What a great book I highly recommend for any cozy mytery lover or any lover of mysteries. I can't wait to read more.

Britton Bay has that small shore town vibe that we all fall in love with in our cozy books and television shows. It actually has a strong Hallmark town feel to it. The protagonist, Molly Owens, had a rough start in book 1. Not only was she new in the small town, she helped solve a murder
Settling in to her new life, slower paced reporting, small town, and romance; everything is just like it should be for Molly.... if only she could stop finding dead bodies.

In this installment, a former soap opera actress comes to town to run the town's first-ever community theater production. Known for being very witchy, there is no surprise that she is found with a house dropped on her. With so many suspects, can Molly figure out the mystery for she becomes the star of the next one?

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. These books are very quick reads, suspenseful, and fun. I highly recommend this series.

Entertaining cozy mystery. I love how the relationships and characters have developed over the series. The characters are likable and realistic. The mystery was well crafted. There is no shortage of suspects or twists and turns. The small-town setting is lovely. I look forward to the next installment in this series.

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

Deadly Drama, the fourth book in Jody Holford’s Britton Bay cozy mystery series, is another delightful visit with Molly Owens and the lovable inhabitants of this charming coastal town. There is drama aplenty, with a community theatre production of The Wizard of Oz and a murder taking equal billing.

As editor-in-chief of the Britton Bay Bulletin, Molly has her hands full, having to juggle her editorial duties and fill in as a reporter due to a staff shortage. Molly also is volunteering at the local community theatre, hoping to get an interview with the ironically-named director, Magnolia Sweet. Before the planned interview can happen, Magnolia is found dead at the theatre, her feet sticking out from beneath the set’s farmhouse, much like the Wicked Witch of the East. The theatre’s custodian, Judd Brown, who was standing over Magnolia’s body when the murder was discovered, is quickly arrested for the crime. Sam Alderich, Molly’s boyfriend, insists that Judd is innocent, Molly sets out to prove him right.

Once again, Ms. Holford has combined an intriguing mystery with a sweet romance. Although the romance here is more prominent than in other cozy mysteries, it is handled well and realistically. The mystery itself is a good one. Magnolia has no shortage of detractors, each of whom is a plausible suspect. And while the mystery is filled with seemingly endless twists and turns, what keeps me invested in this series are its people. Molly and Sam are an appealing couple and their relationship has developed naturally over the previous books. Subplots involving Sam’s mother, Katherine, and acting sheriff (and Sam’s best friend), Chris are also endearing.

As both a cozy mystery and a sweet romance, Deadly Drama has it all. It is a quick, entertaining read that will make you smile while following Molly on the trail of a killer. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

Note: I received an ARC of Deadly Drama from NetGalley and Kensington Books. The above is my honest review.

Molly is happy with her life in Britton Bay, but things go awry when the director of the town's first community theater production is murdered. The mystery is strong, and the characters are as pleasant as in previous books. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series.

Back to Britton Bay! Oregon and theater go hand in hand, so a community theater project sounds likes a great premise. Molly is set to try to find out what happened to the theater director--too much drama.!? A cute, enjoyable read.

Molly Owens is creating a new life working as editor-in-chief at the Britton Bay Bulletin and living with her boyfriend, Sam in the beautiful coastal town of Britton Bay, Oregon.
Britton Bay is staging its first-ever community theater production. When Molly finds the director's dead body on the empty stage there's no shortage of suspects. The police have arrested the wrong man so it's up to Molly to find the real killer.
Likeable characters and a plot that moves along at a good pace makes this book a good read.

I enjoyed the writing and the story. It was a quick, light, fun read and I would recommend it to others.

A fun series that gets better with each book. All who follow me know I am not a huge fan of romance in my cozy mysteries but Holford does a great job at putting just enough but not overshadowing the story.

I missed the clues on the murderer and was shocked when revealed. That makes it a solid 4 stars for me.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Molly Owens has finally settled down and she’s very happy with her life in Brittany Bay, Oregon. She loves her boyfriend Sam, her friends and her job as editor-in-chief of the Brittany Bay Bulletin.

