Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is the 4th book in the Cozy Capers collection. Mac and Tim are finally getting married . Christmas has come and gone, Mac has closed the bike shop for three weeks and Tim has closed the bakery for three weeks. In preparation for getting their new home ready, they decide to do some home renovations. They get quite the surprise when they tear a wall down and find a dead body wearing a wedding gown with her suitcase by her side. In this case, Mac does not have to go looking for a mystery, the mystery has found her. There is a lot of history in this book as the police, Mac and her crew open up the history books trying to identify the body, as well as solve a decades old crime. The past and the present collide as everyone starts pointing fingers as they are so sure that their ancestors could never be responsible for such a heinous crime. I think the fact that the skeleton wore a wedding dress made this particular mystery a little more personal for Mac as she is preparing for her own wedding. The characters in this book and this series are fun and full of life. Her grandmother is probably one of my favorite characters. She is definitely full of life and love. Amateur sleuths will love this newest cozy mystery by the very talented Maddie Day. This mystery was even more interesting to me because the crime occurred many decades ago, so there was history to be uncovered which made the mystery solving a little more complex.

Murder in a Cape Cottage is the fourth in the Cozy Capers Book Group series, however the first that I've read. The book reads very well as a stand alone, but after reading Cape Cottage you will definitely want to go back and read the others.

This installment opens just after Christmas with Mac Almeida and her fiance Tim Brunelle undertaking some home remodeling as they await their pending wedding on New Year's Eve. While taking down a wall Mac discovers a skeleton in a small hidden space - a skeleton in a wedding dress and chained to the wall. Mac of course feels a connection to this bride-that-never-was and feels the need to figure out how, why and who entombed this woman between the walls of Tim's house. Librarian Flo and members of the Cozy Capers Book Group help Mac piece together the clues that tell the story of two young lovers and the situation that led to their demise. Unfortunately, someone does not want Mac to succeed in her quest and makes several attempts to stop Mac and her Book Group members as they get closer to uncovering the truth.

This is a really great book. Mac and Tim are ready to being their lives together, have a loving relationship, their own businesses, and the support of family. Given the condensed timeline - day after Christmas until New Year's Eve - the story flies, but not so much that you get lost, as the reader develops a sense of urgency and becomes anxious for Mac as she must find out what happened to the bride and her groom before she and her groom take their vows. Between her sleuthing she is able to complete the wedding plans, and all of her activity wears you out! The book is filled with wonderful characters - Mac and Tim's friends, Mac's pastor father and astrology practitioner mother, Abo Ree - Mac's grandmother, the members of the book group, the parrot who is always seeking snacks and so many more. Ms. Day expertly includes them all in the story, whether it be in the solving of the years-old murder or the wedding preparations.

This is a complex and puzzling mystery. Digging into a cold case with so many possible suspects, understanding everyone's relationships, piecing together the events that led to the murder of the bride and her groom, ultimately providing closure to the victim's families - really well done! This book kept me guessing until the end. although one character's behavior was quite suspicious throughout the book!

Looking forward to the hopefully many more installments in the series!

Mac and Tim are getting married. They've closed their shops for three weeks and are doing work on the cottage before the wedding. When they open a wall, there is a corpse, dressed in a wedding gown, handcuffed to the wall. This decades old mystery hits Mac and she needs to solve this cold case before her own wedding. With help from her book c!in and some old timers in the area the story unravels. Another great book in this series with some lighter moments thrown in to relieve the tension. This is well plotted and has good characters to keep you reading. Love this series and hope it continues!

Murder in a Cape Cottage is part of the Cozy Capers Book Group Series. This book can be read as a stand-alone mystery as there is enough background to understand the characters and the setting. The main character, Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida and her finacee, Tim, are starting a remodeling project in Tim’s cottage prior to their New Year’s Eve wedding. Mac and Tim are shocked and surprised to find a skeleton in one of the walls, wearing a wedding dress.

Mac calls on the resources of the Cozy Capers Book Group to help solve a mystery that goes back decades and involves one of the formerly prominent families in the village who have now fallen on hard times. I liked this story as it gives some history about the village and its inhabitants. I’m not sure I could have handled a murder investigation, a remodeling project and the last-minute details that go along with a holiday wedding, but Mac does it all. Lovely storytelling and enough twists and turns to keep me guessing all of the way up to the reveal of the murderer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's post-Christmas in Cape Cod and Mac Almeida is busy with the cottage renovation with her fiance Tim. While demolishing a walled-in space, Mac and Tim are shocked to find a skeleton dressed in an old-fashioned wedding dress and chained to the wall. Although Mac should be busy with last-minute items for her New Year's Eve wedding, she is distracted by wanting to solve the mystery of the walled-in bride. With the help of her Cozy Capers Book Group members, Mac uncovers a tragic story of feuding families and an ill-fated romance dating back to the late 1930s. But it becomes apparent that a present-day adversary wants to keep these family secrets hidden at any cost. The wedding with Mac and Tim was a welcome ending to the story but it seemed a bit rushed.

