3.5 Stars

Murder Checks Inn was a fun, quick small town mystery with a little flirty sexual tension thrown in. Maiden Harlow runs a small historic inn in Michigan with her family - the prickly younger sister, Vonne, meddling mother and transplanted southern belle, Gloria, and the delightfully eccentric father, Alfie - as well as a small cast of support staff and employees. When not one, but two guests are murdered at Harlow House, the new (and handsome) police chief, David McAlister, enters the scene, and leads the investigation, reluctantly accepting Maiden’s help.

Things I enjoyed:
- The side characters were all entertaining. Even Gloria Harlow, though a bit tiresome when it comes to bullying her daughters, added some humor and fun to the story.
- Maiden and McAlister’s banter was cute and filled with some memorable one-liners, making their attraction believable, even if it took them a bit to realize the feelings were mutual.
- The mystery element of the story was simple but not obvious, and while I guessed what the twist would be, I didn’t catch onto the whodunit until Maiden realized it as well.

Things that led to the 3.5 ⭐️ rating:
- The interactions between Maiden and McAlister are a little bit of a roller coaster in the beginning - Maiden seems to get disproportionately offended by some of McAlister’s comments, and he likewise perceives her as being flirtatious without the dialogue really supporting it. It feels like the author hit her groove with the rhythm of their banter about half way into the book, and the second part reads much more naturally.
- The character of the sister, Vonne, seems to have a reputation as a particularly shrewish personality, and yet her interactions with Maiden and her family are perfectly normal (and even humorous in some parts). We are told many times that people don’t like her, but as a reader, I just didn’t understand why.
- The setting read almost like a play - we only see a couple of locations within the inn, as well as the odd meeting at the police station. It felt very limited, and so felt just a little one-dimensional. The idea of Golden Glen sounds absolutely charming, and I hope that in future books, we get to explore it more.

All in all, an easy, approachable debut novel, perfect for fans of murder-of-the-week mysteries with small town charm. Worth a read, and perfect as a palate cleanser between heavier novels.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an advanced reader copy if this book.

3.5 stars
This was a nice introduction to a new cozy mystery series. Most of the characters were quite interesting, and I could see them being expanded upon in further stories. The setting of the Harlow family inn and the small town of Golden Glen is homey and idyllic. I know that the trope of murder in a small town can sometimes feel played out, but this plot had a good feel overall for pacing and style of mystery.

My dislikes are really more to do with the writing style itself rather than the actual plotline. I just found there was an overabundance of similar adverbs that kept taking me right out of the story. How many times can one use the terms "flatly" or "mildly" to describe conversational tonality? In this particular instance, the answer is too many. I found myself grumbling in much the same way I did when I first read the Twilight book series years ago and couldn't fathom how a vampire could be described as "chuckling" nearly every single time he spoke. My two cents: there's no need to assign tone every time a character speaks. Tone can be conveyed in so many different ways; giving the same types of descriptors again and again as characters interacted only led to mounting exasperation on my part.

All things considered, I think this has a lot of potential to be a fun continuing series, and I really want to give the author another chance to wow me with these characters. As long as they're not reacting to each other "flatly" all the ding dang time I'm in for a second book.

Thanks to NetGalley and author Camille Sharp for providing a digital ARC for me to review. All opinions are my own.

Murder Checks Inn is the debut cozy mystery by Camille Sharp. Maiden (yes, that's her name!) Harlow, her sister Vonny and their parents run Harlow House. The group of guests is varied. There is an obnoxious single older lady, Vera; a rumpled, aggressive man, Mr Creevey; and a few couples. There is a bank robbery in a nearby town. Two of the guests end up dead over the course of the story. There is a new police chief, Captain David McAlister. David and Maiden have some chemistry but with the ongoing investigations, nothing much happens. Maiden has a photographic memory. Her sister Vonny isn't all that likable. There are several locals, Inn staff, police, plus the guests. The suspects include Maiden, Vonny and the guests. Maiden takes chances sleuthing and getting the culprit to confess. The story started off a little slowly but the ending was good. Maiden, Vonny and David are the story tellers and the chapters are focused on one of them, which is a little different. There wasn't the warmth between characters. The parents seemed to favor Maiden, Vonny was prickly and Maiden only had a couple of casual friends. The ending was good and I wasn't sure who the culprit was until the end. #MurderChecksInn #NetGalley #CamileSharp

I was originally draw to this book because it is set in my home state of Michigan and has a bed and breakfast theme which I enjoy. Unfortunately, I was not as taken with the story as I was with the blurb. I wanted to like this book because of the reasons mentioned, but what brings me back to a cozy mystery author or series are the characters. I just couldn't connect with the characters in this story and found that I didn't enjoy them at all. They are not people I want to return to with each new mystery. Perhaps with some character editing to tone down the main character's obsessiveness with her looks and the unpleasantness of some of the other family members, this could be a good series.

new-series, first-in-series, small-business, small-town, hotelier, hospitality-industry, local-history, local-law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, romantic, family-business, family-dynamics, family, murder-investigation, sisters, situational-humor, verbal-humor, unpleasant-guests, unpleasant-relative, unpleasant-victims, northern-michigan, bank-robbery, secrets, lies, hostility

There's a new top cop in town who thought he was moving from big city problems to a sleepy small town. Instead, he gets bank robbery, murders, fellow cops with brains that get switched off when looking at Mai Harlow (himself included), and a family of suspects who are beyond quirky.
The hotel guest was obnoxious and tried to get into the hotel computer, but Mai confronted and stopped him. The next morning, he was dead on the floor in his room. But not killed there. Lots of big laughs and droll humor in this really interesting murder mystery!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from the Camille Sharp (IBPA) via NetGalley. Thank you.
#MaidenHarlowMysteryBk1 #MurderChecksInn #NetGalley #NewSeries #CozyMystery

Murder Checks Inn delivers a delightful mix of humor, romance, and mystery set in the charming Golden Glen. Maiden Harlow's life takes a dramatic turn when a guest is found murdered in her family's inn, and she becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue involving feuding guests, a bank robbery, and a second murder. This was enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns.

