Another fun cozy escape with Plum Lockhart and her new life on a tropical island. Her villa rental business is going well and her love life is heating up. What more could a girl want? How about an invite to join a party on a fancy yacht? Too bad it leads to a dead body and a typical amateur sleuth on the case. During the party Plum encounters the young woman, a server at the party but Plum brushes her off only to find out later that she has been found murdered.
In true cozy fashion Plum goes undercover to mingle and snoop on the yacht. Think Agatha Christie tropical setting and it's a locked room mystery, too. It doesn't have to be believable, it just has to be a good puzzle and fun, too. This fits the bill nicely. As for Plum? Well I don't think she and I would ever make it as best friends as she is not the most likable person. It's just who she is, almost outright rude at times. I have enjoyed all three books in the series and will read the next one if there is one....or more.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wholeheartedly enjoyed the third installment in this cozy mystery series, which takes place on a fictional island in the Caribbean. I enjoyed the departure from the island and getting to know a new set of characters, but I good to return to the familiar if there is a next book.

This was a quick, interesting cozy mystery. I loved the setting and the culture that is part of this book. I felt that the mystery itself was a little bit lacking to me, but I liked the drama and the flow of the story as we find out who "dun it".

Doyle has a great writing style that is just perfect for cozy mysteries and I am interested in picking up some of her other works to experience this world a little bit more!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of book 3 in Carrie Doyle’s Trouble in Paradise mystery series: The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo.

I jumped into this series without having read the first two–I was drawn in by the cover, description, and clever title. And while I don’t usually read series out of order, I could follow the storyline just fine.

Set on a tropical island, this cozy mystery features Plum Lockhart–once a big city magazine writer, now the owner of a property rental company. The descriptions of the setting were a treat to read during our mini ice-storm earlier this week. If I couldn’t experience sunshine first hand, at least I could read about it.

Plum bumps into an old friend who invites her to spend time on a yacht owned by a rich music producer. It’s definitely a glimpse at a different lifestyle for Plum, but a few days later the police inform Plum that one of the stewardesses has been murdered and ask her to go undercover to see if she can determine the killer. (I will happily suspend disbelief while reading cozy mysteries–it’s practically why I read them!).

If you like stories of “rich people behaving badly” then this should be right up your alley. Woo-wee, the folks on that yacht are a mess and I honestly thought they were all guilty.

A fun read and I’m anxious to get caught back up.

This is the third installment in the series and I thought it was the best so far! I’ve noticed that many of the low rated reviews are from people who read only this one (again people, it’s the THIRD book in a SERIES) as a stand-alone and didn’t feel connected or didn’t understand why some things happened the way they did- please do yourself a favor and read the books in order so you aren’t missing out! For me, I felt like I was getting to know Plum in the first one, who I found to be a little off putting, by the second book I was starting to see more of her charm and by the third book, I was rooting for her. I love the tropical settings for the series and have been intrigued by the entertaining mysteries.. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking for a cute cozies!

It's trouble in Paradise in Carrie Doyle's 3rd book The Gurl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo. Plum is settling into her life in Paraiso and working hard to build up her Luxury Vacation rental business. Things are beginning to heat up between her and Juan Kevin. When a chance encounter at a party creates a reunion of sorts with an old work colleague she is invited to hang out on an elite yacht with the wealthy and rich. But there are secrets under all the glitz and glamor. Plum sets sail undercover to investigate the case.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🏝️ Thoughts 🏝️
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I adore the covers of these books so much. They are bright and fun. The Trouble in Paradise series has always been on the edge of cozy for me. The mystery in the story is what kept the pages turning about 1/3 way into the book things really picked up. I liked the isolated setting of the yacht, sailing around the Caribbean, where everyone on board has secrets to hide, looking suspicious and you know one of them is the murderer. I did find the ending reveal of the killer dramatic and fun.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
While I liked the setting for the mystery I did feel like the coziness aspect that tends to push me head over heels in love with cozy mysteries was missing for me. The cast of characters were far from the usual personalities I enjoy reading. Perhaps their life is just so far from how I live or even tend to imagine would be fun to live like, that I just could not fully escape into that reality. Having unlikeable characters does not mean the book cant be entertaining though, think about "bad" reality tv that you sometimes can’t help but watch.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my copy to read and review. . All thought are my own.

The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo is the third installment of Trouble in Paradise cozy mystery series and happens to be one of my faves. I do want to start with that this is a series you really should read the books in order so that you become acquainted with the characters’ quirks and mannerisms. The main character, Plum Lockhart, who is the amateur sleuth/villa rental company owner is unique and not really lovable when you first meet her. She can be selfish, self-absorbed and thinks way too highly of herself. While all those characteristics doesn’t sound all that great, they also provide several hilarious opportunities of Plum being put in her place or vice versa since the series is filled with over-the-top and insufferable (but funny!) characters. This third book is no different, but Plum is now asked by the Paraiso police to go undercover on a celebrity’s yacht because of her knack of solving local murder mysteries. While this very aspect was a bit too far-fetched for me, I did enjoy the adventure aspect of the story and the yachting life spoke to my Below-Deck-show-loving heart.

