I enjoyed this start to a new series by new to me author Mary Angela. It had all the elements I love in a cozy mystery, and it kept me entertained from start to finish. I enjoyed the quirky main character and her loyal friends, and I liked the South Dakota setting which I hadn't encountered in a cozy before. I could definitely see the author planting seeds that could be explored for future novels. I found a few of the explanations at the end a bit weak, but overall I thought it was a good read and a solid 3.5 stars.

I very much enjoyed this first installment of Mary Angela's new series. I was already a fan of Mary's through her Professor Prather series, so I had been looking forward to reading Open for Murder. I was not disappointed. I think Zo is an interesting character and I look forward to seeing how she develops as the series goes on. I love the cat, George, as well as the setting. I wish I could go to Zo's store! Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

"She went through boyfriends like she went through tea bags, quickly and with variety."

Meet Zoe, the owner of an eclectic, feel-good souvenir shop in the Black Hills. She's got trust issues, a cat who wants little-to-nothing to do with her, and a New Age vibe. Her old reporter skills are called up when her childhood friend, Beth, is suspected of murder.

This cozy mystery offers scenic views and quirky townspeople with big personalities. There's a cute "opposites attract" romantic subplot and adorable local businesses with punny names that I would love to frequent. The mystery won't shock and awe you, but I had a pleasant stay in Spirit Canyon all the same.

The first in a new series by Mary Angela, it features Happy Camper gift store owner Zo Jones in South Dakota. Zo is looking forward to the summer tourist season but also to the arrival of her childhood friend Beth who is opening the Spirit Canyon Lodge, a premier hotel in the Canyon. Even before the opening trouble arrives in the form of crotchety rival spa owner and all around nasty person Enid Barrett. When a storm knocks out the power at the lodge, a body is found and Beth is the prime suspect. Zo and her park ranger friend investigate. Looking forward to more in the series.

This is the first in the Happy Camper mystery series. Zo Jones lives in Spirit Canyon South Dakota which is a tourist town in the Black Hills. Zo runs the Happy Camper store which offers knickknacks as well as she also offers tours in the canyon. Her best friend from childhood Beth is back in town to open the Spirit Canyon lodge which was left to her by her Aunt Lily. It is Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of tourist season and Beth has almost a full house and Zo is invited to the inaugural chuck wagon the Lodge. The local news station is covering the opening and a storm is coming into the canyon. The Lodge has a group of women (Allison, Kaya, Jennifer and Sara) who were all college roommates in town for a girls week and a newly engaged couple Griffin and Robyn and Enid Barrett. Zo does not understand why Enid would be at the Lodge as she owns a B&B and spa in town. It turns out that Enid wants to pay Beth to shut down the lodge and Enid also turns out to be Griffin’s mother and learns of her son’s engagement that night. Enid is not too happy and basically alienates everyone at the event. The storm rolls in and the power goes out and everyone including the news team is stranded at the lodge. Beth and Enid have an argument about the lodge and unfortunately she is found dead the next morning and the money she offered Beth is missing. The sheriff immediately thinks Beth is the prime suspect and Max Harrington the forest ranger is assisting on the case and agrees to help Zo follow some leads as she has convinced him Beth is not the culprit. Zo is also not convinced the murder of Enid and the money theft are related. I liked Zo and liked the budding relationship with Max. This is a great first installment and look forward to the next one. So many possibilities with the canyon supposedly being haunted. This was a fast read. Read it in one day, could not wait to finish it. Well done.

<b>Synposis:</b> Zo lives in Spirit Canyon, South Dakota, a small town in the mountains that is quite the tourist hotspot. Zo's best friend from childhood, Beth, has recently moved back to the area to re-open her aunt's hotel. On opening night, another local hotel/resort owner, Enid, shows up and offers Beth $20k to shut down permanently, Beth refuses. Later that night, Enid is found dead with the $20k gone. As suspicion falls on Beth, Zo tries to find the real killer to exonerate her friend.