And there’s extra excitement as a former soap diva is in town to direct the community’s first-ever stage production. But Magnolia Sweet does not live up to her name, so there is a solid list of possible suspects when she turns up dead.

Molly attempts to untangle the mystery of who killed Magnolia at the behest of boyfriend Sam when Sam’s friend becomes the main suspect. All the evidence seems to point in his direction, although no one who knows him believes the accused is guilty. But danger looms large and Molly is soon in the crosshairs of an unknown killer who won’t hesitate to take another life. The murderer is not about to allow Molly to discover who-dun-it. Will Molly face the final curtain?

Jody Holford has created an appealing cast of characters and it’s enjoyable to get to know Molly, her friends and the town of Brittany Bay. Ms. Holford gives her readers plenty of clues to chew over as you try to figure out who the murderer is from amongst the suspects. Deadly Drama is a great cozy mystery read…perfect for a chilly evening!

This is the 4th in series of the "Britton Bay Mystery" series . I have read and enjoyed the entire series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

Our savvy protagnist Molly is feeling more at home in charming Britton Bay and comfortable in her relationship with Sam . She has made good friends and loves her job as a journalist for the local newspaper. after her previous stressful position as Editor in the city. The only problem Molly has is she keeps finding dead bodies and when she finds another body she wants to investigate much to the chagrin of the local police who are not willing to work with her. As the mystery progresses her boyfriend Sam is willing to step in and help her investigate.

This is such a charming series with a small town feel. I love this series and read each book cover to cover. This was another fun installment and I look forward to Molly's growth throughout this series . The charcters are delightful and I always enjoy returning to Britton Bay and the sweetness of this small town . I look forward to the next in series.

Deadly Drama by Jody Holford is the 4th book in A Britton Bay Mystery, and another great addition. Molly Owens is the editor in chief at the local newspaper, located on the seaside coast of Oregon. Molly is renting a small carriage home on the property of the bed and breakfast her boyfriend, Sam Alderich, mother owns. In this adventure, the town is staging it's first community theater production. When a former soap opera actress agrees to direct, no one knows how nasty she really is, and soon she is found murdered. There are suspects around every corner. I have really enjoyed this series from book one, and this book does not disappoint. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I highly recommend this book and the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was the first book in this series I've read, and I'd give it a 3-1/2 stars. I liked the mystery portion, but there was a bit too much syrup in it for me. I'm glad Sam is a wonderful boyfriend, but I don't need a reminder every 5 minutes. Still, the author crafted a good plot, and the characters were likeable. Might go back and start with book 1 to see if there's only so much syrup in book 4 because there were issues in book 3 or something. I enjoyed the theater aspect, and I thought the author did a good job handling a fairly large cast.

Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Molly Owens is the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, the Britton Bay Bulletin. She's had a tough morning, having to fire an employee, and is looking for a little comfort along the way. But since she's promised her friend Sarah, who's an artist and creating the set for a local production of The Wizard of Oz, she shows up with her boyfriend Sam and Sarah's boyfriend, acting sheriff Chris. When they arrive, they're immediately chewed out by the director of the play, an ex-actress named Magnolia Sweet, who has half the town afraid of her, including her assistant, Tiffany. It seems Magnolia acted in television a long time ago, but people are still jumping to her tune.

But it's also apparent that those same people really don't like her at all, and make no bones about it. When she overhears a telephone conversation, her conjectures are confirmed. Still, Molly is glad that she's only volunteered to help, so she doesn't have to deal with the woman directly.

But Molly has other things on her plate right now -- she needs to find a new employee, and soon; Sam's mother Katherine's birthday is just around the corner and they're planning a surprise party; no one can find Corky, the homeless man who usually hangs out in town; Molly is trying to get an interview with the hated Magnolia for the newspaper; and now Molly is wondering if her relationship with Sam is going to last. She knows she loves him, but once burned twice shy, as the saying goes...

