My review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Murder in the Secret Maze is an enjoyable cosy crime novel, which starts at a wedding.

I liked the set up, and the way that the story progressed. It is written in the style of so many other cosy crime books, and I was happy to be swept along with the story!

This is the first book in a series, so you don't need to worry about knowing the cast and the setting, as that's all being set up for you!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Beyond the Page Publishing.

Tory Benning's husband Milo, has disappeared......and they've only been married a matter of hours. Cold feet or murder? Tory is determined to solve the case.

The mystery was intriguing and the main character was able to put her heartbreak aside and become an amateur sleuth. Tory is resourceful and determined - two good traits for a sleuth. I'll look forward to the next book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book is a great start to a new series. I liked that Tory was a landscape architect and the maze was an interesting twist. This is one of those books that move fast and before you know it you read the while book. I really enjoyed this book

I so wanted to like this book. The story started off with the groom missing shortly after Miles and Tory got married, so the book did jump right into the mystery. After Tory withheld evidence from her cop friend, I lost interest and just could not get in to the book. This won’t be a series that I continue. Thank you to Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tory was hard to connect with. A missing husband on your wedding day was an unusual start, and I had high hopes. Good story and hope the next has a better flow.

What an amazing start to a very promising series! I loved the main character and fell in love with her life and the town itself. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the mystery was intriguing and the characters relatable and engaging, I recommend for cozy mystery lovers

Tory Benning, a landscape architect, is just gotten married after a whirlwind courtship but before she and new hubbie, Milo can cut the cake, he disappears. Trying to find him, Tory and her BFF Ashley traipse through the secret maze to look for clues. Milo's boutonniere is all that can be found, that and a bloody rock. Traumatized at another lost loved one (her father drowned two weeks before) Tory needs to get herself on an even keel but things just aren't working out that way. Tory took over her father's position at Benning Brothers and now she is informed that they are dealing with an embezzlement situation as well. What more could go wrong?

I'm not sure how I feel about this first installment for the series. On the one hand I thought it lacked something at the beginning since we were thrown directly into the situation at the wedding reception and it didn't seem that Tory was devastated about the loss of her bridegroom. The characters didn't seem to have any depth of feeling except for Tory and her friend Ashley. On the other hand the story was a bit compelling and the mystery was interesting as the clues were revealed and the story lines merged. Some things were a bit predictable but there were very few surprises.

I hope that there will be improvements in the characters in the next installment.

This is an interesting start to a cozy mystery series. The main character Tory is intelligent and creative. This being the first book in the series, we are given Tory's backstory. This backstory is a little much and slows down the storyline. The mystery itself has plenty of twists and turns and kept me guessing whodunit. I look forward to seeing how this series develops.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way, I have been influenced by anyone.

Landscape architect Tory Benning seems to have all her dreams coming true with a jpb she loves, her marriage to her beloved Miles in the perfect setting at an upscale resort with an amazing maze she designed, a great home with her Pom and her cat, and loving family and friends surrounding her.

On their wedding day, when Tory returns from changing for their reception, Miles has disappeared without a trace. She’s sure he’s met with foul play, but the police think he’s had second thoughts. Tory starts hunting for clues and believes Miles died in the maze she designed. Soon there is a second body and the murderer seems to have targeted Tory.

There are twists and turns as Tory attempts to link these two murders with the earlier death of her father as family secrets are revealed.

The premise of this novel really intrigued me, but the writer’s style was off-putting (please, no more metaphors) and I struggled to finish the book. Part of what had tweaked my interest in the story was the inclusion of Tory’s Pom Iris, but the descriptions and personality portrayed were so small-dog stereotypical that Iris didn’t ring true for me (an owner of Poms for decades, as well as a breeder). The many family members and their convoluted relationships often felt contrived, too, especially in the ending as all the interweaving was explained.

Overall, the book had a great hook, but I think would have benefitted from an editor who could rein in some of the author’s habits.

This is the first book in this brand new series. Also a new to me author. I enjoyed it and liked the characters. At times as I was reading I felt that there could have been more to the story than there was.

The first book in the Tory Benning Mystery series by Judith Gonda is Murder in the Secret Maze. Tory is getting married just two weeks after her father died. Not long after the ceremony is over, the groom Milo disappears. It soon becomes obvious that he was the victim of foul play. I wish I had good things to say about this book, but it was just odd. A normal (even slightly normal fictional person) would be grief stricken to lose a parent and a spouse in so short a time. Not Tory. She carries on stopping for a coffee date with her friend before going to the police station to fill out the missing person report. Two more weeks pass and she is over it enough to move on by noticing plenty of "cute" guys and flirting. I wanted to see some emotion other than carefree shallowness from Tory. Where was the anger and grief? Fiction or not I like to see a tad of realism in a story.

