Fun characters + cozy mystery = a great story!
“Cooper picked up the novel and eyed the remaining pages. Better to concentrate on whodunit than her own life. Solving a crime was much less complicated.”
I received an ARC of this book for review. I was not required to write a favorable review. All opinions in this review are my own.

The Deeds of the Deceitful

by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe

Richmond, Virginia, is the setting for this delightful cozy mystery The Deeds of the Deceitful by a team of two authors, Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe. I could tell at once that I had jumped into the middle of a series, but the authors did a great job of identifying the main characters. Cooper Lee is a manager at Make It Work! where she is in charge of office machine repairs. She is also part of her church’s Sunshine Bible Study, a group who gathers to study the Bible but somehow finds itself in the middle of crime investigations. Currently, the diverse group is studying the book of Proverbs and are amazed at how often they can apply Biblical wisdom to solving crimes and in their personal lives.

The Sunshine Bible Study is invited to a soft opening of the Atwood Inn. There are issues between the two owners, and one has a car accident under suspicious circumstances during this special weekend. Another crime occurs there that same night. Are they related? There are several major suspects, and the Sunshine Bible Study group feels compelled to investigate as friends come under scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Cooper is trying to help with her boss’ marriage vows renewal, and she meets an attractive chef at the inn. She is thirty-five, single having broken off two engagements, and can only afford to live above her parents’ garage as she pays off her cancelled wedding reservations. Her mother’s emerging pastry business may be ruined, especially if the Atwood Inn can not recover from all of the bad publicity.

Cooper is one busy lady and a very likable main character. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series. It’s clean, has interesting characters, and moves forward at a fast pace. The interaction with the police is believable as the police do not overshare and the Sunshine Study Group keeps the authorities in the loop with their discoveries.

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Beyond the Page Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #6 in the Hope Street Church Mystery Series, but worked great for me as a standalone.
2. Includes 3 recipes at the end.

Publication: November 10, 2020— Beyond the Page Publishing

Memorable Lines:

“Hiring staff and dealing with Chef Mayberry has been like juggling meatballs with one hand tied behind my back.”

Perhaps it was divine appointment, because each time they were able to support someone who desperately needed their help and didn’t have anyone else to advocate for them.

“Any big plans for the holiday?” “If dead-heading marigolds is big plans, I’ll be knee-deep in the fun,” she said.

This is the sixth book of the Hope Church Mysteries series and the second that I have read. A cozy mystery that is a must read by excellent authors!

This is the sixth book in the series. I have read many books by author Ellery Adams but this is my first in this series. I had no problems enjoying as a stand-alone. The characters are likable, interesting and seem well-developed. The mystery is entertaining, well-plotted, and moves at a great pace. I look forward to reading more in this series.

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

The Deeds of the Deceitful is the 6th book in the Hope Street Church Mystery series and the first I'd read. The authors do a great job explaining the characters back-story, making it very possible to read this book as a standalone (however after you've done so you will want to go back and read the rest of the series!).

Cooper Lee has been asked by a friend at work to help plan her wedding as well as be the maid of honor. Cooper asks for the assistance of her sister Ashley. In exchange, Ashley asks that Cooper and her Bible study group do her a favor by staying the weekend at the inn soon to be re-opened by her college roommate Mindy. Mindy, who co-owns the inn with her stepmother, is trying to re-open the inn which has been shuttered for five years since her mother's death, is in need of opinions/input during the inn soft open. Cooper and the Bible study group readily accept the invitation for a weekend away. Unfortunately, not long into their stay the stepmother dies in a car accident which is later deemed 'suspicious." Cooper and the group begin to investigate the crime, as both Cooper's mother and Mindy are considered persons of interest. They soon learn that most all of the inn's employees have a motive for the crime. Along the way a valuable painting vanishes and there are now two crimes to solve. In their inimitable way, the Bible study group are able to put all the pieces together and solve the theft as well as the murder.

Great mystery, including all the angst around planning a wedding! The characters are great friends, share the common bond of their faith and the Bible study, and enjoy being in each other's company. The mystery is puzzling, the manner in which the crime was committed is very creative, and the resolution somewhat unexpected. They book is definitely worth reading and the recipes in the back, from Cooper's mother Maggie, are worth trying!

Cooper Lee was supposed to be getting married but because the long distance relationship failed she is a bit down in the dumps when she is asked by a friend to help plan her wedding. Reluctantly agreeing, Cooper enlists her sister Ashley to help. Ashley wants a trade of services - she'll work on planning the wedding for Cooper's friend if Cooper will get her Sunrise Bible Study group to help Ashley's friend evaluate her historic Inn as for readiness to open. The Bible group will have to suffer through elegant food, massages, just general pampering all for a good cause. But all doesn't go well because Ashley's friend's stepmother (co-owner of the Inn) dies under mysterious circumstances and Cooper's mother is a suspect!

The story was so much fun and I love the characters in this series! The generosity and love that exudes from the characters is tremendous. Certainly hope there are more coming for this series!

Recently single Cooper and her Bible study friends are invited to be practice guests at a historic inn prior to its official opening. The weekend is ruined by the death of the unlikable co-owner. Among the suspects is Cooper's mom. That is more than enough to encourage Cooper and her friends to investigate. I enjoyed the mystery portion and the characters. This was the first book I read in the series, but I had no trouble following along.

