Another well-thought-out mystery with lots of great details of the mansion it took place in. It was almost like being on the set of an Agatha Christie mystery movie. I was kinda thinking it reminded me of "And Then There Were None" but luckily there were only two bodies. I like the dynamics of Nick and Stella as a couple investigating murders. Great sense of humor in the overall writing too. Nick was at the mansion for his job but was able to help out with finding things out and just listening in when he heard something interesting or case-worthy.

I loved how Stella finally figured it out followed by a literal race to get to the killer at the end. The techiness of the mystery interested me a lot as well as just figuring almost anyone would've had the magical motive, means and opportunity combo it takes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

The couple that sleuths together stays together! A dynamic husband and wife duo who tend to find dead bodies and end up embroiled in the mystery. Ok, so the wife gets embroiled in the mystery and drags the husband along, but he comes along very willingly! It's great to have a couple be the sleuths as so many of the cozy mystery genre are singles. The characters are well fleshed out and make you want to keep reading about them. The plots are fantastic! Many cozy mysteries are entertaining, but easily predictable who the guilty party will turn out to be. This book kept you guessing right up to the end! It was a wonderful and well thought out storyline that had you shifting blame from each potential suspect as the sleuths investigated them. You could read this book as a stand alone as you don't need the backstory of the characters to truly enjoy this book, but you would be missing out on a wonderful start to the series by not reading the first book too! I can't wait to read what happens next in the world of Nick and Stella!

The Vermont Country Living Mysteries by Amy Patricia Meade is such a fun change of pace from the typical cozy mystery since it’s not just a strong female main character, but a married couple. Meade is able to keep the vibe of a normal cozy mystery though by still having Stella as the dominant main character and Nick is there to help when needed and keep her grounded so her, dare I say, slight snobbery doesn’t become overbearing.

Although we’re only book two into the series, Meade is already changing the venue from their new town to a countryside mansion… and I love this. Some cozy readers are traditionalists and want every book to take place in the small town, but I love when authors mix it up and we can always get back to the small Vermont town in the next book… or not!

Short-Circuited in Charlotte has an old school Agatha Christie feel which is always enjoyable. A giant mansion in the country where old and new guests come together only to have a murder occur. Stella goes into detective mode and while she gets easy answers from some of the guests… who may be lying… others are more resistant and there are lots of references to Jessica Fletcher, Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, and other classic detectives. Meade is able to incorporate more serious subjects with touches of humor which helped to keep this cozy a bit lighter and made it a fast read.

If you enjoy cozies with well developed characters, fantastic descriptions of architecture and the countryside, along with lots of suspects and a few red herrings then you need to add The Vermont Country Living Mysteries to your TBR list, starting with the first book in the series, Well-Offed in Vermont.

This story is set in Vermont where Forest Ranger Nick and his wife Stella are visiting an estate for the weekend. It’s a working weekend for Nick as he represents the park system at a Maker’s Weekend sponsored by the wealthy host. There’s a eclectic mix of guests representing all sorts of tech. When the host and a guest are murdered Stella is called in to by the host’s fiancée to solve the murder. Interesting setting and enjoyable story.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of SHORT-CIRCUITED IN CHARLOTTE (Book 2 of the Vermont Country Living Mysteries), by Amy Patricia Mead, in exchange for an honest review. Nick Buckley’s work with the U.S. Forestry Service has him and his wife Stella traveling out-of-town to an event called Creator’s Cavalcade to promote new environmental initiatives. When the event’s host and another participant are killed during the event, Nick and Stella work together to acquaint themselves with the eccentric participants in order to discover possible motives for the slayings. However, Nick and Stella are working on a deadline; not only do they have to solve the murders before the end of the event, but they also need to do so before the culprit makes them next on his to-do list.

I enjoyed this book as well as the first in the series. This book gives me hope that future novels won’t have too dire of an impact on the population of Nick and Stella’s new hometown.

