists are very likeable, and the antagonists are thoroughly despicable. I like the hint of a budding relationship that Ms. Van Kirk put into the story between Beth and police detective Kyle. It was written well and was not too much. (Please no romance novels - /shiver.) The book is nicely paced and very relaxing to read. It reads quickly. This is my first Susan Van Kirk novel, and I immediately went to Amazon to look for others of her books. I would love to read more about Beth Russell Ms. Van Kirk...please?

I want to thank NetGalley and Encircle Publications LLC for forwarding to me a copy of this most excellent book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book! Probably one of the better ones I have read lately. All the characters were very likable and the story and mystery were very well written. I loved the small town setting and secrets that they hold. Would definitely recommend. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

A moving story of what you think you want and getting thrown a curve ball that shows you what is really important. A woman who finds out she was adopted and her biological mother was murdered at 19, supposedly by her biological father. Inherited the house her mother grew up in and decided she should look into the matter.

A quite enjoyable and entertaining book.
i liked the plot and the characters.
I think that some good editing could really improve this book because there's a lot of potential.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

It is believed that Beth Russell, a freelance researcher and genealogist, could be the long-lost daughter of Melanie Tippitt and heir to the Tippitt fortune. Beth believes that a mistake has been made as she has never heard of Melanie Tippitt. Her parents are deceased, but she has a birth certificate to prove who she really is…or does she? Upon submitting to a DNA analysis, it is proven that she is indeed the daughter of Melanie who was murdered many years ago. Her biological father is in prison for the murder. As she moves in to the Tippitt family home, it seems that people are anxious for her to sell and move back to New York. As Beth searches through the family home, she is determined to discover what happened all those years ago and why Melanie was murdered. Could she be in danger? Although an intriguing plot, the many long descriptive paragraphs seemed to slow the pace of the story and made it less enjoyable (for me) to read. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.