~Murder-Mysterty, Small-Town, Secrets, and more!~

Murder Checks Inn by Camille Sharp follows Maiden Harlow, who works at her parent's Inn, Harlow House. After a shocking bank robbery in the charming, quiet town over, Maiden and the locals are on high alert. Just as it seems things are calming down, Maiden finds a dead body at Harlow House. With a new police captain in town and an eclectic group of guests who are now suspects, will the killer be discovered before more tragedy strikes Harlow House? Will Maiden help figure out who committed the murder or just get in the way of the police captain?

3.5| This book was a lovely, cozy murder mystery with a splash of romance. I found Maiden character enjoyable, though her name is a little unusual. I liked seeing Maiden's day-to-day responsibilities at the Inn. I wished I had seen more of her relationship with her sister and her life in general. Everything in the story is contained to the Inn and the police station, I would have liked to see more of Golden Glen and what it's like outside of Maiden’s work. An occasional meeting at a cafe or bookstore would have added some much-needed dimension to the story. I never got a good sense of the time period in which the story was taking place. There are some mentions of modern things like computers, but the writing style offsets that, which confused me. I found most of the characters enjoyable, and I loved seeing Maiden's internal monologue throughout the story and her hesitancy in certain social situations. It added a lot of depth to her character and allowed me to understand her better while also making her seem relatable.

My main qualm with this book is how often Maiden’s looks are mentioned. In the first quarter of the book, her looks are mentioned so much it becomes incredibly redundant. While I am all for body positivity in books, at times, it seems like her curves were used to put down her sister's body. While this isn't her thoughts and feelings, but her mother's, it just didn't sit right with me. Her mother is so judgmental and passive-aggressive towards her sister it was hard to read at times. I am hoping this is a topic that will be explored in future books. One character I am excited to see more of in this series is the police captain. I loved the banter between Maiden and him. Their relationship is something I am excited to see further explored throughout the series. The murder mystery aspect of this book was excellent and had me guessing who it was til the end. I do wish the writing helped add a bit more suspense; it felt a little too casual at times and not like a life-or-death situation. I loved Maiden’s smarts and how she was able to figure it out and stick up for herself.

Overall, this was a quick and cozy read. This series has tons of potential, with great characters so far. In future books in the series, I hope to see more of Golden Glen and what it has to offer, more of Miaden and her familys dynamic, and more of her potential romance with police Captian McAlister. I am excited to see what's next for the Harlow House and Golden Glen!

A beautiful oasis in scenic northern Michigan, Golden Glen is teeming with orchards, wineries and charm...murder wasn't in the brochure! This book was sort of like a cozy mystery but with a bite! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

If you’re looking for a cozy mystery with a splash of romance and lots of laughs, Murder Checks Inn is your next read! 🕵️‍♀️💕 Maiden Harlow is the perfect mix of wit and clumsiness as she navigates the chaos of a murder mystery in her family’s inn. With quirky characters, a dose of romance with the new cop, and enough twists to keep you guessing, this book is a total page-turner! Grab it, get comfy, and enjoy the ride! 📚✨

#MurderChecksInn #NetGalley is the first book I've read by this author.
The book isn't bad, but I did find some of the characters to be annoying.
Maiden works at her family's bed and breakfast, and when a curious customer checks in, murder becomes prominent in the story.
The story isn't bad, but the parents and sister weren't favorites.
There were a lot of attempts at flirting and matchmaking that interrupted the story, other than that, it was fairly good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Camille Sharp for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Murder Checks Inn released on August 15, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Maiden is an interesting choice for a character name…But besides that, I loved it! I think an inn is a fun and cozy setting for a murder mystery. I thought the guy was pretty shady. Maiden handled things pretty well under the circumstances and she was good at her job. I think Maiden was a smart character. The characters were fun. It felt like a really cozy mystery. I would definitely check out more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

I won’t be giving feedback on public platforms but don’t want this stuck on my NetGalley shelf so am reviewing it here.

I stopped reading the book at about 25%. I wish I could push further but the emphasis on how everyone is obsessed with Madien Harlow and she’s just better than her sister, her mom, everyone is not appealing. Especially when Maiden is full of herself and looks down on others in her every thought. She talks about how she’s so curvy but she’s learned to deal with it and yet it’s not a big deal cause every man finds her the most beautiful creature alive. It’s a bit much. Like if you want to write a murder mystery that’s great, don’t need to include all the body positivity language which isn’t even it because she’s just a woman who has curves, it doesn’t need to be mentioned every few pages that her sister is her opposite, skinny and shrill. Overall just needs character editing to make it more appealing. Good cover and idea, just wish the characters held it up.

Fans of the Gilmore Girls would love this setting-- Golden Glen is a beautiful small town with an inn. Until, of course, murder checks into it. Crime needs rooms and this hotel has a growing list of vacancies.
The vibes and the characters were very fun, but the writing felt casual. I feel like that might come across better in an audiobook than a text format, but it didn't hook me all the time which is what I want in a murder mystery. Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book! :)