I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review.

Really well thought-out book with amazing characters and amazing setting.

This was a fun read. I liked the characters and the premise of the story. The mystery was very well developed and I will read more of these

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy series. Zo is back, and it is the middle of tourist season. When a book goes missing following an estate sale, the suspect list is long. Add in a treasure map, gold, and a great setting to get a wonderful cozy mystery. The characters work well together. The book has just a touch romance but not enough to be annoying. I am already looking forward to the next book.

I love the Happy Camper series so much. I live in the town where the story is inspired from, and the Easter eggs throughout it make me so happy. My kids also love finding all the South Dakota nuggets in these books. I appreciate the mystery that surrounds the town and I love the relationships that have been built throughout the series. This was good as a standalone but I think it might make more impact to read the other two books first. All around, will be recommending to everyone I know, especially in South Dakota!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Mining for Murder is the third book in the Happy Camper series and it's the best one yet!
Not only does this book contain a well planned mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end, but it also brings to a close another mystery that the main characters, Zo, (and readers, too!) have been pondering since the first book.
I love reading about the characters and this setting and the author generously added some great recipes at the end!
I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Zo Jones is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery characters. The latest addition to the “A Happy Camper Mystery” series, is a wonderful addition to an already fabulous series. A mixture of family drama, hidden gold, and a historical book, makes this addition a standout hit that will have readers jumping for joy.

A historical book about the gold rush days of South Dakota goes up for auction. There are grumbles and outright hostilities over the ownership of the tome. The book's contents tell the story of family relationships, hard times, and maybe Spirit Canyon’s secrets. Everyone wants to get their hands on the book for one reason or another. But when a friend of Zo’s win’s the bid and is soon after found dead, it becomes a case of murder. But which family secret got Maynard Cline killed, and does the book hold the secret to finding lost gold or something more sinister?

The characters in this series are delightfully down-home and based firmly in reality. The locations are well developed (having lived in the area this series is set in, I can actually picture many of the real places quite easily, especially the canyon and the gold mine). The victim, although a germaphobe and wealthy, is sympathetic and respected, although not necessarily liked by many.

The suspects are easy to spot and give family and the gold rush an all-new meaning. The motive, however, maybe a bit more involved than readers may at first think. The evidence points you in the right direction, but the ending may leave you on the edge of your seat. The killer is unveiled but not before Zo gets herself into deep trouble as usual. In the end, I saw the twist coming, and I am happy to say that I love the direction it will take this series and Zo. The pace was a little slower than I would have liked but in general, was a fun and entertaining read from start to finish. I look forward to the next installment.

Fun cozy mystery set in South Dakota. I kind of liked that her job as a shop owner wasn't as specific as cozies usually are.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the setting of South Dakota and I am glad that I did. I enjoyed the mystery of the priceless book and the characters were down to earth. I liked how the story flowed and I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

This mystery by a new-to-me-author was a delightful read in many ways. I enjoyed meeting and discovering the quirks of the characters and learning more about South Dakota. The mysteries kept me on my toes; I couldn’t figure out who the bad guy was, or if there were several. Murder, theft, break-ins, and bodily injury contributed to the complexity, as did a personal quest that Zo has been chasing throughout the series. May I suggest that one read the books in order to give each one more meaning?

The estate sale and auction at the home of a late, renowned historian was well attended, including by Zo and her close friend/ librarian Hattie. It became of great interest to best friend Jules, who determined it was the home of her dreams. Many people were interested in a one-of-a-kind book about the early days of Spirit Canyon, including the gold rush and a map of where an original prospector stashed his gold. Jules won the home, and their friend, Maynard, won the book. Several people were angry about the book being auctioned off, including the history chairman at the local college who claimed she promised it to him, and the head of the historical society.

Hattie, the head librarian, was the only person Maynard would trust to borrow the book for an hour on the opening of Gold Rush Days, and Zo went with her to pick it up. Maynard didn’t answer his door, so they went out back. They saw one of his impeccably kept shoes lying damaged near the cliff’s edge. Looking down, they saw Maynard’s broken body on a lower ledge. Suspicious, they asked the Chief of Police to look for the book when they searched Maynard’s home for evidence in his death. Zo wants to see the book to see if the family of her birth mother is in it so she can learn of her heritage.