When Molly finally is given the chance to interview Magnolia, she finds her dead on stage with the building's janitor, Judd, standing over the body. While no one believes that Judd's capable of murder he seems to be the only suspect. But Molly has been told more than once to stay out of murder investigations by Chris, but is this time different? When she's given encouragement from an unlikely source her innate curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to find out who was the most viable suspect. If only she can keep herself out of danger, she might live to tell someone...

This is the fourth book in the series and I've read all of them. I must disclose that this book is as much a romance as it is a mystery. Normally I don't read romances, because I really don't care for them. (Although upon occasion I have picked up one or two). Anyway, because the mystery is so well done, you don't really see it altogether as disrupting to the story.

As a matter of fact, it's more about Molly learning to trust and realize that people aren't going to bail on her as friends or family. There are a few parts that are actually quite endearing to the story in this respect, and it actually has bearing on the final outcome all along.

Getting back to the murder, the suspects are plentiful and it's up to Molly to find out if any of them have a rock solid alibi. But her asking questions is ruffling feathers in the wrong direction, and she's warned more than once to stay out of it. But when she finally finds out the truth, it just might be too late, and she might have put herself in danger one too many times.

However, when the ending comes and the motive is given I felt rather sorry for the perpetrator, although I don't want to reveal the reasons why as it may give too much away. There is a very nice epilogue that gives us something to look forward to in the next installment and I can't wait to read it. Highly recommended.

A popular trope in cozy mysteries is “Let’s put on a show.” The spring community theater production of The Wizard of Oz is, surprisingly, Britton Bay’s inaugural play. All the parts are being filled by local thespians, but the out-of-town director’s reputation precedes her.

It turns out former soap opera actress Magnolia Sweet is anything but; nothing’s worse than a has-been on a power trip, and steely Magnolia routinely chews out her amateur cast.

Deadly Drama is the 4th Britton Bay mystery in the series. Peripatetic army brat Molly Owens with few expectations moved to Oregon’s fictional town of Britton Bay, located on Oregon’s scenic coast. She had a rootless past but she’s put down major tendrils in Britton Bay. Molly is the editor-in-chief of the Britton Bay Bulletin, she’s living with her beau Sam, and to the dismay of the local police department, murder seems to seek her out. The descriptor “amateur sleuth” is another string to Molly’s bow.

Is there a story more familiar than The Wizard of Oz? Maybe A Christmas Carol. Molly Owens is determined to interview director Sweet but it’s a hard get. Sweet is so elusive…she keeps putting off the Fourth Estate. So says Jill, one of Molly’s employees:

“Speaking of which, I’m helping Sarah and some of the others with the set tonight, so I can check in with the director about an interview.”

One side of Jill’s mouth tilted upward. “Good luck with that. Magnolia Sweet is not an easy woman to pin down and even when you do, she’d rather tak about her glory days as a Hollywood starlet than answer a question directly.”

It’s all-hands-on-deck to create the intricate sets. Molly’s artistic friend Sarah shares the highlights, both women looking upward: “Sarah stood beside her and pointed. ‘That’s the house that kills the witch.’” Molly returns to the rec center the next day, crossing her fingers she’ll be able to interview Director Sweet, but something is off-kilter. The house is on the stage sitting at a slight angle, and the rec center custodian Judd is leaning over Magnolia’s body.

Magnolia’s feet were jutting out from the bottom of the house, the rest of her body inside. Molly saw her eyes were closed and her arms were bent, like she’d been holding them up by her head. Molly stepped back, shaking her head even as Judd started to rise, tears in his eyes, and she realized, with a tiny bit of physical distance, that if the door were shut, the only thing someone in the audience would see was a pair of boot-covered feet. It was a horrifying image of life imitating art, the house on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. Or, Britton Bay, in this case.