I was sent this book after the publication date to read and review.
When I read the description I imagined an American version of an M.C Beaton type mystery and to an extent it was just not as well written.
I couldn’t say it was badly written as it was just an easy read really. It certainly wasn’t true to any sort of reality that’s for sure.
I can’t say I did enjoy it that much tbh it was too cozy and whilst I do enjoy some mysteries in this category this one just irritated me.
The murdered man’s wife seemed to be the person doing the investigating and didn’t seem at all upset that her new husband and soul mate or her dad had been murdered. Bit odd!

3.5 stars

Cute cozy murder mystery with a well-thought-out who-done-it and a fun cast of characters. However, I never connected with Tory, the female main character. Plus I struggled with a little bit of the execution of the story and action. It jumps right in with an Instagram post Tory posts about her husband disappearing within an hour of his disappearance (sorry, but I kinda don't see who does that), so we never get to meet Milo or have any investment in their relationship. We never see her cry over him or show hardly any remorse over his disappearance/death. She simply just starts being an amateur sleuth, which, on one hand, I can appreciate in a strong female lead, but it's just too fast and too much, with no background, no build-up, no nothing really to give us a strong foundation for Tory as a person, let alone her relationship and marriage to Milo. That said, the author did use the Instagram posts a few more times throughout the book to tie things together, so I can appreciate her use of them; I just struggled with it being how the book starts and how we're introduced to the story. It didn't work for me. I needed more of a foundation and more of a connection to the characters and the story. Still, it is a very clean book and fits the genre of a cozy mystery very well. I'd round up to 3.5 stars overall because it did entertain me and I laughed out loud a few times once I got into the book quite a bit, but it took me longer than normal for a book to grab me and like the characters/plot. I appreciated Tory's strengths and her female independence, but I was kinda annoyed with how she acted with her dog and Milo's cat. I loved that her job is a landscape architect and how that played into the story too. There were several things that made her feel like an old lady rather than a younger 20s-30s woman (news radio and the oldies station?? huh??), though we're never told her exact age that I can recall, but I assumed she was younger than some of the ways the author presented her. The food Tory goes out to eat and the setting of the (I'm assuming made-up) town of Santa Sofia and the area sound fun, and I enjoyed the reference and the connection to Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone mysteries since I love that series so that helped draw me into the story better because I could picture it being a similar setting even before the author mentioned it. Fun, light read that will keep you entertained, with some things obvious and others a bit of a surprise! I think the author has a great foundation for Tory and her friends/family for the rest of the series, but I think it went a little bit too fast for a first book and didn't have enough groundwork to support it starting out. I felt like I was in the middle of the series and missing out on information rather than at the beginning getting to know the characters.

small-town, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, mystery, cozy-mystery

Newly married and possibly widowed within an hour merely weeks after her athletic father drowning leaves landscape architect Tory a hot mess. She has a long history with her best friend and also with the local police detective, but incontrovertible evidence is severely lacking so it has to be investigated as a missing person case by a skeptical department. Let the sleuthing begin! I loved the characters, plot development and twists, and even the red herrings!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

As reviewed on Goodreads:

Really enjoyable. Tory is a likable protagonist and I love that she's a landscape architect. Love the pets, too. Looking forward to another installment!

Murder in the Secret Maze by Judith Gonda is a story filled with so much mystery that makes it seem like Tory's life is a soap opera coming to life.

Can Tory connect all these murders that are happening in her family?

Tory Benning
Tory Benning is the new president of her family's landscaping business, Benning Brothers. We start with her wedding then the ultimate mystery of what could have happened to Milo. Well, that leads our girl to become a sleuth trying to figure out what happened to her husband, and then it just spiraled. Into something that I don't even think that Tory thought it would. What I like about Tory is that she staid faithful, knowing that Milo couldn't be this evil person that everyone is making him out to be. Another thing that I like about her is Tory's conversations with the police.

The Mystery
The mystery in this book starts with what happened to her husband, Milo, on their wedding day. We also find out about her dad being killed when she was dating Milo, and that leads the investigation to a new turn for the sleuth. Tory uncovers a lot about what her family has covered up. I had a hard time figuring this one out since I fell for one of the red herrings in here. The one thing I feel sad for Tory is dealing with that cop who just won't let go of what happened back in middle school between the two of them.

Five Stars
Murder in the Secret Maze by Judith Gonda is a big twisty maze of figuring out who could have had the most motive for killing some of the people that Tory knows. It was an entertaining book, and I can't wait to find out what Tory will get caught up in next. I am giving this book five stars and recommending it to all the cozy mystery readers.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder in the Secret Maze by Judith Gonda.

Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

3 1/2 Stars

Tory Benning is part of the family that own's a California landscaping company. On the day she marries her husband, Milo, after a short, whirlwind courtship, he disappears. After a brief text to Tory, Milo misses his and Tory's wedding reception. His car is missing and phones calls go right to voicemail. A cop with a vendetta against Tory tosses her concerns aside and chalks Milo's disappearance up to cold feet. Tory is sure Milo didn't disappear on his own accord. Clues eventually start emerging inside the maze on the luxury hotel's property where the wedding was held, confirming Tory's suspicions. Milo didn't get cold feet and just leave her minutes after the wedding ceremony.