I could almost picture several characters and their mannerisms. Zo, Max, and Zo’s employee, Harley, are very likable and easy for me to be invested in. Zo’s lifelong, best friend Jules was not one of my favorites, perhaps because of her stress of cleaning the new home, packing, and unpacking. There are some really quirky people that added to the fun. I appreciated how at least two characters took opportunities to grow and change. Several age groups are included, attracting various ages of readers.

The setting was described wonderfully. I never imagined South Dakota having some lush beauty, primarily remembering Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. I liked reading some of the history, including the gold rush. There were a couple situations I didn’t see backstory for that delayed my understanding.

There were many twists and turns that proved the mystery more complex than I anticipated. Several suspects came to light, and when Jules is found injured, Zo and her friend Max are willing to go to any length to find the bad guy. I was so surprised at who was involved with the assault, theft, break-in, and ultimately the murder! All loose ends were admirably tied up, including a mystery that was pursued through the series. I highly recommend it!

This was an interesting mystery filled with lots of facts about South Dakota and their landmarks and attractions. I haven't been but have always wanted to visit so this book pulls double duty as a pleasure read and a guide book. The mystery itself was solid and kept my interest but my favorite part of this series is learning more, oh so slowly, though, about Zo and her birth family. The ending was a surprise and I was not expecting that resolution at all. Looking forward to the next one.

Mining for Murder is the third book in the Happy Camper Mystery series. In this book, Zo’s friend from the Zodiac Club is murdered after he purchases a rare book from an Estate sale. The mystery is a good one, it kept me guessing until the end.

While it is another great book in the series, I don’t like how the book jumps ahead approximately 8 months in time from the last book. It feels like the reader loses a lot of the personal stuff. When reading a series and getting to know the characters, and the book jumps 8 months ahead, it loses the appeal of liking the characters because so much in-between time is lost. For me, cozy mysteries are more than just the mystery itself.

I did love the ending, that a new family relationship is uncovered. I look forward to that progressing. Hopefully the next book won’t jump so far ahead in time (another 8 months in the book itself), so we don’t lose out on all the new family interactions/relationship building. We already lost out on the romantic relationship building from books two to three. It was weird how that progressed in the 8 months that the reader wasn’t involved. Which is too bad, because Zo and Max are a great couple.

I hope there are more to come in this series. Zo is a great character and the setting in South Dakota is interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this wonderful ARC. I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I will post this review to my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, & Amazon accounts.

Mining for Murder by Mary Angela - a wonderfully written third installment in the Happy Camper Mystery series, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two, this is my favorite! A cozy adventure in the hills of South Dakota, complete with treasure maps and lost gold mines, it was a great read, and lots of fun to discover the clues along with Zo. A+++ and 5 stars!!!

Princess Fuzzypants here: There is a reason the Wild West was described that way. Between cowboys and those looking for fortunes, the strong prevailed. Families of prominence today may have had some shady skeletons in the closets so when a book describing the early days, written at the time, comes up for an estate auction, there is a bidding war. Zo’s acquaintance wins the book but before the dust is settled, the book is stolen and he is dead. That is only the beginning of the shenanigans. Zo’s best friend Jules bought the house in the estate sale and before she even moves in, someone breaks in. When the two discover a gold nugget and a map, they assume that was what the would be thief was trying to find.

Zo and her friends cannot resist poking around in the investigation much to the chagrin of police chief, Brady. She gets to meet his parents and she begins to think she and Brady have found common ground. She has no idea how much common ground until the end of the story when the villains are revealed and brought to justice. I have to admit, it was a twist I never suspected and rather enjoyed. I think there will be some great opportunities to see where things go.

The entire book delves into various family relationships- the good, the bad and the ugly. It made for a good story. Four purrs and two paws up.

A Happy Camper Mystery book 3. I enjoy this cozy series. It has a wonderful setting, a great cast and always provides some captivating mysteries.

