Member Reviews

This was a good addition to the series. A narcissistic has-been photographer desperate to recapture the public’s attention who victimizes those around him becomes the victim. The mystery was intriguing and the characters were fascinating.

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unpleasant-victims, unpleasant-guests, widow, detective, family, local-law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, B&B, cozy-mystery, friends, friendship, ghosts, murder, investigation, snarky, photographer, entertainers, entitled-attitude, blackmail, black-magic, witches****

The guests were clearly portrayed as the awful trials they were, the ongoing characters remain long suffering basically nice people. The ghost of the fairly recent former owner of the building Charlene turned into a B&B still wishes he could have a real relationship with her but continues to be a great help in the murder and extortion investigations. Interesting cozy.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you! Avail Dec 24, 2024
#SalemBandBMysteriesBk9

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Charlene Morris moved from Chicago to Salem after her husband's sudden death, and bought the large mansion that is now her beloved B&B. It also came with the ghost of the former owner, Dr. Jack Strathmore, whom Charlene has grown very fond of. Only Charlene and her cat Silva can see and hear Jack, which makes her careful when others are around.

She's currently hosting twelve models from around the world and their photographer, Dane Stallone, for a photo shoot that must be done by March 1st, and it is nearly Valentine's Day. However, Dane is acting like a real diva, with nearly unreasonable demands of both the models and Charlene and her staff. While she doesn't like the man, she helps him anyway just to get it over with an him out of her house.

But then a murder occurs, and Charlene is stuck with everyone when the police -- namely newly promoted Detective Jimenez -- tells her no one can leave until she finds the killer. Suddenly tempers flare and arguments break out, but Charlene is determined to make the best of it and hope the remaining guests will, also.

Then there's the problem of Sam, who can't get involved in the case but still wants to see Charlene, and her "daughter" Avery is due home from school for a few days. With so much going on, will she be able to find time to gather clues to solve the case, or will this finally put an end to her sleuthing altogether?...

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read and loved them all. This one was a bit more complicated, as you have a lot more suspects, and they're all gathered in one place. Keeping the names straight was easy enough, but then you have to keep the countries straight as well. Not as easy, but doable.

I loved how the mystery was laid out, and even the fact that each of the people at the B&B had secrets of their own that they wanted to keep hidden. But it's not as simple as it seems when they must involve Brandy Flint, a powerful witch and owner of Flint winery, and Charlene's friend. It all seems so complicated for Charlene, who asks Jack for help.

Through a twisty tale that interweaves mystery, loss, and intrigue, we are given new insights and danger abounds; and wait to see how it all turns out. It is indeed a delicious mix of a tale, and while the ending is very good, I have to say that I am Team Jack (yes, I know he's a ghost, but such a delightful one); so Charlene has that to deal with as well (which is no spoiler as it's been in previous books).
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Another fine tale from Ms. Wilton, and the ending alone is worth reading the entire book (but don't peek!). Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

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We are back with book 9 in Traci Wilton's Salem B&B Mystery series. Charlene and her ghostly friend, Dr. Jack Strathmore are back with another cozy adventure!

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Sorry this work was confusing from the very first page. Too many characters, too little explanation and a disjointed plot.

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#MrsMorrisandtheVenomousValentine #NetGalley is an exciting addition to this series.
Charlene is hosting an unusual group of guests at her B & B in Salem, MA.
Dane Stallone is hoping to bring his flailing career as a photographer back to life, but his lies, deception and callousness takes his life instead.
After Dane's sudden death, Charlene is left with a houseful of models, all with their own share of secrets, but is one of them responsible for his death?

There is a lot happening in this book, and so far it is my favorite.
The ending left me gasping and I cannot wait for the next book!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

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