Tourist Trap Mysteries Books In Order
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The A Tourist Trap Mystery series is among the best of mystery and crime thriller series written by popular American author Lynn Cahoon. While Cahoon has mainly been known to write in the science fiction and romance genres, she is just as good if not better in writing a crime thrillers. The Tourist Trap Mysteries has 9 books, the first of which was published in 2014. The main character in the 9 works is Jill Gardner, the owner of a small Book and Coffee shop in South Cove a residential tourist town in California. In her first appearance, we see her as a local coffee shop owner who just cannot seem to keep her nose out of the troubles and complications in her little tourist city. Over the course of the novel, her nosy can’t keep out of people’s business attitude sees her get involved in a lot of murders as an amateur detective, seeking absolution or justice for herself, associates and her friends implicated in murders. One of the very important characters in the novels is Detective Greg King, who starts out as Jill Gardner’s love interest and ends up as her boyfriend, lover, and unofficial detective partner. Her passion for finding her and solving frequently make her a target for the psychotic criminals, which from time to time puts her under suspicion even from her detective boyfriend.
As the most popular of Lynn Cahoon’s novels, the Tourist Trap mystery series has fans all across the world. The first novel in the series, Guidebook to Murder was so popular among audiences in the US and Europe that it went on to win several awards after its publication. What made the series so popular is that it takes elements from different genres to form the explosive narratives of the Tourist Trap Mysteries. An accomplished romance novel writer, she takes the features of the romance novel by introducing a handsome Detective Greg, to the murder, and politics of a crime mystery in the making of a cozy murder mystery series. The first novel of the series came out in 2014 and introduced a new kind of novel into the public domain – the Cozy Mystery. Becoming an almost instantaneous success, the novel was the winner of the 2015 Reader’s Crown Prize as the year’s Best Mystery Fiction. Given that the author has been publishing one book in the series each year since the first came out in 2014, it is highly likely that she will continue doing so for the foreseeable future. Lynn says that publishing a new novel in the series is like going back home to South Cove, which is why she likes publishing one every year.
Jill Gardner has one of the weirdest descriptions that one could have for the chief protagonist of a mystery novel. Lynn Cahoon describes her as a down to earth, but nosy neighbor that just cannot seem to stay away from mysteries in her hometown – particularly murder mysteries, which always seem to find her. She is the owner and operator of a small coffee shop known as Coffee, Books, and More. While initially single, she has a huge crush on Greg King a dashing detective and part time barista, who later becomes her sleuthing partner. Jill Gardner is a tenacious and surprisingly passionate amateur detective that just cannot seem to stop once she sets her mind to solve a mystery. Despite her family, her boyfriend, associates, and even her targets repeatedly warning her off when she took on huge risks, all she cares about is her cause for justice and solving her puzzles. The series draws us into the murky world of political rivalry, murder, romance, and corruption, which provide for some knife-edge tension and thrill, which only the cozy mysteries of Lynn Cahoon can provide.
The first novel in the A Tourist Trap Mystery series introduces Jill Gardner an employee of the Chamber of Commerce and owner of a coffee shop in South Cove, California. Miss Emily an elderly friend of hers turns up dead soon after getting a threatening letter from the city council. Jill suspects something fishy. She soon finds that she is the heir of Miss Emily’s estate and that her friend had been murdered as she had suspected. She now has to keep the city from destroying her new home and try to solve a murder while trying to tone down her feelings for the handsome Detective Greg King who might also be a married man. Cahoon does a good job of making Jill central to the investigation by making her friends with Greg King rather than try to convince us of her rookie talents. The Minor characters and subplots that, Lynn introduces are likable and for the most part interesting, dovetailing nicely into the main plot of the novel. It is a fun and entertaining mystery, particularly since the murderer remained a surprise right to the end of the book, which is not something you will find in many cozy mysteries.
The second novel of the Tourist Trap Mystery series is Mission to Murder. In this novel, Jill Gardner is on a mission to get the stonewall of her home declared part of an historic mission that had been resident in the area a few decades back. Expecting a lot of opposition from a bureaucrat that did not like to split the tourism budget, she is shocked when he turns up dead. She is now the main suspect in the murder having publicly threatened him publicly a few hours before. It is now up to her detective boyfriend to find the murderer or evidence to clear her name. Lynn Cahoon has really upped her game with this one, with great communication between Jill and Greg, and a well-paced mystery. Jill is more involved with the bookstore and the banter about running the bookstore makes for some good reading. Having two aspects to the mystery – the documentation of the stonewall and the murder mystery make for a very good balance of the less serious and the daily happenings at the bookstore and library. Overall, this interesting and fun read with interesting subplots and characters will leave you wanting more.
Book Series In Order » Characters »
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I LOVE this series, I loved the first series as well with her trusty poodle helping to solve her mysteries but Jill takes the cake along with her partner Greg and girlfriend.
Dont stop this series ever, please. It is hard waiting for a new book as I read them so fast.
I love the Tourist Trap Mystery series. I couldn’t put the book down until the end. I love the characters and the small town. You feel like you know these characters as friends in your own town. I am so eager to read the next book PICTURE PERFECT FRAME in March 2022.