Review: Deserts, Driving, and Derelicts by Tonya Kappes

Title: Deserts, Driving, and Derelicts 

Author:  Tonya Kappes
Publisher: Independently published
Publishing Date:  June 26th, 2018

Pages: 205
Genre: Adult Cozy Mystery

Series:  A Camper and Criminals #2
Source:  Audio

 

Deserts, Driving, and Derelicts
Book Two in USA TODAY Bestselling Author Tonya Kappes's hilarious Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery Series.

Welcome to Normal, Kentucky where nothin' is normal!

Mae West is just getting settled into the RV lifestyle as owner of the local camp ground in Normal, Kentucky. The Happy Trails Camp Ground, located in the Daniel Boone National Park, has started to bring in tourists for the late summer vacationing family that love to hike, swim, fish, and enjoy the outdoor life.

The Laundry Club ladies are still holding court ( better known as gossip sessions) in the local laundry mat. They're spinning more tales than the washing machine spin cycle after there's a string of burglaries happening in their small, southern town.

Suddenly everyone in Normal is on alert after one of their own is found dead. Even though Mae West tries her best to stay out of it, she can't. After all, it's not good for business when a murderer is on the loose. Plus, Betts Hager, one of the Laundry Club ladies and Mae's good friend, is the number one suspect and now it's personal to Mae.

Mae has grown to love her RV community and now that she's found a place to belong, she's not going to let anyone ruin it, throwing her deep into using her amateur sleuthing skills to bring the real killer to justice.

I am really enjoying this series. It is cute and fun and just an easy read with a very loveable main caharacter and whole crew of crazy secondary characters. The mystery was good the setting is always fun, and well I just really enjoyed this book. 


The RV park has been saved and now Mae is working her butt off to keep it afloat and also working on her friendships and maybe just a little romance. Everything seems to be going fine until a dead body shows up and of course Mae is the one who discovers it. This time its the dog nanny for the crazy rich dog lady of the town. Mae's good friend is the suspect so of course Mae has to do everything she can to solve this murder. 

In my opinion all great cozy mysteries have a crew of the best kind of characters. The crazy, the quirky, the outrageous.... all things I just can't get enough of. This book has that in multitudes. I found this author by accident and I am so glad I did. These books are just too much fun. The best thing about them.... of course the characters. Each and every character has a strong voice and a little strangeness. They are easy to love, easy to laugh at and laugh with, and fun to follow into trouble. There is plenty of banter, friendship, and awkward moments that kept me smiling throughout the entire read. 

Another wonderful thing about these books is the setting and I was so ready to  dive back into the quaint and charming lifestyle of the RV parkers. I really would love to live in a place like this just for a little while (without the murder and mayhem of course). The author does a wonderful job of making everything seamless and that includes the setting. I felt I was there and I want to go back. 

This book introduces us to a bit more of Mae's past and more of the crazies that live in this town. We find out how Mae fled for Normal and we meet a guest from her younger years. We are also introduced to the crazy dog lady. She is so nuts but man does she love her dog. We are also introduced to FiFi... the dog that is now a very important part of this series. 

There is still romance lingering in the air but it really hasn't made it's appearance yet. There are tow men in the running for the future Mr. Mae. I do of course have my preference, I always seem to root for the law enforcement types in these books. I think in this one... he might just win the heart of the heroine. Hooray. 

So lots of fun, lots of trouble, lots of murder. I can't wait to see what the next installment brings me. 

What a fun read!

For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been publishing numerous mystery with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plot lines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans.
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