This was a good entry in the Cozy Capers Book Group mystery series.

A truly “cozy” mystery.

This book was an introduction to the series, and reading it felt like a hug. With such vibrant and lovely characters, Maddie Day welcomes us into a town abuzz with activity and love.

As the setting was Cape Cod, this New Englander had no trouble envisioning this town, especially in the early throes of Winter. But what better to warm up a Northeast town that a wedding- and an 80- year old skeleton in a wedding dress discovered behind a wall.

Day’s ability to drive exposition through dialogue is quite good, and kept the tone comfortable and safe. I’m so intrigued by the characters’ back stories that I may have to go dig up the start of this series.

Definitely worth a read for your cozy mystery reading pleasure..

Mac sure never expected to have a mystery to solve so close to her wedding day, but one sorta just fell in her lap as she and Tim worked on gutting a closet in their cottage. I guess Mac felt a little indebted to get justice for this pathetic skeleton that'd been walled up eighty years ago since the remains were found in her and Tim's cottage. Even though Bella the parrot was moved to Mac's parents' house during the renovation, we still got our bookish dose of her silliness and begging for snacks.

As Mac investigated, there was a current day someone who didn't like her digging into a murder from long ago. The only actual murders were the cold cases but there was an attempt on someone's life and by that time I was pretty sure who might be behind all this. The showdown was awesome with Mac herself preventing a killing, but for this cozy sleuth it's all in a day's work. And she lived to get married which was basically what her friends and family were all worrying about. The friends and Mac's toast at the end was pretty sweet. This book releases a week from today, September 27.

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

Mac and Tim are soon to be married. Christmas is past and their New Year’s wedding is near. Unfortunately, when Tim begins their bathroom remodel, a surprise is found. Mac is sure she has time between the wedding errands to solve this cold case. This is an interesting mystery and the whole cozy book club becomes involved. I loved it.

Mac's fiancé, Tim, finds a skeleton inside the walls of the cottage he is renovating, so she dives into the mystery to figure out who it is and who killed them.
This is book 4 of the Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series and the first I read, and will go back to the first books. It can be read as a standalone, but I am curious to learn more about the main and side characters background. The cozy mystery is filled with red herrings that will keep you guessing and give the story a great pace.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Now that's a surprise! Mac and Tim are shocked when they find a 75 year old skeleton dressed in a wedding dress behind a wall in their new home. Who is it? Was she walled up in the house while alive? Why? Mac finds herself caught up in an old mystery which reaches into today even as she's supposed to be preparing for her wedding. There are red herrings, secrets, and lies. There's also Mac's fun friends and family (and Bella the parrot). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a little different from the classic cozy but it's a good read.

What an interesting story about a “cold” case. I loved it! I don’t think I would want it to start in my house, but it made good reading. The cast of characters in this story are awesome. Some really interesting personalities. You may recognize someone you know or have known. What a great group of friends Mac and Tim have. I hope you have those same type friends in your life. I can’t wait to see what happens with Mac and Tim’s next phase of life. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

Renovating just after Christmas and two weeks before your wedding is never a good idea. But for Mac and Tim, finding a skeleton bride behind a wall could prove a bigger disaster than either of them know. In the fourth book in the “Cozy Caper Book Group” series, Murder in a Cape Cottage tells the story of love, hate, suspicion, and heartbreak. In other words, life.

Mac finding a skeleton behind the wall of her new home with Tim, dressed as a bride, makes everything about her wedding far more important and seems almost natural. And at the same time, everything feels almost meaningless unless she can find out who killed the young woman and why. But tracking down suspects and evidence from a crime carried out decades ago could be difficult, if not fruitless. Along the way, Mac discovers the secrets of several families and how some of the most respected members of society can hide events and information, sometimes even murder. Families are never what they seem, even when they look normal.

The characters in this series have always been well-written, very likable, and full of inspiration. The age range works well, from young to old; the book club members are a force to be reckoned with and not to be underestimated. The setting of the bike shop doesn’t play a significant role as it has in the past, which is a nice change of pace. The bookshop is always busy and fun, along with the town itself, especially after the holidays. The victim, a skeleton bride, walled up years ago, almost comes to life as you read the sad story of her death. The evidence, although sparse, gives a good idea of who is to blame for the murder of the young woman. Tragedy abounds, not just in the murder of a bride but in the lives of those involved. Of course, Mac and her friends solve the crime, but it changes their view on life in their little corner of the world.

Murder in a Cape Cottage is a very nice addition to this series. Readers will be enthralled by the past and the secret lives of those we live near or see daily. The skeleton bride will never receive justice, but at least she can finally rest in peace. Mac and Tim have a long life ahead of them, and I hope we get to read all about it in many books yet to come. Fans will enjoy every second spent reading this book, and the recipes will have your mouth watering. I hope everyone spends time with Mac and enjoys her continuing story.