This is book 6 in the Hope Street Church series and it's a wonderful story that can be read as a stand alone. I enjoy this series that is not at all preachy but a good wholesome read. Set in Virginia, Cooper and her Bible study group are invited to a soft opening of a local bed and breakfast. The owner wants their opinions and help to get her new inn running in time for tourist season. When the co-owner is killed and a valuable painting goes missing the study group gets into the solving mode. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Cooper and her friends from the bible study club were a cool bunch, and her granny, now, she was a riot, quite a loveable character. I loved the way the bible verses blended nicely into the story, and the budding romance between Cooper and Chef Jon was a nice touch. Their crime-solving method was fun and interesting, putting this gospel cozy mystery, yes, that’s what I called it is a must-read.

This is such a fun, well-written cozy mystery! I’m not sure how I’ve missed this series, but after reading this one, I’m looking forward to going back and catching up with these entertaining characters. This book features Cooper Lee and the rest of the Sunrise Bible Study group. I loved the pacing of the mystery and the way it allowed the reader to get to know the characters very well; and the clues to the mystery were scattered in just the right places. This book has lots of fun: A weekend that made me think of the game “Clue”; over-the-top wedding planning; and delicious recipes that I’m definitely going to try. I’m hoping there’s another book to come in this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Cooper is a 35-year-old blonde. Still single. She has eyes that are two different colors. Lives in Virginia. And she's a part of the Sunrise Bible Study group.

When a murder takes place, close in proximity to the newly-renovated historic inn that the Bible study group is staying at, they are ALL in. They want to clear the good names of their friends who are being interrogated by the police, and bring down justice for the woman who died. It's the right thing to do, with the clues and the brains they've been given by God.

There's a few biblically-minded turns of phrase and puns that made me smile; Christian readers with a sharp eye will notice these too. For example, when "the seas parted"... or simply the names of Cooper's cats (which I'll let you find out about by reading the book). It's all in good, clean fun.

Suitable for: Adults or Teens (12 and up -- only due to some "wordly" comments randomly dispersed into the story. I would still call this "clean fiction", since there's no cursing or adult content.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest opinion.

I am becoming a huge fan of the cozy mystery genre due to books like this. You can read this as an escape from the everyday in a weekend. A really good mystery.

I wasn't familiar with the Hope Street Church series before reading this book, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of The Deeds of the Deceitful. Cooper Lee is a great main character, and I like the way she makes decisions. For cozy mystery fans, this will be a fun read. I'm definitely interested in checking out earlier books in the series now!

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An entertaining and well written cozy murder mystery. I highly recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

This is the sixth book in the Hope Street Church mysteries. The characters are well written and the mystery has many twists and turns. Recommend for cozy mystery fans. I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

I enjoyed this story and really liked how each character has their own strengths on their own in terms of expertise and experience, then they come together and are made even stronger. I read the first three books many many moons ago and was delighted to see this series continued. I couldn't help think, why hasn't this series been made into a television show. I felt the use of a bible study as a backdrop for the characters to be unique and a nice change of pace and Cooper Lee's reluctance to get involved romantically with Jon made for an interesting dynamic. I don't think I've read Tina Radcliffe's work before, but was delighted to see that she has paired up with Ellery Adams on this series. Highly Recommend!

First of all I'm a big fan of Ellery Adams and I'm always excited to see a new book with her name on it. I really enjoyed this book and I enjoy the series. I love the characters in this book, they're smart, likable and secure in their faith. The story moves at a nice pace and I enjoyed the mystery. I was sure a couple times I knew who the murderer was and I was definitely wrong.

Cooper Lee and her Bible study group are invited to spend the weekend at a recently renovated Virginia historic inn as part of the inn’s soft re-opening. Since Cooper is getting over the recent end of her long distance relationship she hopes the weekend will lift her mood. It’s going well until one of the inn’s co-owners is murdered…and Cooper’s mother is on the suspect list.

Cooper and her Bible study group get to work on trying to piece together what happened and discovered there are plenty of candidates to be the murderer. The victim had made a lot of enemies along the way, up to and including her business partner. Add in an art theft at the inn for an extra twist and Cooper and friends have their hands full.

This is the sixth book in the Hope Street Church mystery series, but read well as a stand-alone. The characters are multi-faceted, real and interesting, and their relationships are well developed. I will definitely read more by this talented author team.

Cooper Lee doesn't welcome any reminders of her failed long distance relationship that she recently ended. It seems like blooming flowers and thoughts of weddings are everywhere so what's A girl to do? She is happy when her Bible study group gets the chance to spend time at a historic inn that has recently been renovated. The weekend doesn't look good when the group meets one of the co-owners of the Inn. The man is overbearing and hard to deal with so when he ends up murdered its not the shock you think it would be. Cooper becomes worried when it looks like her mom is on the suspect list. She gathers the bible study group together and the gang starts their own investigation in hopes of clearing one of their owns name. When a suspect doesn't co.e to the forefront the group decides to set a trap in hopes of sharing a killer. Will the real murderer be found out in the end?

Love a good Ellery Adams cozy! This one was just as good as the rest of her books with plenty of twists I didn't see coming.