Name: Motorhomes, Maps, & Murder
Rating: 4.50 (2 reviews)

This was a cute and enjoyable book, the first one I’ve read in this series. I picked this one for the Transportation in the Title book bingo square, and it was a nice, easy read, just the right length to keep the pace moving.

Mae West runs an RV campground in Normal, Kentucky. When a dangerous killer breaks out of prison, a killer who vowed revenge on the jurors and everyone is on edge. After a Civil War reenactment, several of the towns people are found dead and despite being warned by her sheriff boyfriend to stay out of it, Mae is determined to find the escaped killer and protect her friends.

As I said, I haven’t read the others in the series so I can safely say that all references to past books were explained well enough that I didn’t feel lost. I also liked that the characters are so well drawn that I pretty quickly “learned their voices” and was able to remember who everyone was and their place in the series. As for the plot, I have to say that it’s not one that I’ve ever seen before, a lot of it was more like a game of cat and mouse and I really enjoyed it. The preparation for the reenactment (and the chaos that goes with it) seemed to take up a bit of time at the beginning, but made for a good introduction to the town and it’s people. But once the book got going, I was along for the ride and couldn’t put it down.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a great plot and I liked it so much, I plan on catching up with the other books in the series.

An escaped serial killer, a stolen RV, and two murders…what is Mae getting into now?

Motorhomes Maps and Murder by Tonya Kappes takes place during the springtime before Mae’s first anniversary of moving in Normal. Mae is settled in nicely and joined the community, but in this fifth installment will Mae be able to keep everyone straight.

Our sleuth, Mae West

Mae West is our sleuth, and the story is told from her point of view. She has a lot on her plate to deal with in this book. Not only has Queenie talked her into being in the reenactment of a battle that took place there, but she also has to find an RV, and even after finding it she is having a lawsuit thrown at her. Mae is in for lots of drama and doesn’t know what to do about it.

Likes

Mae's loyalty to her campground and not letting people try to take it away with a lawsuit.

Our sleuth's way of solving the crimes even when she doesn’t mean to or knowing that she has done it is fabulous.

That she is a dog lover as it helped in these cases so much.

Hank Sharp, love interest and detective

Hank Sharp is Mae's love interest and the local cop. As always Hank doesn’t want Mae sticking her nose into this case as it is a dangerous one. It was a tough one for him to figure out even with the FBI agents being there to help. Hank is still very protective of Mae and is disappointed in her when she doesn’t do what he says or call in for backup.

Mystery

The mystery in this one was multiple crimes that intermixed together. The first crime is of Greaser Gadie escaping from jail and where he went. The second crime is trying to figure out who killed Greaser Gadie. Also, who killed two other townspeople. The murder weapon seems to be a bayonet but was it?

There are multiple culprits, and Ms. Kappes did another fantastic job of leading me astray with her nonexistent red herrings as that was the hard part of figuring out this crime. That is until the end of it, and it made a whole lot of sense. I can’t tell you more than that, but I was in for a shock as to who did it.

Five Star

Motorhomes Maps and Murder by Tonya Kappes is the fifth in the Campers and Criminals mystery series, and I now am all caught up. I loved the town of Normal, Kentucky. The people are so lovely and super sweet. However, Mae, she seems to keep finding dead bodies so, not everything is perfect. Also, check out the great recipes at the back of the book.

I am giving it a five-star rating and recommending it to anyone that likes cozy mysteries, and camping in a national park. Oh, what a perfect book to read around the campfire.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Motorhomes, Maps, & Murder by Tonya Kappes.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

Motorhomes, Maps, & Murder (Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery, #5)

by Tonya Kappes