<b>Thoughts:</b> This one was pretty un-enjoyable all around for me unfortunately. I was looking forward to dipping my toes into the cozy mystery genre and I liked the sound of the premise and a book set in the mountains sounded like a nice Fall read (even though the book is set in Spring/Summer). Unfortunately I found almost every aspect of this book to be pretty weak, the protagonist Zo was really the only positive element for me.

My biggest issue was with the writing. Quite frankly it's just not good. Here are some examples:

<b>"The young professor was passionate about the subject. Zo could tell by the way she raised her voice."

"He was losing his patience. She could tell by the way he crossed his arms."

"A.J. and Allison took up a position near the edge of the dance floor. They could have been in gym class; their form was the same one students used. It was sort of endearing, really, thought Zo." </b>

Now, I'm not expecting beautiful prose or anything from a mystery or thriller, that's not what I look for in said genres, but to me this writing seems very basic and clunky. I had other issues with it too. Angela's writing is often quite repetitive, there's one page in the book where the weather is mentioned three or four times in slightly different ways which seemed quite unecessary. There were also weird info dumps at some points. For example, at one point a mine is mentioned and then there's just a paragraph or two talking about mining in South Dakota, with little relevance to the plot.

One last writing issue I'll mention relates to a specific character interaction. About 45% of the way through, Zo is heading over to her neighbor's house to listen to him read some poetry for Memorial Day. This is mentioned a fair few times before Zo finally ends up there, and when we finally get to this even that's been made a big deal by the way Angela has written about it, the protagonist just zones out and the poem becomes completely irrelevant. It just seemed odd to me to spend so much time talking about this thing and then not even writing it. And just before this part the professor is telling Zo a story but instead of Angela writing the prof telling the story, the story is just described. Again this just seemed like an odd choice to me, why have a character tell a story if you're not going to write the character telling the story?

<b>"But as he began reciting the poem, she decided it wasn't short, and when he forgot a line and had to pull the creased paper from his pocket, her attention turned elsewhere."</b>

I also had an issue with the overall plot. I got over halfway through and really nothing that interesting had happened. By this point Zo has really only investigated one clue and it didn't really lead anywhere. And of course this little excursion was with the forest ranger (who's for some reason investigating the murder with the chief of police) that Zo has zero time for at the start of the novel but now she's starting to catch feelings for him. I get that love interests are a part of the genre, but Max (the ranger) didn't seem like a good choice. Maybe my expectations are just skewed because I haven't read anything from this subgenre before, but up to this point it hasn't been very mystery-y, and maybe it does get more mystery-y, but over halfway through I feel like it should be pretty mystery-y.

My last issue was with the characters. Like I said Zo is a pretty good protagonist, she has a well-defined personality and clear motivations, but the rest of the characters are pretty uninteresting and kind of 2 dimensional. By itself this wouldn't be a huge issue, but the three issues combined kind of sealed the deal for me.

So why give this 2 stars instead of 1? Perhaps I'm just being generous, but I did think Zo was a decent protag and I did like the setting. The stuff with Zo's attempts to wrangle her cat were pretty entertaining too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy.

OPEN FOR MURDER by Mary Angela is the first book in the Happy Camper cozy mystery series and is set in fictional tourist small town of Spirit Canyon, South Dakota. Former journalist Zo Jones runs the Happy Camper gift shop where she sells locally made souvenirs as well as antiques and does assorted rentals and even some hiking tours. It is Memorial Day weekend and Jo’s best friend from childhood has returned to town with her family to reopen the Spirit Canyon Lodge. When the power goes out and a dead body is found the next morning. Naturally, Zo’s instincts are to investigate.

