Peachy Scream: A Georgia B&B Mystery

Peachy Scream by Anna Gerard has Nina Fleet who owns Fleet House Bed-and-Breakfast in Cymbeline, Georgia hosting Georgia Amateur Shakespeare Players (GASP). It is the town’s seventh annual Shakespeare on Cymbeline Square which includes nightly performances of Hamlet by the amateur acting troupe. Nina does not learn until the actors arrive that their director is Harry Westcott. The group is rehearsing at the B&B while they adjust to the hot temperatures for their outdoor performances. When Len Marsh fails to return from a smoke break, Nina goes searching and finds the thespian dead in the hawthorn hedge. There were tensions between Len and several of the member of GASP. Nina with her trusty Australian shepherd sidekick, Mattie reluctantly team up with Harry to unmask the killer. Peachy Scream is the 2nd A Georgia B&B Mystery. It can be read as a standalone. Nina Fleet cannot believe her luck in obtaining the actors performing at Shakespeare on Cymbeline Square for her fledgling bed and breakfast. But then the bus arrives with Harry Westcott behind the wheel. Nina was hoping she had seen the last of the actor who believes he should be the rightful owner of her Queen Anne Victorian. You can always count on laughs when Harry is around. There is plenty of fun to be had in Peachy Scream. The death of Len Marsh has Nina donning her sleuthing cap once again. The killer does not seem happy to stop with Len because attempts are made another one of the thespians. Someone is also playing pranks that are getting everyone riled up. There is a red herring as well as a variety of clues. I wish this whodunit had been more of a challenge to solve. I did feel that the killer was rather obvious. Also, there was a repetition of key details regarding the investigation. This character driven story will delight those who enjoy easygoing, humorous cozy mysteries. Peachy Scream is a blithe tale with a hawthorn hedge, amateur actors, number nine Nina, a play within a play, the Secret Squirrel Society, madcap mayhem, and playful pranks.

amateur-sleuth, friendship, bed-and-breakfast, pet, dog, actors, cozy mystery Great fun and really diverse characters! Nina left the rat race and (with her rescue Aussie Shepherd) runs a B&B in a grand home she bought at auction, Harry is not only a known actor but the house had belonged to his aunt and he wants it back (covered in detail in Peach Clobbered). Instead he books all the rooms for his troupe of travelling Shakespearean actors during the local Shakespeare festival (Nina had no idea that it was him behind the reservation!). The characters certainly are and it's a safe bet as to who would be the victim, but whodunit is a different story. The sleuthing begins with the coroner who is not only a popular and colorful minister but is a forensic buff with his own lab in the basement of the Funeral Home that he runs! Lots of misdirection, plot twists, red herrings, and humor that kept me turning pages! Loved it! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!