Member Reviews
Molly's boyfriend Sam is sponsoring a car show when one of the partner's is found murdered. Molly is a journalist who likes to do a bit of sleuthing on the side. The characters are engaging and the plot moves along well. The book makes Oregon sound idyllic. A good , romantic cosy mystery.
Enjoyable cozy, though I wouldn't mind a little less making out and heart-flutters between Molly and her beau Sam.
Sam has arranged for the <i>Classic Car Crawl</i> - a travelling car show - to come to Britton Bay. Molly joins him to interview the two organisers. Two friends who could not be more different. One turns out to be quite a jerk and it is not much of a surprise when he is found dead a few days later. There's plenty of people that may have wanted him dead: his young wife, his ex-wife, his old friend and business partner, a couple of regulars in the car show, an old friend of the young wife.
Though Molly is warned off about getting involved (for her safety) and she herself is determined not got involved, not too involved, Molly can't help herself and starts to poke around. The motives and changing alibis were pretty good, making all the possible suspects look equally suspect.
I was a bit disappointed by the reveal of the actual murderer. It was not Molly's snooping that made it necessary for the murderer to come out of hiding. So no reason either to silence Molly. I guess that one was necessary for the author to put the sleuth in the hot-spot with the murderer. (And if felt forced.)
And can Americans - at least the fictional ones - just get over themselves when it comes to saying "I love you"? It's not so big a deal that you have to weigh your words carefully before you say "I love you" to the person you have spent pretty much every free moment with for the past six months. In that situation the "I love you" has been implied for several months already.
I so enjoy the Britton Bay series: the small, oceanside town, the wonderful characters like Molly, Katherine, Jill, and Sam, and of course, the well-written mysteries! In Deadly Ride, Sam organizes for a touring car show to make a stop in town and things don't go quite as planned. Without giving too much away, someone connected to the car show is found dead by unnatural causes and there is no shortage of suspects, motives, and questionable alibis. Molly can't turn off the investigative reporter in her and delves more deeply into the car show participants' lives than a newspaper editor reasonably should. That can't possibly end badly, can it? The side storylines of Sarah's art studio and Molly & Sam's sweet, developing relationship and the everyday activities of the characters make for a well-rounded story. I'm hoping this series continues for awhile!
I received an advance copy of this book. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Good addition to the series. Car show provides the setting. A wide variety of characters. Some sweet moments. I look forward to reading the next one.
Molly Owens is the editor-in-chief of small-town newspaper Britton Bay Bulletin and in a relationship with Sam Alderich, who owns his own garage and is sponsoring a classic car show that's been held in other cities, but never Britton Bay. He's excited to meet his two idols, who are co-founders of the event - Jet and Brian. But when he and Molly do meet them, Jet, a man in his seventies, is making passes at Molly...and they find out that not only does he have an ex-wife who's there but his current wife is only 24 and she's there, also.
It's also pretty evident that Jet doesn't care who he sleeps with, but all Molly wants to do is avoid him. When Sam is checking to see that everything is locked up for the evening one night, he finds Jet sitting in his car. It's not long before he discovers the man dead. Molly also discovers that there's plenty of suspects from the ex- and current wife, to fellow car enthusiasts and a nosy reporter that's come on the scene. Every one of them had motive. But which one killed him? When Molly gets too close to the truth, she'd better watch herself or Jet will have company...
This is the third book in the series and I liked it as much as the other two. The plot was interesting, and I liked the fact that none of Molly's friends were suspected of murder. What a nice change- I also like the fact that Sam owns a garage and he isn't the usual police officer or attorney. This time out, Molly's main reporter is out ill so she's taking a turn interviewing the drivers, and what she hears (or overhears) leaves her with questions when Jet is killed.
But of course, Sam's friend, police deputy Chris Beatty, is taking the lead on the investigation and even though he tells Molly to leave it alone, neither he nor Sam believes she will. And they're right. There's red herrings thrown about, but not as many as you think, and it seems that no one has an alibi, since everyone is alibiing each other in one way or another.
There's also the subplot of how Molly's relationship with Sam is growing. After being hurt by her last boyfriend, she doesn't want to let Sam know how much she cares, but watching them figure it out is a pleasant diversion. I'm not big on romance novels but I love the fact that there's romance attached to the mystery, but it's never confused with it. By that I mean the murder never takes second place to the romance, and that's how it's supposed to be.
