Death in Tranquility

murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth

This one's a real winner! The murder mystery is well crafted with great characters, a busy plot complete with twists, some very interesting red herrings, and a super mixology recipe with each chapter. Avalon has left LA to go to NYC but is at an interesting station in New York state to change trains when she runs full on into a murder, temporary bartending job, an unthreatened law enforcement officer, and a trip down memory lane in a place that honors her old school Silver Screen idol. And that's just the first few chapters! I loved all of it and will need to get a print copy to assemble all the drinks recipes for a friend.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Arundel Publishing/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) via NetGalley. Thank you!

What a fun mystery! Thanks to NetGalley and Arundel Publishing for the chance to read an early copy of this book.

This is the first book in a new series that I very much hope will continue! Our heroine Avalon Nash is in the process of leaving her old life behind, and stops over in the small town of Tranquility in upstate New York when changing trains. Tranquility is on a big lake, and it's a former Olympic town...yes, it is a fictional Lake Placid (tranquil, placid, get it?). I got a huge kick out of this, since I have a lot of nostalgia for upstate New York! Anyway, Avalon accidentally gets involved in a murder and has to stay in the town a few extra days...then she gets hired as a temp to replace the bartender who was killed...then decides that maybe she wants to stay for a bit longer. It's a charming town, even if there are some contentious small-town politics, but that's par for the course. I also appreciated that there's a pretty multicultural cast of characters, even if in the text there's also acknowledgement that overall the area is largely white.

Since it's a mystery I don't want to say too much, especially because so many different things slowly play out -- not only do we eventually solve the mystery of the bartender's death, but we learn more about the Old Hollywood history of the town, and we slowly learn some things about Avalon's background as well.

One of my favorite parts of the book is actually the drink recipes that end each chapter, which are very clever (the chapter title matches the plot and the mood of the drink). It's a fun variety of drinks, some of which we see Avalon prepare in the story itself! I also loved the break from pattern in one chapter, where something bad happens, and the recipe is just "Pour whiskey. Drink. Repeat" so we get an insight into how Avalon's so shaken she can't even think about her lovely inventive recipes.

Finally, if nothing else, read for the cute little Pomeranian who steals the show!

I got this book from the NetGalley Read Now section because the cover caught my eye, with its cocktail ingredients and the lake view in the background. I hope others give this book a chance, because I would love to read more of Avalon's adventures!

This a NetGalley ‘Read Now’ book, and if you’re part of the NetGalley community, you should definitely give it a read! This was my first ever NetGalley read and I’m delighted that I found it.

Avalon Nash is on her way from Los Angeles to New York.  Leaving her Californian life behind and wanting to start afresh somewhere else.  Avalon arrivals in a town called Tranquility while waiting on the train to continue her journey.  She has time between trains and decides to go for a drink in the bar across the street.  After some general conversation and a pleasant drink, Marta, the young barmaid wonders where Joseph, the bar manager, has got to.  Avalon decides to help look for him as Marta is serving the customers.  Upon opening the door to the smoker’s area, Avalon finds poor Joseph, dead.  Avalan is later made aware that Joseph was not the first bar man to die suspiciously… Avalon soon finds herself in the midst of an investigation by Inspector Spaulding in the pleasant town of Tranquility, a town filled with stories of Hollywood celebrities, a haunted room at the inn, a town full of secrets and death...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it within a matter of hours and found it really enjoyable.  When it came to the climax of the book I felt like I couldn’t read it quick enough!  I did spy a small spelling mistake toward the start of the book but we’ll let this slide because the book was fabulous!  Avalon is a very likeable character and I’m so happy that some of my favourite characters made it to the end!  Phew!  The book also contains a cocktail recipe after every chapter and I loved that!  So unique!  I will most definitely giving some of these recipes a go! 

This book is due to be released 29 September 2020 and I highly recommend it!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Arundel Publishing, in return for an honest review. Cozy & quirky mystery lovers, read this book! What a delightful discovery of a, new, hopefully long-running, series.
On her way from the West to East Coasts, Avalon Nash stops in the small town of Tranquility to change trains. With time to spare, she visits a quirky local pub/hotel and discovers an intriguing bar and interesting people. As a professional bartender, she’s always looking for new ideas. When her short visit is interrupted by finding Joseph, the bartender’s, dead body, she steps in while the police do their work. Asked by the police detective to stay overnight, the bar’s owner offers her the job as the new, permanent bartender. Comparing her situation to Twilight Zone stories, she ponders whether taking the job is the right decision or not. Both events and people conspire to have her accept the job, for at least a month’s trial. She also decides to employ the bartender’s second most useful skill, active listening, to solve Joseph’s murder.
Populated with great, clearly drawn characters, this story also throws several interesting possibilities for the villains, along with subplots about former Hollywood stars and townsfolk with lots of interpersonal family issues. There’s so much potential for future stories that I immediately went out to buy the second book (sadly, not yet electronically available). Plus, each chapter ends with a wonderful and distinctive mixed drink recipe. Each sound delicious and makes me want to try them. Really, really looking forward to reading the next book in this series and I hope it’s published soon!

The excellent start for a new cozy mystery series: it's highly entertaining and engrossing.
I loved the quirky and well thought characters, the humor, the descriptions of the setting.
The solid mystery is full of twists and turns and kept me guessing.
It's strongly recommended.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine