Death At Breakfast by Beth Gutcheon (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Retired New York City private school head Maggie Detweiler and her old friend, society matron Hope Babbin, are off on a weeklong vacation to Maine, to visit Hope’s son and attend a master cooking class at the picturesque Oquossoc Mountain Inn. The worst tragedy they anticipate is a boring fellow guest or a fallen soufflé.

But their quiet idyll is disrupted by the arrival at the inn of a boorish couple, Alexander and Lisa Antippas, and Lisa’s sister, Glory. Imperious Hollywood one-percenters, Alex and Lisa are also the parents of the latest pop sensation, teen icon Artemis. Discord enters with the family, closely followed by disaster. When a suspicious late-night fire at the inn is brought under control, Alex’s charred body is found in the ashes.

Enter the local deputy sheriff, Buster Babbin, who is Hope’s long-estranged son and a former student of Maggie’s. Buster needs a success, and Hope and Maggie, informed by a lifetime of observing human nature, coupled with a certain cynicism about small town justice and a healthy dose of curiosity, decide there is role for them to play here."
 
My Thoughts:

I enjoyed my reading experience with this book so much! It was such a fun mystery and I found myself just caught within the pages the entire time. From the very beginning, the author brought this story to life and I couldn't help but just settle in to the pages. What I loved about this book so much is that there was just this feeling of humor present throughout the entire book- it felt a bit playful at times which isn't something that you always see in a mystery. It was just a fun book to read plain and simple! The characters were great as well which made the book even better. The two main characters were Hope and Maggie who are both retired and traveling together for the first time to see if they make good traveling companions. I absolutely adored the fact that the main characters in this book were older- too often it seems that all of the characters in every book I read are in their early twenties or younger. With older characters you get a different perspective then you would with someone that is younger. I really thought that these two ladies just made the book that much better. I am really looking forward to reading more books in this series based off of their characters alone.


The mystery portion of this book was done quite well. I guessed at one point early on who it might be but was never sure until the very end because the author did such a good job of keeping me guessing. I loved the fact that at certain points in the book I suspected almost every single character. When an author can do that, it is a sign of a great book in my opinion. I also really appreciated how easily this author was able to just pull me in. This was a book that I took my time with as I just didn't want to see it end. I enjoyed getting to know all of the different characters and I really enjoyed trying to figure the mystery out. But my absolute favorite thing about this book was the descriptions of the inn where they were all staying. I wanted to stay there myself! It just seemed so cozy and inviting- the author was able to bring it all to life for me. I found myself wishing that I could go and visit myself! The ending of this book was perfect. I honestly don't think that the author could have ended it any better. I was also left excited because it seemed pretty clear that there is going to be a second book. I can't wait!

Overall, I really enjoyed my entire reading experience with this book. I found it to be such a pleasant read and I was truly sad to see it end. With a great cast of characters that I couldn't help but love, I was left very excited about this series! I will definitely be reading the second book as soon as I can get my hands on it. I can easily recommend this book to other mystery lovers. I think fans of Louise Penny should check this author out as this book had a similar vibe with a strong focus on characters. Easily recommended!

Bottom Line: Such a great beginning to this new series- I can't wait for more!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour.