Moscow Mules & Murder by Quinn Avery is a cute, but shallow cozy mystery, which takes place on the beach in Santa Maria Island, Florida, often at a tiki bar. Zoey is emptying the trash one night after her shift when she comes upon a skull. She squeals and is off, frightened by her find. By the next morning she realizes what an error she has made and rushes to police headquarters to report it. The detective in charge (new and gorgeous), returns to the dumpster to find ... nothing. They search. He convinces the chief to send some guys out and they dig. Nothing. Grayson, the detective, believes her, but they get involved with other things, like rescuing a dog that needs one of its legs amputated; Zoey painting the inside of Grayson's house, despite the fact she has no idea how to; and becoming friends, as she was too much younger than he to be anything else. Then things start happening. Threats are made. Clues are discovered.

Zoey was an engaging character but the novel had no depth: clues appeared from nowhere; people were always the first place they looked, or the first person they questioned. It was not terrible for a first effort, but it was no a first effort. For a novel that could have been quite good, it missed the mark. Things moved to fast or too slow. Pacing was a problem. The mystery itself was far-fetched. To paraphrase: We were in love. I told her to leave and never come back. She never did. Very corny and simplistic. Sorry. You can do better. One interesting thing: Grayson's ex- appears to be the protagonist in another series by this author. Different.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Moscow Mules & Murder by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #moscowmules&murder

This is my first book by this author, and I have to say I really enjoyed it! I may have been in the mood for a beachy, fast-read murder mystery, but this book definitely satisfied that craving. I'm glad I requested it and I'm looking forward to the next installment in this new series.

Overall the plot was good - nothing too crazy with lots of twists and turns, but it kept me guessing for a little while. While Zoe definitely has some immaturity issues, she has a big heart and a LOT of curiosity and even some bravery. I loved that detective Grayson Rivers took Zoey seriously when she said she found a skull behind the dumpster at her place of work - which happens to be a beach bar called Beach Bummers. The budding romance between the two also added some spice to the story.

After finishing the book I had the thought that this book felt like an episode of a TV show like Death in Paradise - beautiful scenery, a bit of mystery, a zany protagonist, a 3-legged companion, and of course a skeleton, and all wrapped up in a very manageable amount of time. There is a lot of room for the author to grow her characters and create some more complicated mysteries, but for me this was a good start.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to review this book!

2.75/3 - this was cute but overall the writing seemed rushed and some of the transitions were choppy. I did like the characters so I will be interested in continuing the series.

Moscow Mules & Murder is the first book in the Tiki Trouble Cozy mystery series by Quinn Avery. Quinn Avery is a new author to me. I found it to be a fast read and the characters had potential for growth. I was confused at times as to if the protagonist Zoey Zastrow or detective Grayson Rivers. I found the plot entertaining enough to keep me interested in the book.
I received a digital advanced reader copy from by the publisher through NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book was an ok read for me! It was funny , light hearted, had some suspense, action, drama , heartache and heartbreak! It was very low on the steam factor too! But it was an ok read! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

This was a quick read. The whodunit was rather well done and I love Lucky, but there could have been a little better background story weaving on some of the characters. The series has potential to grow and develop the characters and relationships. Sometimes a first book in a new series doesn't gel as well for me, so I am not hanging this one up to dry, I'll check out the next one and see how things go.

Zoey Zastrow works as a waitress in Beach Bummers tiki bar. One night after cleaning the bar she takes the garbage to the dumpster when she discovers a human skull by the dumpster.

The next day Zoey heads to the police station to report what she saw the previous night. There she meets a cute detective named Grayson Rivers who recently moved from California. She also shows him a security card from Beach Bummers she found underneath the skull.

So they both head to the dumpster where she found the skull but realize it’s missing. When they show the security card to her boss Smith, he recognizes it as belonging to one of his staff who suddenly quit six years ago.

Soon after Zoey starts receiving threatening notes warning her to back off from snooping.

Recipes at the end of this book include Quinn's Blueberry Moscow Mule. Overall an interesting cozy mystery.

Thank you to Quinn Avery, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Cozy and romantic mystery with an intriguing main character. Very easy and enjoyable to read, but not the most advanced plot, of course.