A hallmark of a cozy mystery is that folks die but for the most part they’re not an integral part of the close-knit community and/or nobody likes them. An exaggeration to be sure but Magnolia Sweet, with her imperious ways, was not particularly popular. Which is not to say that Molly won’t pursue all leads.

Inexplicable deaths and sleuthing notwithstanding, Britton Bay is an enviable community. It has a plethora of restaurants and cafés, hometown pride in spades, and in an unobtrusive way, looks after its own. As in Lorna Barrett’s Handbook for Homicide, homeless people are helped and not ignored, and their contributions to civic society are valued. Molly has benefited in the past from the observations of Corky Templeton, a local homeless man, living on the streets of Britton Bay. She’s worried when restauranteur Calli tells her Corky is missing.

“He hasn’t been in here in over two weeks. He comes every morning for coffee. Coffee here, day-old muffins from Bella—he won’t take the fresh ones. I know he wanders and he’s gone days in a row before without showing his face. But I can feel it in my bones. Something isn’t right.”

Life in Britton Bay isn’t perfect: Molly faces occasional challenges to her friendships but bottom line, there’s an expectation of good-will and respect. She is at the helm of a newspaper that gets printed once a week—somehow the digital world stops at the edge of Britton Bay. Molly is a nurturing, thoughtful editor who empowers her staff. Hannah, the owner’s niece, has a talent for seeing the deeper stories that lie behind the headlines—Molly is her biggest supporter, holding the presses when warranted.

Molly nodded, glancing at the time on her phone. They needed to get going on the layout, but everyone needed to hear the story. They were going to print it in the paper. Happy endings didn’t happen nearly enough in real life.

Molly feels lucky to have landed on her feet in Britton Bay—an occasional happy ending being the icing on the cake.

Now, she saw the benefit of having a tribe of people; of having an extended family and network of people who mattered. She couldn’t imagine her life without any of them.

We may be social distancing in our real lives, but in our fictional forays, Britton Bay is a hospitable community that opens its arms to all of us. I’m looking forward to more small-town adventures in Britton Bay with an ever-expanding cast of characters.

"Deadly Drama" the 4th installment in the Britton Bay Mystery series by Jody Holford is as enjoyable and entertaining as the previous 3 books.
I was happy to be transported back to Britton Bay on the Oregon coast, (which is also on my wishlist to visit once covid is over). Jody is very good at describing the setting etc. so I can picture it in my mind as the story unfolds. The main set of characters were just as fabulous as in the previous books Jill, Molly, Sam and Katherine and who can forget the bouncing dog Tigger. Plus local homeless man, Corky was part of the story and I was glad to see how he was fairing. All in all it was like visiting family and friends with an adventure thrown in.

I found that this instalment was more like an intrigue romance novel, but I didnt mind (being that Jody writes romance this can be expected) It was nice to delve deeper into the relationship between Sam and Molly and we got a clearer picture of where it is going.

The mystery was well written and had plenty of suspects who wanted the victim dead. I did not suspect the killer till the end when the final pieces 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.

Jody Holford’s Deadly Drama is the fourth installment in her Britton Bay series and a must-read for her fans of the series. Unfortunately this was my first read in the series, which meant I felt immediately overwhelmed by the number of characters that appeared in the first couple of chapters, so much so that I stopped trying to make any notes about who or what they were and just presumed that they really had no bearing on the mystery. That is, of course, until one did and I had to do some mental backtracking.

Another feature that is probably adored by the readers of the previous books is the amount of in your face romance in this cozy mystery. I know that if I had read the previous books I might have loved Sam and Molly. However, there was one instance where Sam was with Molly in a totally I’m-the-man-kind-of-way that grated on me. She’s the sleuth and a reporter. She should have more back-bone! I would have preferred that she be gutsier.

So, I have to offer a Your Mileage May Vary review because I don’t think this book can be read well as a standalone and trying to read it as a standalone just didn’t work for me. I think it would have more appeal if you’ve read the series.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

A delightful cozy mystery bursting with charm, red herrings and shocking revelations, Jody Holford’s Deadly Drama is a gripping tale readers will race through in a single sitting.

