CLIFFS, CLUES, & CONSPIRACIES Book Review

Cliffs, Clues, & Conspiracies (book 40 in A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery Series) by Tonya Kappes, eBook, 190 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: Mae West is just hoping for a peaceful weekend at Happy Trails Campground during the Climb the Cliffs Festival in the heart of Kentucky's Daniel Boone National Forest. But when the festival's star climber, James Rafferty, is found dead at the base of the Cascades, Mae's plans for a quiet weekend crumble faster than a buttermilk biscuit. What looks like a tragic accident turns out to be murder, and Mae armed with her sleuthing notebook and the unwavering support of the Laundry Club Ladies, is on the case.

Mae follows clues from cryptic coordinates to suspicious boot prints, she soon discovers that secrets run deep in the close-knit town of Normal, Kentucky. But with a killer determined to keep those secrets buried, Mae’s about to find out that some cliffs are more dangerous than they seem. One thing's for sure—this mystery is about to take a deadly turn.

BOOK REVIEW: I want to live in a place like Normal and I want to run a campground like Happy Trails. That's what this series has made my dream. Two big differences though...I need a house not a camper on site and it needs to be near the ocean. A lake is cool and all but I want the ocean! We're back in Normal with all our awesome and colorful characters. What I really loved is that we get a visit from someone who got a spinoff series of their own in this book. It was a pleasant surprise.

Like always, the author leaves you guessing who done it up until the very end and it always seems like it is someone that isn't anywhere close to being on the radar of suspects and I love it like that! That is what keeps me coming back to this author's books and series time and time again!

This was definitely a 5 star read. The world she has created in this book is full of anything and everything you want in a small town (which did you know that Normal is a real town in Kentucky...I didn't until I looked it up). It's a quick read. It's fun, quirky, mysterious, and did you know it's becoming a tv show? I can't wait to see what Mae and the rest of the Laundry Club Ladies solve next!

5/5 Stars

2025 Reading Challenge: 21/50 complete