Can’t wait to see where the next book takes me!

I did not finish this book. The beginning was slow and I really couldn’t get into it. I read 50% before deciding not to finish it

I was drawn to this one because it’s a cozy mystery with an inviting cover and a fabulous title -(although I wanted some parallels to my favorite book by Stieg Larsson) I enjoyed the setting and the characters and who doesn’t love an amateur sleuth? This seemed a little long for a cozy mystery but I never got bored with it. I haven’t read the others in this series. Overall, this was an enjoyable read! 3.5 stars

This is an ok cozy mystery, The Caribbean island setting is a nice touch but I just couldn’t really connect at all with the main character .

This is a book I tried very hard to get into. I’d read a bit and out it down: try again later and it just didn’t happen. I DNF’d at 25%. The dialogue was hard to get into and the characters seemed one note.

I appreciate access to this ARC. My feedback will not be shared publicly, as it could just be me.

In short: Rental agent Plum tackles a murder aboard a yacht.

My thoughts: I have enjoyed this series, especially the setting, however this 3rd installment was just ok. It was a quick, easy read but I was more interested in the side stories and what’s happening with Plum and Juan than I was with the murder and solving it.

The Girl With Dragonfruit Tattoo was and engaging and cozy murder mystery. It was also a quick and easy read. While I have not read the previous books in the series, I believe this one is still very enjoyable as a stand-alone novel.

In this book, Plum is living her best life on a Caribbean Island, where she works in real estate, has a new man in her life and has solved two murders. When she discovers her old friend, Ellen, is visiting on a yacht, she accepts the invitation to catch up. Soon after their initial encounter, a murder occurs in the yacht and the local police department asks Ellen to go undercover. Under the guise of spending more time with Ellen, Plum joins the party of the rich and famous on their journey to a nearby island.

Overall, this was a really fun and light-hearted murder mystery. It didn’t mage me anxious at all, which was great! I had correctly guessed the true killer early on, but it was fun to suspect others at different points in the story as well.

I really enjoy the characters in this series. The twists and turns are exciting. No disappointments here at all. I can’t wait for the next installment.

The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo is an island cozy mystery which doesn't disappoint. Filled with twists and turns, this is the third book in a series which promises to keep delivering unique and engaging adventures for Plum Lockhart, villa rental owner and solver of murders. This story kept me guessing right to the end. I recommend this for anyone who likes island mysteries with a celebrity twist.

This was a NetGalley review.

Wonderful characters but I just really struggled to get into the book which was such a shame. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This book had some of the most enjoyable characters I’ve had in a while. That said, it is somewhat disconcerting to read lightly about death. I know it is a popular sub genre, but it is always unbalanced for me. The death of someone working on a yacht allows for some nicely described settings. Overall, this was OK to read. I probably won’t think about it much after writing this review. It was, however, a fun interlude.

Is there such thing as a “fun” thriller? This book gave me so many at home murder mystery party vibes, but Plum, the FMC, decided to take it on a yacht instead. Oh, and did I mention the people on this yacht are straight up ca-razy!

I went into it craving all the tropical vibes and scenery, which I got a little dose of, but I found myself laughing my way through this book. I so enjoyed all of the different characters that were introduced, from the yacht staff to the friend group. As Plum was attempting, keyword, to solve this mystery, I actually was questioning a majority of them, in true murder mystery style. Although this was book #3 in the Trouble in Paradise series, I definitely think it could be read as a stand alone (at least that’s what I did and I was able to follow everything).

This was a very easy, casual read. I wouldn’t necessarily say it will knock your socks off and be one you would talk about with friends, but if you are looking for a light read that will give you some laughter, well, this may be a good book for you to consider.

3.5⭐️

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher for review.

So overall, I think this is an alright book. I'm saying that like I didn't immediately know who the bad guy was and didn't almost DNF at like 40%. It's a summery, Knives Out-esque murder mystery with a mostly decent non detective who gets conned into figuring out who murdered one of the stewardesses on a yacht.

As the story unfolds, we follow Plum and her assignment in going undercover with the rich on a yacht to figure out who murdered Lysette. Right away the murderer is obvious, but it's fun to go back and forth throughout the story to see who actually did it. I really enjoyed the ending with the big reveal. I will say though the first part of the story was kind of a slog to get through and NONE of the rich people are people you root for, except maybe Robert, he didn't seem too bad.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me access.

This cover attracted my attention right off the bat, plus who doesn't love a good, punny title? What I didn't know was that it is book 3 in a series...so I binged them all. FYI: You could get away without reading the previous novels in this series. There are parts that continue over, but that isn't imperative to the story.

As far as a cozy mystery, this checks all the boxes plus is has a Death on the Nile kind of vibe to it. If I had to pick a favorite out of the 3 books, The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo is it.

BUT...

There was one issue that kept me from actually loving this book. I could never understand why a villa rental worker would be the one needing to solve any of the murder cases. I think if Plum was a detective or investigator it would all click better for me.

Overall it was a quick and interesting read.