Spirit Canyon is super charming. You don't stumble across many cozies set in South Dakota and I love the descriptions of the area. This one included a touch of historical fiction as well by referencing the legend of the Thoen Stone and the original gold rush. The mystery incorporated tales of lost treasure, revealing maps and debates over founding families. This concept played perfectly into the mystery and provided plenty of red herrings and guilty suspects.

If you've been reading since book 1, you know that there is a wonderful side mystery spread throughout the books where Zo is trying to unravel the secrets surrounding her own past. She has been searching for the identity of her birth mother and ends up making a wonderful discovery. I loved this surprising reveal and look forward to seeing how this storyline / relationship plays out as the series expands!

Park Ranger Max still makes an adorable love interest and of course Maine Coon George steals every scene her appears in. I think my fav side characters are Jules, the snarky bestie, and Cunningham, the curmudgeonly neighbor.

A new cozy mystery that I can't wait to start from the beginning. Excited to explore more of Zo's adventures. A quick easy read that was entertaining and fun. Full review to come on my blog. This book is the third in a series and can easily be read as a stand alone though it reads better if you have read the beginning of the series.

This time it’s personal! South Dakota gift shop owner, Zo, is trying to locate a missing one-of-a-kind book while solving a murder in Mining for Murder.

The missing book may have clues to the mother that abandoned Zo as a baby at the town police station. It also is rumored to contain a real treasure map to a gold vein. The map gives almost everyone in town a motive for murder.

Zo and her Park Ranger boyfriend Max have an authentic relationship. The other locals seem genuine too. The mystery (really several mysteries) within the book has many clues and red herrings to chase down. For me, however, the best part was the surprising twist at the conclusion. I definitely didn’t see that coming!

This is the third book in this series, and I’ve read them all. But this book can be read as a standalone.

Overall, Mining for Murder contains several entertaining and challenging mysteries. Jo’s backstory is unique to a cozy mystery and uplifting. The unusual setting and genuine characters just add to my delight with the entire series. 4 stars!

Thanks to the author and Great Escapes Book Tours for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A welcome addition to this series! With the murder of a fellow Zodiac Club member, Zo finds herself looking for a murderer, a reason, and a book. The book might not only be the key to the murder but also hold a key to her personal history as well. Your favorite Spirit Canyon friends are all on hand, too, from Cunningham the friendly curmudgeon to Jules, Harriet, and of course, Max. (Yes, George the Cat and Scout the Dog are also along for the ride, and get lots of 'screen' time, too!

All in all, a fun outing with plenty of action and interplay to keep the plot moving along! Enjoy!

Mining for Murder was a great addition to this series. I recommend starting from the beginning. Another great mystery by Mary Angela.

Mining for Murder is the third Happy Camper cozy mystery by Mary Angela. Released 5th April 2022 by Kensington, it's 207 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats, it makes it so easy to find info with the search function if needed.

This is a small town shopfront cozy set in South Dakota. The protagonist is an intelligent young woman with a largely unknown past (she was surrendered as an infant to the authorities). The murder mystery revolves around the gold-rush history of the town and surrounding Black Hills and a rare antique book with local history which comes up at auction. There's a fair bit of fascinating real history interwoven into the fictional narrative and it lifts the story a lot. It is apparent that the author has done a good job of background research.

As a small town cozy, it's full of the sort of quirky eccentric secondary characters who are a bit two dimensional and who seem to exist to move the plot along and provide light comic relief. The pool of suspects is small, and although the denouement and resolution are fairly easy to guess beforehand, they're well written and satisfying. It works well enough as a standalone with the understanding that this book contains some major spoilers for earlier books in the series regarding the growth and family history of Zo, the protagonist. The language is clean, and there's no graphic violence. This would be a good choice for lovers of light cozies, the kind with whimsically eccentric characters, a town diner, and rural countryside. There's even a cake recipe mentioned in the plot at the end of the book

I found the plotting and development slow and the secondary characters mostly stage scenery. That being said, however, the author is adept at writing and much of the descriptive prose is well done and engaging.

Four stars. This will appeal to cozy readers.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.