MURDER IN A CAPE COTTAGE is the fourth book in the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries by Maddie Day. In this newest release, ‘Mac’ MacKenzie Almeda is preparing for her nuptials to baker Tim Brunelle. What should have been a week filled with bridal activities and fun turns into a nightmare when a skeleton is found inside a walled in space in Tim’s hundred-year-old cottage. To up the creepiness factor, the skeleton was dressed in an old-fashioned bridal gown and had been chained to the wall. With only a few days until her wedding, Mac decides she must find out what happened to the bride and find justice before she says her vows.

This brings a sense of urgency to the storyline. With a fast-paced plot that starts from the very first page, Ms. Day pens an intriguing cold case murder mystery. Using her connection to the community, Mac chats with elderly townsfolk, and researches old newspapers hunting for clues of the identity of the dead bride. I’m always in awe of writers who can successfully navigate putting together a cold case mystery and provide enough clues and twists to make it interesting. And Ms. Day does not disappoint. Adding to the enjoyment are the supporting characters, from Mac’s dear grandmother, her African gray parrot (who provides moments of levity), to her Cozy Caper’s book group who helps suss out clues. As they track down information, it becomes apparent that someone in town has a vested interest in keeping the crime unsolved. With the suspect list growing and the days counting down to Mac’s wedding, I felt the need to read faster and faster to find out what happens next. I, for one, can’t wait for the next book in this delightful series!

As in all of Maddie Day’s books, you can count on delicious mentions of food throughout the story. And, of course, lots of wonderful recipes are included at the back of the book for the home cook to try.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When a skeleton is discovered in a wall, during a home renovation -it is up to our heroine to solve the mystery. Not so much a Christmas novel as a winter one-but nonetheless a good addition to the series.

It is nearly Christmas in Westham, Massachusetts,and Mac Almeida and husband to be, Tim, are demolishing a wall in their cottage to build an en suite bathroom. In true cosy style of course they reveal a skeleton in a bride's dress, sitting in a chair and chained to the wall. Not what you expect to find behind the average wall.

The book follows a lengthy and complicated investigation as Mac researches the history of many of the town's established families to try and discover who the would be bride was, and why she ended up murdered.

This a well written book with lots of research and many red herrings. The families are protective of their forebears and no one wants to find their grandparents guilty of this horrible murder. Mac does an excellent job of pursuing justice for her skeleton bride and her prospective bridegroom. It was all very entertaining and definitely worth reading.

I think this was a great book. I liked the turns this story took. It was nice to see Mac not placing herself in danger while she tries to get to the bottom of an 80-year-old cold case that she and Tim stumble across during their home renovation.
It’s a week or so before their New Year’s Eve wedding, when Tim discovers a woman’s skeleton in the space behind his closet while tearing down a wall. Mac’s heart goes out to this woman dressed in a wedding outfit and chained to the wall. Mac wants justice for this person. She would like it resolved before her wedding.
To compound her list of worries, there are shop robberies in town. She is worried about her bike shop and Tim’s bakery.
I like how their friends and family care about each other and their community.
The book has an interesting premise and its astonishing how the culprits were able to keep it secret for so long.
I was given an advanced copy of the story by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

It was a quick and engaging read, which is what you want from a cozy mystery. The small town setting where everyone knows everyone is perfect and the characters are well-developed and fun. The characters in this book are pretty enjoyable, clever, and well-read. Well written.

Murder in a Cape Cottage is the 4th book in Maddie Day's Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries. I've read a few series by the author and enjoy the different characters and settings. In this latest caper, our protagonist Mac, a late thirties bike store owner who's getting married in this book, discovers a skeleton in her home with hubby-to-be Tim. What's worse, she was wearing a wedding dress like Mac's! The body is ~75 years old and turns out to be from a family that lived there in the 1940s. Several relatives still reside in their small Massachusetts town, plus those of the dead woman's fiancé and another core family who was very friendly with them. What a terrific genealogical investigation! Loved it... easily 4.5 stars. It's a smooth story, ripe with conflict and drama but flows so well. It's hard to decide which family might be protecting an ancestor, as they all had reasons to be guilty, but the true criminal is two-fold. One in the past and one in the present. Love the progression of this series, and I definitely recommend it to amateur sleuth fans.

This is book 4 of the series, and it's finally wedding time! But Mac's life isn't without hiccups along the way and a skeleton in the wall of her new bathroom to be, isn't what a bride wants as a wedding present! The book allows more of the town characters to come out, and for those who are already reading the series, it's fun to see the town expand and see everyone working with Mac to make her wedding special. Part cozy, a bit chick lit and a bit historical mystery, this is a fun addition to the series, and it's fine reading as a stand-alone book as well