What starts as an organizing job at a beautiful coastal resort in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California turns into a nightmare for Maggie McDonald and her family. Grad student Jake Peterson loved to fly and was meticulous about safety. When the boys reach him he is mumbling something they cannot understand and they call for EMS to airlift off the dune. When he dies at the hospital, everyone thinks it is an accident. Jake's parents, grieving his death, lash out the boys and try to blame them for Jake's death. Maggie and family decide to find out the real reason Jake's ultra-light crashed.

Cliff Hanger by Mary Feliz is the 5thth book in the Maggie McDonald mystery series. Maggie McDonald, her husband, Max, and their two sons, David and Brian live in Orchard View, California where Max is a college professor and Maggie is a professional organizer. Maggie is working to help organize a property management office. Maggie was able to take her sons, who will be able to hang out at the beach. When her sons see and try to help a badly injured man, and when he dies, his family plans on suing them. I really enjoyed this book, and felt like I was right there with the family during the chaos. This book has more twists and turns, that kept me reading page after page. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book and series. 

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

The latest edition in the Maggie McDonald series deftly combines the necessary elements of an engaging, family-centered cozy mystery with a wonderful sense of place - the rugged beaches of the agricultural coastline of California. It's a fun beach read in every sense of the word.

Maggie McDonald is a professional organizer who has booked a working vacation at the beach, helping a resort community organize their office. Her two sons and dog are coming along to enjoy a summer at the shore. The day they arrive, they witness the crash of a hang glider. Assisting at the crash scene unwittingly involves Maggie and her family in the case and she’s compelled to find out what really happened to protect her sons.
The beginning of this book was so enjoyable. Maggie is a like-able character and her sons seemed too good to be true. The setting is cozy and with vivid descriptions. However, the link between her family to the case, and their potential to be suspects, was very weak. It didn’t seem credible enough to warrant investigating. As usual, they went off alone or left one behind despite threats and a family rule to be careful. (We wouldn’t have cozies without that, though.) They came up with the most outlandish theories then employed extreme means based on them; lab work, tech experts, security detail. It seemed like overkill given that the potential for legal action against them was next to nil.
I haven’t read the first four books in this series but I plan to read them because this is high quality writing and I’d like to see what Maggie’s hometown is like.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

*wince* This one was just far too wholesome for me, at least in terms of the sleuths. While I appreciate a crime fighting family, it just was too sweet for me and then balanced oddly against <spoiler>a drug ring and murder?</spoiler> that felt really oddly explained and kind of convoluted? Like a more simple explanation would have worked better but the big reveal didn't tie in at first and everything was too confused. I DID like the idea of the cleaning/organizing side of things, even if I feel it added to the 'wholesome' air somehow? Maybe I just didn't connect to them as well as I usually do my cozy mystery sleuths either.

Not a series I think I'll enjoy, but it will definitely still appeal to the general cozy reader. Still give it a go!

Mary Feliz's Maggie McDonald series is one of my favorites when I need to read a mystery but want to read one where all the major characters are The Good Guys. The latest, Cliff Hanger, falls right into that category. The McDonalds are Good People. They use their common sense. Maggie and her husband Max are teaching their children to be good citizens. They pitch in when their community needs them. They have a good support system with their family and friends. Even more important, they have no qualms about doing the right thing.

There are organizing tips at the beginning of each chapter that are truly useful and easy to implement, and the mystery is a good one that kept me guessing. One of the things I enjoyed the most in Cliff Hanger was the setting: the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. I could practically smell the salt air and hear the waves pounding the beach. This is Maggie's first experience living in a small town (where you're one or two introductions away from knowing all the residents), and she really likes it. Having spent the first eighteen years of my life in an even smaller town, I smiled as I read this... and bided my time. Sure enough, Maggie's opinion of small-town life evolved just as I knew it would.

Cliff Hanger is another strong entry in this feel-good series that's such a pleasure to read. I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of trouble Maggie gets into next.

Maggie thinks she's gotten a great gig- in return for organizing an office, she will be able to use a condo in Monterey for the summer. She's got her sons Brian and David with her, while her husband Max plans to visit on weekends. Unfortunately, things are what she was expecting- the condo is a mess- and while she tries to sort that out, her boys rush to help an ultralight pilot who has crashed. Sadly, he dies and his distraught parents want to blame them- so they sue. This is regrettably, entirely possible. Things are not, of course, what they seem and Maggie and Max discover so much more about what's been going on in the area than they ever wanted to know. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. These novels (and don't worry- you'll be fine with this as a standalone) always feature some interesting facts along with the good characters. A good cozy read.

Ever have one of those days or weeks? Well Maggie & family are in for one in this novel. Maggie McDonald is an organizer. She assists people in getting their home or offices in order. She takes on a client in Watsonville as a favor to her friend. She plans on a working vacation at the resort she will assist in getting organized.

I had a tough time buying into the premise that the good Samaritan boys would go to jail or the threat was a plausible one. I also had an issue with the boys ages. They seemed too old for the 13 and 15 we are told they are. They act like senior college students or older. So, if you can suspend reality, this story works. As the daughter of a cop, there are other points that I have a tough time buying into but I can suspend those too. In my opinion, this book isn’t the best in the series but it does make a good beach read.

I thought the overall story was well-written even though convoluted. The characters were fully developed and likeable.