I also liked the fact that we were given some background on a couple of minor characters which Ms. Holford has managed to do in each of her books; bringing us into the lives of everyone who surrounds Molly. It's what a true cozy should be - when you enter the town, you learn a little more about each resident as time goes on. It made for an enjoyable read.
When the murderer was discovered, it wasn't much of a surprise, but then it's more about the journey to find the truth in mysteries, anyway. And this was a very good journey indeed. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.
It was so refreshing to me to have such positiveness in a book as it related to relationships. There was no manufactured angst, just sincere emotional progress. Oh, and the mystery was great too! I enjoyed being back in Britton Bay with Molly and all of the accompanying characters. Sam is sponsoring a huge car show and unpleasant behavior and murder ensue. There were multiple potential suspects and I wasn't sure until the resolution. There is a gentle set up for the next story that would involve the newspaper looking into homelessness. I look forward to it with great anticipation!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Deadly Ride is the 3rd instalment in the Britton Bay Mystery series by Jody Holford. I found it to be as enjoyable and entertaining as the previous two. I was happy to be transported back to Britton Bay on the Oregon coast.
Newspaper editor Molly Owens loves her new life—and her new man—in the beautiful seaside town of Britton Bay, Oregon. But when a car-show killer strikes, she needs to put the brakes on the culprit . . .
As editor-in-chief of the Britton Bay Bulletin, Molly steps in for a sick reporter to cover the Classic Car Crawl, an exhibit of vintage automobiles. Her main challenge is not being driven to distraction by the presence of her hunky boyfriend, Sam Alderich, a fellow car enthusiast whose auto shop is sponsoring the event. But when she and Sam discover the co-founder dead in his car, Molly quickly shifts gears to solve the murder.
With a showroom full of suspects—including the co-founder's longtime partner, much-younger wife, enigmatic ex, and car owners with grudges and grievances—Molly soon starts to feel like she's spinning her wheels. And after things take a turn for the worse, it's all she can do to steer clear of trouble and stay out of a killer's clutches . . .
Jody is very good at writing a complete story in this case the mystery as well as the romance between Sam and Molly. The main set of characters were just as fabulous as in the previous books, we learned more about Sarah, Chris, and were introduced to another homeless person which I have a feeling will tie into the next instalment.
The mystery was well written and had plenty of suspects who wanted the victim dead. I did suspect the killer early on but there were a few red herrings so I wasnt 100% sure until close to the end when the final piece fell into place.
I highly recommend this cozy mystery series to all my friends who love a cozy with romance thrown in.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
A rather interesting and delightful mix of romance and mystery, I like the fact that Molly and Sam finding true love did not overshadow the mystery thriller path. Even though they are faced with their awaken love and can’t seem to get enough of each other, they still manage to find themselves involved in a puzzling murder with a bit of twist. The characters are great, though, I’m a bit disappointed that Brian’s character is so warped, but what the heck, he gave the story credence, with his cool, calm and crazy personality. The romance aspect is well balanced, giving flavor to a well-written tale, making this a very nice read indeed.
This has quickly become one of my favorite series. This latest offering does not disappoint. Great characters and a well written mystery.
I highly recommend this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
Deadly Ride' is the third book of a 3 part series. Although, this book is a stand alone story, I was glad that I read the first book in the series so that I knew where Molly Owens and Sam's story began. I enjoyed this book because the characters are well developed and interesting. While reading this book, I felt like I was part of the Britton Bay community. There are enough twists and turn in this book to keep me immersed in this mystery. Cozy Mysteries are my favorite genre because they are quick reading, light stories. 'Deadly Ride' by Jody Holford did not let me down. The one thing that I did not like about the book was the amount of adolescent romance in this book. I would have liked more mystery and a little less romance. I am comfortable recommending 'Deadly Ride' along with both of Jody Holford's previous books in this series. I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Molly Owens, editor of the Britton Bay Bulletin, is covering the Classic Car Crawl sponsored by her boyfriend, Sam Alderich, when one of the founders of the event is found dead at the end of the first day! Lots of suspects - current wife, ex-wife, business partner, drivers - are in the mix, and Ms. Holford kept me guessing. Nice cozy with a hint of romance, I really enjoyed Deadly Ride, the third cozy in the Britton Bay series - it's just as good as the previous two books in the series and I absolutely recommend it!