#ShortCircuitedinCharlotte #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Short-Circuited in Charlotte by Amy Patricia Meade in exchange for an honest review. Stella Buckley goes with her husband, Nick, to talk about his boss, US Forest Services, new environmental initiatives. They are are looking forward to a nice getaway. Stella and Nick are staying in a large mansion with many other people. They have a nice dinner, when a storm comes and the electricity goes off. They wake up to screaming in the morning. The owner of the mansion is found dead. Then another man is killed. This is a great story. I kept trying to figure out who was the killer.

This is a great follow up to Well-offed in Vermont, although it can certainly stand alone. In some ways it’s a chicer version of a cozy mystery and in other ways it follows the traditional cozy mystery genre. There is an astute husband-wife duo from the big city who work well together, appreciates one another and is quite romantic with each other. The plot involves science and technology. The victim is, for all intents and purposes, a good man, perhaps too admirable for some…. However, the small-town environment with more than its share of quirky, simple, and suspicious persons and murder without excessive description of violence keeps this series firmly rooted in the cozy mystery genre. The plot is solid, fairly original and engaging. The Vermont setting is certainly cozy. Four stars.

I really enjoyed book 1 of this series and this does not disappoint! The fun banter between Stella and Nick is fun, the new cast of characters is intriguing, and the mystery was zippy. I love seeing a couple that supports each other’s crazy sleuthing without lecturing, and it’s especially great when they don’t stupid risks. Stella & Nick give me major Nick & Nora vibes and I love it!

Stella Buckley is joining her husband for a weekend at a makers technology event. Expecting to enjoy a weekend in the mountains, Stella sure wasn’t expecting a murder or two to happen while they were there. As the exhibitors are locked down at the estate, Stella is asked by the fiancé of the head of the event to find who murdered him, and whether it is connected to the second murder. Now Stella has Nick worried about her safety and there’s nothing they can do but ride the weekend out and hope Stella finds the killer before they find Stella alone.

The second entry in this series is a solid mystery with great characters and some really cool technology and other pieces from the markers. Definitely one that will have you longing for the next entry in the Buckley’s lives.

Stella and Nick Buckley are back in the second book in the Vermont Country Living Mystery Series by Amy Meade. Short-Circuited in Charlotte sees sparks fly when a man is murdered at the start of a technology and arts exhibition. Nick is there to represent the forestry service and Stella has tagged along for the weekend. With nothing better to do, she gets to snooping out the murderer. This book was a fun one with weekend house party feels. There was an eccentric cast, but Stella and Nick tied it back to the previous book. Good as a stand alone read or to continue the series!

Stella and Nick have left Teignmouth to spend a few days at the Creator's Cavalcade where Nick will be teaching children about the US Forestry Service. As you might predict, not all the creators survive the weekend. Unfortunately the two victims were killed in different places and by different means and the two men seem to have no apparent connections... until Stella starts asking questions and uncovers a complex web of lies.

The closed-room mystery and the stories where the main characters are on vacation are two of my favorite types of mysteries and this book combined both, taking Stella and Nick away from home and putting them on an isolated estate where the pool of potential killers is limited.

I'm a big fan of Stella and Nick, they're a sweet couple and though they're sophisticated and cultured (having spent the last few years in New York City), they don't look down their noses at the small towns they find themselves in and they're kind and open-minded to the people they meet. I love their attitudes. It's at least in part because of Stella's approach that she's able to get people to confide in her, which allows her to unearth clues that the police can't find.

This is the second book in a series I hope continues. I look forward to reading more!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

After reading the first in series I was delighted to receive this for review. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinions are my own.

This is a fascinating mystery that captured my attention from beginning to end. I love the premise of this plot.
US Forest Ranger, Nick is invited to a Cavalcade to present his employer’s environmental initiatives at this meeting of the minds . His wife Stella wants a vacation and insist on tagging alone to the estate where the meetings will be held. They are hopeful for some fun in between meetings. When the director is found dead in his room and a inventor of homeless housing is discovered beaten to death the weekend of luxury takes a dark turn. Stella is on the case and soon suspects and clues abound.