Zo is a well-rounded main character that felt real and her motivations seemed believable. The secondary characters are not as well-developed, but they enhanced the story and will likely be developed more in future books in the series. The relationships between the characters seemed believable and not contrived. The plot was well done and had plenty of twists and turns along the way. I also enjoyed Zo’s interactions with her adopted cat, George. My biggest complaint is the portrayal of the local Chief of Police. Themes include friendship, family drama, death, secrets, new relationships and much more.

Overall, I enjoyed this fun, appealing, and entertaining story. I definitely am looking forward to the next book in the series as well as checking out the author’s Professor Prather series. I recommend this book to those that enjoy cozy mysteries.

Kensington Books and Mary Angela provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Open For Murder is the first in a new series by Mary Angela. This was my first book by this author but will definitely not be my last. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in South Dakota. The book was well written and loved all the characters.

This book had an interesting premise--a hippie store owner's best friend opens a hotel and there's an instant murder! However, there were so many characters early on in the novel that I found it confusing, hard to follow, and ultimately not engaging.

I am delighted with this new series set in one of my favorite states, South Dakota. I love the Black Hills area where this cozy is set. Spirit Canyon is a thriving town especially for summer tourists. Zo Jones runs a shop where she sells happiness to her customers. A former journalist, she can't help but get involved when her friend is accused of murder. I liked Zo. I liked her philosophy and her take no guff attitude. I read the author's website and the mystery of Zo's parents will be fleshed out in the series. I liked Max, the local ranger. I see lots of potential for this series and can't wait for,the next one.

Open for Murder is the first book in the new Happy Camper Mystery series by Mary Angela and I really enjoyed this book. The setting is in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the description of the setting was well written. I really enjoyed Zo, the protagonist and also Max who is a forest ranger. I can possibly see these too in a romance in the future.

The story and mystery was well written with engaging characters. A great debut book in a new series.

Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I liked the mystery and it kept me surprised. I also liked the setting and the characters. I look forward to what else Zo may find herself in.

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

Great start to a new series! Zo owns the Happy Camper gift shop in South Dakota, a beautiful locale and great setting. When Zo's childhood friend Beth returns, things go awry and Beth is accused of murder. Zo knows that Beth would have never committed such a crime and naturally has to work to clear her name. This was a fun read with likeable characters and a charming setting. The mystery was well written and entertaining and I look forward to the next book in this series.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. As the first book in a new series, you’re introduced to Zo Jones who owns the Happy Camper gift and outdoor shop in Spirit Canyon, SD. Zo is a former journalist who also writes a column for the weekly paper. With the coming Memorial Day weekend, Zo is thrilled that her best friend, Beth, has returned and is reopening the upscale lodge left to her by her aunt. As Zo grew up in foster care, Beth’s summer visits and her aunt were the closest thing Zo had a long-term loving family relationship. With Beth, her husband and two children back, Zo looks forward to reconnecting. In the first weekend’s opening events, a competitor dies at the lodge and Beth is under suspicion by the obnoxious chief of police. Zo enlists Max, the local forest ranger and her sometimes adversary, to help prove Beth innocent when the death is pronounced as murder.
I really like the premise of Zo’s shop – the Happy Camper sells things to make you feel good. Zo has a love/hate relationship with George, the Maine Coon cat she adopted, and he seems determined to show her who’s boss. Max has great potential as a love interest, provided he can get past Zo’s prickly exterior and relationship distrust issues. Spirit Canyon seems like a wonderful town to visit and its very well described, allowing you to experience it in your mind. While Zo is not a readily likeable character in the beginning, you can see her character open and grow as the story progresses. Her evolution in future books will be interesting to read.