Even as her worst fears are coming true, the cop with the vendetta is determined to pin the mysterious and violent disappearance of Milo on Tory. When the body of a second person is found in the maze, Tory knows What follows is a murder mystery so tangled up it makes the secret maze look like a run in the park. As Tory and her friends unravel the clues, Tory discovers shocking information about every facet of her life, and they all boil down to desperation and greed. Now, Tory just has to stay alive while pinpointing exactly what happened and by whom.

The author created a diverse cast of characters and several viable suspects. I found all of the characters believable for the most part. They worked will together and were able to realistically investigate the clues. I enjoyed the interactions between Tory and her family and friends. I did find Tory's lack of emotions throughout the book to be pretty off-putting, however. Her ability to hunt down clues, examine them, and still be able to go to work, and act normal just didn't sit quite right. I realize people deal with grief in their own way but Tory was stony and didn't show any emotions of loss of sadness. I didn't find her character believable in that regard.

Despite the lack of the appropriately grieving widow aspect of Tory's character, I enjoyed Murder in the Secret Maze. The mystery was intriguing and, although I suspected who the murderer was, the motives behind everything were shocking and a complete surprise. The author did an amazing job weaving together this cozy mystery. The book was fast-paced, easy to follow, and full of twists and turns. There is a great foundation for this series and I look forward to the next book.

I was provided a copy of this book to review.

Murder in the Secret Maze is the start of a new cozy mystery series featuring landscape architect Tory Benning. When we first meet Tory, she is marrying Milo, the man of her dreams -- but he vanishes right after the ceremony. His disappearance comes right after her father's sudden passing and Tory channels her grief into solving the mystery of what happened to her husband. The mystery involves a maze at a luxurious hotel, and Tory is helped in her detecting by her lifelong best friend.

I wanted to read this mystery because I was intrigued about the secret maze. I know very little about landscape architecture, but find it interesting, so that was appealing too.

This is a solid start to a new series. Tory is established as a character, and readers get to know her friends and relatives too. She even has a lovable Pomeranian dog named Iris!

The mystery aspect of the story was well done and it kept me guessing right up to the resolution. There were several plausible suspects, and Tory did a good job pursuing clues.

Tory actually was so obsessed with the mystery that I was taken a bit aback a few times, like when a gypsy fortuneteller entertainer is dying in front of her and she pulls out her phone to take pictures of some clues. She also seems more focused on the mystery at times than with dealing with her feelings about her father and newly disappeared husband.

The pacing is particularly strong; the book moves quickly and the various mystery storylines flowed together well.

I think Murder in the Secret Maze is a strong start to a new mystery series, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Synopsis:

First in a new series featuring California landscape architect Tory Benning!

Landscape architect Tory Benning knows the lay of the land, but she’ll have to dig through the clues to unearth a killer . . .

After a whirlwind romance and a glorious wedding at the luxurious Hotel Santa Sofia, Tory Benning is ready to let down her hair, slip into her dancing shoes, and celebrate—until she discovers that her newly minted husband has vanished. The police suspect cold feet and second thoughts are behind Milo’s disappearance, but Tory’s certain he’s met with foul play. And since she designed the plush resort, she knows every nook and cranny of the grounds and adjoining secret maze, and wastes no time delving into her search.

As clues begin to emerge that Milo may have taken his last breath in the maze, Tory steps up her sleuthing, even as she learns she’s the prime suspect of a cop with a chip on his shoulder and is squarely in the sights of a menacing stalker. And when a second body is found on the grounds, Tory fears she’s up against a killer determined to silence any and all who get in the way.

Not to be deterred, Tory forges ahead, navigating a case with more twists and turns than the maze itself, until the labyrinth of clues leads her to shocking revelations about her husband, her family, and the identity of a killer who’s dead set on making her the next victim . . . (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Tory loses her husband shortly after they are married. She decides that she has to help figure out the killer, so with the help of her friend, Ashley, that is what she tries to do. You could tell that Tory felt bad, but I did not think that her reaction was very realistic. If that had been me, I would have been incapacitated. But Tori was able to put that beside and get on with her life. That is only my opinion and other readers may not agree with me. Adrian, one of the police involved in the case, seems like a good guy. And Ernie Gomez, another officer that is involved, is a jerk and I dislike him greatly.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and the descriptions pulled me into the story from the beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. I thought that the mystery was well plotted and there were enough twists and turns and red herrings thrown in, and it was not easily solved.

I really like the premise of the book and the fact that the Secret Maze exists. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and finding out what is in store for Tory.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Beyond The Page Publishing, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.