This is the third book in the Britton Bay series and the first book I have read by this author. While this book does reference some of the story lines from the previous books I did not find it difficult to follow. Although it did make me want to read the first books. I found this book to be wonderfully written with colorful descriptions, engaging characters and a surprise who done it at the end. I love Sam and Molly and they way their emotions seem to leap off the page. Too many of the mystery books I have read lately lack emotional depth and the heroins seem to "solve" their mysteries like a slap dash comedy. While Molly does end up in some trouble it happened with the best of intentions. I would highly recommend this book not only to mystery readers but for those who like a lite romance.
It’s been over twelve months since I stumbled on the first book in the Britton Bay mystery series and I truly look forward to returning the characters and locations in these books.
Molly Owens, once a newcomer to Britton Bay, has settled into her life as a small town newspaper editor – she’s met and befriended the locals, found herself a charming boyfriend, a puppy she adores… and occasionally gets caught up in the occasional murder mystery that strikes the town. In the third instalment, she’s supporting her boyfriend, Sam, as he helps to host a classic car convention in town. It’s all going smoothly until one of the co-founders of the convention is found dead and the mystery begins.
I love Molly as a character – she’s calm and collected, while still being strong-willed enough to not back down when trying to uncover the mystery surrounding the murder in this story. This causes her to constantly clash with the local police force, including one of Sam’s best friends, but that only serves to highlight how much Molly has grown since the first book as much of the concern comes from other characters genuinely being concerned for her.
Molly and Sam have such a sweet relationship that every moment they were on the page together was just wonderful to read. Add to that the healthy relationship Molly has with his mother and you just enjoy being with all of these characters who care about one another.
The mystery was fun, with some twists and turns to keep you wondering whodunit up until the end. And while I’m not much of a car fanatic, even those parts of the story were interesting because we’re seeing it all through Molly’s eyes as she’s learning about the cars, too.
Overall, this was just a delightful read to while away a few hours. It certainly lives up to it’s ‘cozy’ mystery status.
Fun book! More romance than I'm used to in a cozy, but that's okay for a change of pace. Good mystery. Very fun read!
This is a fun, colorful cozy mystery. I like the style of the writing and this author makes everything very realistic.
This story revolves a car show, where a gruesome murder takes place, and the crowd is shocked and saddened by the sudden death.
Molly gets involved with another murder in Deadly Ride. As a newspaper reporter she is unable to keep from trying to unwind all the twists that these characters represent. She still finds time for her friends. You'll enjoy this read.
The Britton Bay series is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and I am always super excited when I see a new book is releasing. Not only can Jody write cozies, but she's also a terrific romance writer. Make sure to check out both genres because you're missing out if you don't! That being said, it was wonderful to be back in Britton Bay and I am just as in love with the characters as I was when I first "met" them! I highly recommend this series.
Britton Bay is the place to be! I love Molly and the gang. The plot is well written and flows beautifully. The characters and their development throughout the book are great. While I could detect the victim early on, the twists and turns in the plot had me guessing until the reveal.
Deadly Ride by Jody Holford is the third book in Britton Bay cozy mystery series and was another entertaining read.
Sam, Molly's boyfriend, is hosting a Classic Car Crawl in Britton Bay. Molly's representing the newspaper as a journalist as they are short staffed. Everything goes well on the first day until that night they find the body of one of the original founders of this car tour dead. The plot is quickly paced, there are only a few suspects and the clues and red herrings kept me completely in the dark until the reveal. Ms. Holford's descriptive writing makes me feel right at home in Britton Bay; and I've enjoyed getting to know all of the characters who are now friends and co-workers of Molly. Molly and Sam's relationship did take up more of the story than it had in previous books but did not detract from the mystery itself.
When Molly, editor of the Britton Bay News, covers the Classic Crawl auto show, the last thing she wants is to be involved in solving another murder - but she finds herself right in the middle of one!
I enjoy this series and Molly is at her best in this one. I thought that Molly was more settled in this book. - comfortable in her new job, romance and her relationship with the local police. There were so many credible suspects that it was hard to solve the mystery until the very end...just perfect! If you enjoy romantic cozies, this one is for you!
I received an ARC NetGalley for a fair and honest review of this book.