I adored Mary Angela's other cozies (Professor Prather Mysteries), so when I heard she was launching a new series I knew I had to read it! Open for Murder, the first Happy Camper Mystery, introduces us to Zo Jones, proprietress of the Happy Camper gift shop in picturesque Spirit Canyon, South Dakota. When her childhood friend, Beth, returns to town to run the lodge left to her by her aunt, Zo is right by her side when a guest is murdered during her Grand Opening. Even though the late (and unlamented) Enid Barrett had many who may have wished her an untimely demise, the police have zeroed in on Beth, and it's up to Zo to clear her friend's name. Wonderfully written, this clever cozy mystery kept me guessing right up until the reveal!. A+++

2 stars
Good enough but not great. The author tries to portray herself as a whimsical woman but comes across as cliched and whiny, This is my first book from this author and it will be my last. I just despise the whole I am so this because I am a Sagittarius. Really?
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The first in a new series Open for Murder by Mary Angela follows Zo tourist shop owner in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Zo had a tough life in foster care, but she always had the support of her childhood friend Beth, taking refuge at Beth's Aunt's hotel, Spirit Canyon Lodge.
The mystery begins with Beth returning to Spirit Canyon to run her Aunt's lodge after her death. Zo is there for the opening weekend and everything is going well until another local hotel owner is found dead in her room. Beth is immediately a suspect, but Zo is determined to help prove her friend's innocence. Using her skills from her old job as a reporter she begins to exam the variety of characters staying at the hotel that night, many who had issues with the dead woman.
With the help of Matt the local forest ranger, her professor neighbor and a variety of local characters Zo begins to put the pieces together. The plot had me guessing until almost the last few pages and I felt instantly connect to Zo, the community and town of Spirit Canyon.
This book was very well planned, it felt like an established series already, not a book one. I can't wait to read the next one!

🏪 Deep in the heart of South Dakota, former journalist Zo Jones runs the Happy Camper gift shop. She couldn't be happier because Memorial Day weekend is approaching, and so is the reopening of Spirit Canyon Lodge, her good friend Beth family's hotel. Everything looks perfect, till a power outage and a dead body threaten to ruin the event. When Beth becomes the prime suspect, Zo decides to investigate with the help of Max Harrington, a local Forest Ranger.

♥️ I liked:⁠
👩 Zo. She is a strong, independent woman that would do anything to help a friend. I enjoyed the description of her shop, the care she puts in every single detail. I also loved the connection that she feels with Spirit Canyon, the small-town where she lives.
👨 The secondary characters, Cunningham, Hattie and Max. The first one is the perfect neighbour, and not only because he is good at making cocktails (😋). Hattie can be young, but she is as strong and determined as Zo, and she found her family in the shop. And Max... what can we say about Max? He is probably every girl's dream.
❓ The whodunit. I have to say at the beginning I thought the culprit was somebody else. I was convinced about it until I was more than halfway through the book when the clues became a bit more obvious.
🌄 The setting. I loved Spirit Canyon, I mean it. Now I want to visit it, even though I am not even sure it is a real place. 😂

🤔 I wasn't so sure about:
🗯️The dreams. I am not a big believer in long lost relatives sending signs through dreams. But it's just a personal opinion. It did fit in the plot very well.

It's a really enjoyable cosy mystery, I am looking forward to the second of the series.

Super enjoyable read; good mystery, solid characters, beautiful setting, and had me wishing I could travel there for the summer. Good start to a new series that I can’t wait to read more of!

I always enjoy reading a book by a new to me author. I think I’ve discovered a hidden gem in Open For Murder.
Zo has had a difficult life, but now she’s putting a positive spin on everything, including her quirky gift shop, The Happy Camper. She has a little bit of everything in her store, and it’s someplace I would definitely want to visit.
When her childhood friend Beth returns to their small town, Zo couldn’t be happier.
Inheriting her aunt’s lodge, Beth and her family are throwing a grand opening celebration, which was included a wide variety of guests.
Unfortunately, one of her guests is a cantankerous woman, who is out to ruin Beth, since she’s her competition.
Things take a deadly turn and when Beth becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, Zo will do anything to help her best friend, including putting herself in danger.

I found this book to be well written and entertaining. I was kept guessing almost to the end, but l was finally able to put it together.
I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.