I loved the charcters, the settings and the wonderful well crafted sleuth. The second in series was a fun cozy mystery and I look forward to the next in series.

I was quite excited at the chance to read this second book in the series and snapped it up when it became available through #NetGalley.
As in the previous book, the second in the series is well-written and complex, with a plethora of intriguing and viable suspects who keep you guessing right up to the reveal of the murderer. The glimpse inside the world of tech meets environmentalism is interesting as well. I enjoyed the back and forth between the main couple, Stella and Nick, and particularly enjoyed the fact that the series features a happily married couple - almost unheard of in cozy mysteries these days.
However, I must admit that I almost gave up on reading this one at all. I was 29 per cent of the way in, according to my Kindle, and felt like nothing much of interest had happened yet. The book, in my opinion, is top heavy and ponderous, taking much too long to get to the point of the entire story. The excessive descriptions, which carry on to a lesser degree throughout the book, are somewhat tedious, and as I continued I found myself simply skimming sections.
Overall, though, once you actually get to the first death and the nitty gritty of the mystery, the book's complexity and interesting suspect list keep you turning the page to the end.

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The next installment in Amy Patricia Meade’s Vermont series takes classic mystery high-tech! When US Forest Ranger, Nick Buckley, is invited to the Creator’s Cavalcade to present his employer’s environmental initiatives, his wife, Stella, sees the science and technology driven event – which takes place on the grounds of a luxurious nineteenth century estate – as a holiday from the drudgeries of new homeownership and small-town life. However, when the Cavalcade’s Founder and Director, Philip Morehouse, is found dead in his bed of an apparent heart attack and the inventor of geodesic yurt housing is discovered bludgeoned to death, it quickly becomes apparent that this will be a working weekend for both Buckleys. With a cast of characters that includes a Steampunk designer, a robotics engineer, an Italian fiber optic artist, a recycled materials percussionist, a glass-blowing anatomist, and a French chef who is a master of molecular gastronomy, it’s clear that everyone at the Cavalcade possessed both the brains and technological know-how to make Morehouse’s death seem accidental. But did they? Was Morehouse’s death due to an ongoing heart issue or something far more sinister? And how could his death be linked to the brutal bludgeoning of a man who sought to use his creation to shelter the homeless? Only by embracing her inner “geek” can Stella solve the mystery behind both men’s unfortunate demises. But can she do so before the killer strikes again? And, more importantly, can she do so before the Cavalcade’s all-vegan menu drives burger-loving Nick to drastic measures? (Goodreads synopsis)

Oh my gosh! I enjoyed this novel so much more than the first one. I could see where the author was growing more confident in her voice and style. I still really loved the married amateur sleuthing duo, but this time Nick took more of an assistant role. He praised his wife to others while still encouraging her and being worried for her. It was a wonderful balance that showed his character growth. I also still loved Stella, but here she was more assertive in her role as amateur detective. She seemed more confident in what she was doing as well as her suppositions.

The plot and mystery of this novel was perfect for a cozy novel. While there are plenty of references to Agatha Christie and Jessica Fletcher, a.k.a Angela Lansbury, that made Stella uncomfortable, I honestly felt that those were complaints to the author as the novel progressed. The ending was also better than the first novel as Stella was smart about her execution, and she was much more cautious with the moves she made.

As a former artist/art teacher I really enjoyed the combination of the science with different art types. I would have loved to attend something like this as a high schooler, and even as a college student. I know my fashionista sister would have loved to have met someone like Aurora and her “fiber-opteek” clothing. I believe that schools and state educator should make aware just how important something like the arts can be to foundations like science. I truly do not believe that only a scientific mind, or logical, or rational is what schools should focus on. They should encourage students to be creative. The more creative you are, the more things can truly change.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars. I hope the author continues this series, because I would love to see how Nick and Stella fare in Mexico.