I've always loved this series by Mary Feliz. In this edition we follow Maggie and her sons as they head to the coast for the summer. Their first day there they spot a glider in distress and thus begins the mystery. This story tackles organic farming, drug trafficking, gangs, illegal immigrants/ice and migrant worker issues along with the main whodunnit! Mary Feliz is always great at including relevant issues of the times in her cozies and it elevates her series, her books have a little more substance. I loved Cliff Hanger and I'm only giving it 4 stars because compared to the last few books in the series I found I was less invested as the mystery didn't surround a recurring character. The last few in the series were just so good! Still throughly enjoyed it, would recommend the entire series and can't wait for the next one! This also works as a stand alone read.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books in return for an honest review. This is a series book but can be read as a stand-alone. Maggie is a professional organizer/de-clutterer. She's accepted a job at a condo resort on the edge of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary; she brings her two sons and the dog for the summer. Upon arrival things don't go quite as planned. This includes everything from their condo/apartment being a disaster area to allowing access for their dog. When her two sons find an ultralight plane crash victim, it's a tough start to the summer. When Maggie's sons are accused of negligence by the dead man's parents, Maggie call upon her husband and friends to help figure out how the man died and if there was negligence (or murder) involved. It's a well-crafted story and the characters are clearly written.

This is book 5 in the series. I haven't read this series/author before, but never felt it was a problem. I liked the characters and the town. I also liked how they were able to call in friends for help (obviously folks they had worked with in prior books). The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cliff Hanger is a great mystery and the first I have read in this series. I enjoyed it and hope to read the others. Well written and interesting characters.

A summer "work/vacation", at the beach in Monterey Bay, turns into a dangerous time for Maggie and her family!

While working to help a friend of Tess's organize a chaotic condo property, a day at the beach turns deadly when an ultralight plane crashes in front of David and Brian, Maggie's sons. The boys do everything correctly to try to save the pilot, but he later dies at a hospital. The accident begins to look like murder and her son's are being accused of causing the young man's death, after the crash. Now, Maggie must find a murderer and keep her son's from prosecution.

I always enjoy Mary Feliz's books - they're filled with mystery, red herrings, family, great friendships, a lot of love and of course, organizing tips that I've actually used! This book doesn't disappoint. some of my favorite characters - Stephen, Nell, Munchkin and a new intriguing character, Rocket come to the aid of the McDonald family to help solve the mystery and keep the boys safe. The ending ties all the loose ends (and clues) up nicely.

Another winner from Mary Feliz!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review of this book.

I’ve read all the books in this series and this one was quite exciting.
The death of the hand glider really shook up the family and I lived how the family stood together to find the answers.
This is a series that appeals to all mystery lovers.

'Cliff Hanger' by Mary Feliz didn't work for me. I have enjoyed the series, but this was a departure from her usual setting and the picture painted didn't resonate. There was too much happening with social/political issues, drugs, gangs, death and it was all over the place. I felt like it was poorly resolved, almost like a movie epilogue. Plus it is just unbelievable that so much could happen to one family, it is tiring. The only thing that saved it for me are the organization tips. I'm sorry.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Maggie McDonald is a professional organizer. In this outing she is at the beach for a job and has taken her family with her. Her boys witness the crash of an ultralight plane and attempt to help the victim. He later dies which starts the family trying to figure out whether it was foul play or not. I have read all the books in this series and this one seems to have the characters reaching for a crime. Others would have just dismissed it but it seems as if they are grasping for things to be wrong- they even speculate about other crimes in the area. It seems a bit far fetched and forced.

This is a wonderful cozy mystery featuring a great family, a beautiful setting and a fast moving plot. Maggie McDonald, a professional organizer, has accepted a job for the summer in the coastal California town of Watsonville. She has brought her two teen-aged sons,. Brian and David, who are excited about spending the summer at the beach. On their first day there, the boys come upon the wreckage of an ultralight plane and are able to rescue the pilot, Jake Peterson. They become local heroes and are deeply upset when they hear that Jake later died. Jake's family, initially grateful to the boys, turns on them and sues them accusing the boys of harming Jake due to their incompetence at the rescue site. This leads Maggie and her family to look into the matter, trying to figure out how Jake, who was obsessive about equipment safety, could have crashed. The mystery was compelling, and the author taught me about organic farming, the current divisive issue of undocumented farm workers and about the joys of flying. I loved it!

Maggie McDonald and her two sons Brian and David head to a resort in Monterey Bay for the summer. Maggie's friend Tess recommend her to Renee the manager of the resort to help her organize and get the office in some sort of order. Sounds perfect it is a work "vacation" and the boys and their dog Belle can enjoy the beach and sun and her husband Max can come on weekends .. what could be better. Well to start off Renee is not there to meet her at the gate to let her in the gated resort and the guard will not allow Belle in. While Maggie tries to sort this out the boys go to the beach and Maggie heads to the condo that is supposed to be theirs for the summer. The condo smells horribly and it not the 3 bedroom promised and when she gets a frantic call from the boys to help as there has been an accident on the cliffs and an ultralight flyer needs medical assistance. Maggie calls 911 and rushes to join the boys on the cliff. The young man Jake Peterson eventually dies and the boys are sued by the grieving parents implying the boys did something wrong in assisting Jake that day. This gets the whole family in solving mode and Max comes down and helps in the investigation. There was a lot going on in this small community and Maggie did call in reinforcements such as Nell their attorney and eventually Stephen comes to help as Maggie suspects that drug smuggling is going on in the area and perhaps Jake stumbled onto something and was silenced for it. This was a good entertaining mystery and the 5th in this series. This story can be read on its own but I think the fact that if you have followed this family before it helps put everything in perspective. Recommend.

Having not read any previous books, I was easily able to follow along with this book and not get lost. Well written, interesting characters. The story line involving aviation is a fun twist. Enjoyable all the way around.