Molly Owens loves her life in Britton Bay. Away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, Molly feels settled in the idyllic small town having made friends, found herself a gorgeous and hunky boyfriend and secured a job she loves with colleagues who mean the world to her. The newspaper editor counts herself lucky to be living in such a beautiful part of the world – even if the journalist does have a penchant for getting herself mixed up in solving murders and Britton Bay has had a couple of them lately. Molly hopes that her sleuthing days are behind her and is looking forward to the only exciting thing on her calendar being a local amateur theatre production of The Wizard of Oz starring some of the local community which is being directed by former soap opera diva, Magnolia Sweet, who might be sweet by name but certainly not by nature or temperament!

Magnolia has been terrorizing the cast and crew of her amateur production and has succeeded in putting everybody’s back up! Not even Broadway producers are as exacting or as infuriating as Magnolia and with the company getting sick of her bullying ways, it looks like there might soon not be a show to put on. But pretty soon frayed tempers and bruised egos could well end up being the least of everyone’s worries! Despite of the fact that Magnolia wasn’t exactly well liked, everybody is shocked to their very core when she is found murdered in the theatre! It looks like Molly will have to put on her sleuthing cap yet again – only when she kicks off her investigation, she quickly realizes that there are certainly no shortage of suspects as there were plenty of people with a motive for wanting Magnolia dead and Molly just has to figure out who hated the victim enough to kill her.

There is a killer waiting in the wings who is not exactly thrilled that Molly Owens is sniffing around the theatre trying to find out who murdered Magnolia Sweet. They are determined that they do not want their identity to be discovered and they will certainly do whatever it takes to ensure that they keep Molly from finding out the truth – even if it means resorting to murder yet again!

Can Molly get to the bottom of this mystery? Or will she end up paying the ultimate price for her curiosity?

Cozy fans are in for such a treat with Jody Holford’s Deadly Drama. Fun, witty and irresistible, Deadly Drama effortlessly blends small town charm, humor, drama, romance and mystery in a fantastic page-turner that is an absolute struggle to put down. Molly Owens is a wonderful sleuth readers will warm to and her friends in Britton Bay are always at hand to help out with her investigation – or with a delicious slice of cake!

An immensely enjoyable mystery readers will absolutely adore, Jody Holford’s Deadly Drama is a fabulous cozy that left me hoping that it won’t be too long before we visit Britton Bay again.

“I did not see that coming.” When rude, demanding, and outright mean theater director Magnolia Sweet dies a la Wicked Witch of the West style and one of Britton Bay's likeable and loveable citizens is arrested for the murder, newspaper editor Molly Owens calls on her sleuthing skills to catch the true culprit. But Molly's dogged determination to find the true killer lands her on the killer's watch list and puts not only herself but someone close to her in jeopardy. Sit back and relax, because Jody Holford's Deadly Drama is going to have you on the edge of your seat, before the last curtain call.

~ Favorite Quotes ~

“Sometimes we think we know a person, but maybe we never really do.”

“Sometimes you can show the greatest strength by asking for help.”

Oh dear, cozy enthusiasts we aren't in Kansas anymore and the local theater production director has everyone wondering when a house is going to land on the once famous TV celebrity, Magnolia Sweet. No yellow brick roads here, but there is some delicious sounding lemon loaf. I am thoroughly convinced that it is not a Briton Bay cozy unless there is lemon loaf mentioned. In addition to the lovely lemon loaf the usual cast of characters do their part to further this wonderful series while Molly and Sam do their best to help the local high school janitor who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sam and Chris refuse to believe that he had anything to do with foul play and acting Sheriff Chris goes as far as to "wink, wink, nod, nod," ask Molly to get involved but only in the safest of ways. It seems like no one really had a good relationship with her as we are led clue by clue from red herring to red herring. You will surely enjoy this latest Briton Bay cozy, my pretty and Molly's little dog (Tigger), too.