Murder Ties the Knot

A Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery #4

by Christy Fifield

A Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery from the author of Murder Sends a Postcard--featuring Down-Home Dinner Menus.

It’s winter in Keyhole Bay, Florida, and while the tourist trade is slow, souvenir shop owner Glory Martine is busy with her best friend’s wedding. But between managing preparations, the bride’s in-laws, and a haunted parrot named Bluebeard, Glory makes plans to catch a killer.

As her friends Karen and Riley approach their wedding day, Glory could use a break from the nuptial madness. She takes a peaceful drive to Alabama’s piney woods to pick up the wedding quilt she ordered from a supplier. But the supplier, Beth, has disappeared along with the quilt and her husband, Everett.

Glory learns that two men were found murdered near Beth and Everett’s home and that the couple is wanted for questioning. Believing they are innocent, Glory convinces them to cooperate with authorities. But when they’re thrown in jail, Glory vows to catch the real killer before one happy couple walks down the aisle and another gets sent up the river.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Christy Fifield is a pseudonym used by Christina F. York.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sad that this is the last book in the series. I really enjoyed the characters and setting in this series. The mystery in this one was good and helped tie up a couple loose ends. The recipes at the end sounded good.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Ties the Knot by Christy Fifield.

This was the 4th in the Haunted Souvenir shop mysteries and my 4th book in this series. I keep coming back for more due to the welcoming characters.
Glory Martine is busy with her bff's wedding plans just around the corner. That's not all that's taking up her time. she's finally had enough with her distant (but not distant enough) cousin Peter. This time she's bound and determined to take Peter's part in her southern Treasure shop to an end.
Then Glory learns of Miss Pansy's illness. The Lighthouse, owned and run by Miss Pansy, has been the highlight of Glory's mornings. Delightful latte's and scones just make the perfect start to her days. Now with Miss Pansy in the hospital her son comes calling for help from Glory. This latest dilemma fills Glory's plate to overflowing.
The best in this latest story comes towards the middle of the story and involves Glory's dear friend sly.

I've found this series to be nothing short of absolutely delightful. The characters evolve in their relationships and are true to life.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tagged it cozy mystery but it missed the mystery unless you want to count two bodies, no clues, and a big info dump in the last pages. While I did enjoy the characters, this seemed to me like an excuse to tie up lose ends from almost all the relationship stories in the background. As a mystery fan, my theory is that the contract had run out and the author wanted to give everyone a happy ending in case this was the last book. Seven years later another one has been published and I will probably read it as well. I have to say I got tired of a few things-- the Yankee references got old really fast, in part because to me they made the book seem dated. All Yankee and no snowbird. I also got tired of discussing whether or not a meal was Southern. And overall there were a few details changed, it seemed to me, in Glory's backstory but I'm not invested enough to check. The series is a feel good one, but the plotting had problems in the last two. Some things didn't really make sense, and there were too many info dumps-- including, surprisingly, Jake's backstory which had been hinted at repeatedly only to be covered in a couple of sentences at the end of one of the books. The writing is solid, characters appealing and the books are enjoyable-- as long as you don't really want a mystery.

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun cozy series and I'm sorry to learn that this is the last as the publisher hasn't picked the series back up. This one was a bit light on mystery, but I enjoyed it anyway. Opportunities arose for Glory and she jumped on them, as well as finally standing up to her PITA cousin, Peter. Bluebeard was a bit more prominent this time around and there were even unexpected good things happening for Sly. Sorry to see this series end, but it went out on a good note. Recommend!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series and the characters. This was a good book, but light on the mystery. Glory really didn't do much investigating.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and quick. I liked most of the character relationships and even the budding romance as it wasn’t overly mushy. I didn’t like how some of the conversations went. But that’s because half the time when you thought it was a back and forth between two people it ended up all being from one person. But the quotation marks were all wrong and it threw me off. Or could have been the writers style, but quite frankly, that bit sucked. Made my head hurt on a number of occasions. But the storyline was good and solid.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really have enjoyed this series and have put off reading this last book for over a year, because I don't want it to end. Things got tied up pretty well, but a lot of openings to continue the story line at some point. I wonder if publishers ever read anything they publish? Probably not...that's why it's easy to pull the plug on a good series.

[Deb Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christy Fifield returns to Keyhole Bay, Florida and Glory Martine's souvenir shop, in the latest Haunted Souvenir Shop mystery, Murder Ties the Knot. Fans of the series will love Karen and Riley's wedding, while keeping their fingers crossed that Beth and Everett stay out of jail in this one. Fifield's strength in this series is her zany cast of characters. Readers looking for a series that has both mystery and personality will love it!

Southern Treasures is a quaint little shop in Florida, but it's winter time and business is slow, the perfect time for not only a wedding, but a murder mystery. Fifield has given her heroine, Glory Martine a bit of a break from murder, but it isn't long before she's back in business. I liked the fact that Fifield doesn't have Glory investigating one murder right after the other, sometimes in cozy writing you have to wonder how many murders are going to occur in one small town. Fifield seems to have a good grasp on just how far she can take that aspect of her writing without going overboard.

Readers of the series have been waiting for Karen and Riley's wedding and they won't be disappointed. Glory has some interesting friends and family and it's always fun to check in with them and see what's going on. I liked all the wedding plans and details and Karen wouldn't be Karen without a little reporting on the side. I liked the fact that even though she was super busy, she still had time to help Glory investigate.

With a double murder on her plate, you'd think Glory would be up to eyeballs in clues alone, but there is a lot more going on in Glory's life than just investigating. She's trying to buy out her lowly cousin Peter's part of her shop, she is trying to find the money to expand, all while trying to keep two innocent people out of jail. The personal aspects of the story are a real plus in this novel. It isn't all about the murder, it's about the lives of these characters as well. Always a good point in a cozy.

The mystery part of the book was stellar. I liked how all the puzzle pieces fit together, even if you had to do a bit of searching and twisting to make them fit. Fifield always treats her readers to a well thought out mystery that will keep them guessing throughout. Just enough red herrings to keep them off the track and when you look back at the end you'll wonder why in the world you didn't see it!

Bottom Line:

Another great cozy offering from Christy Fifield. This an author with a bright future in the genre. She knows what readers want to know about. Not only the details of the crime, but the life of the heroine and those she interacts with. It's a great balance of mystery and personality that readers won't want to miss.

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This shop owner is nosey. Can go a bit overboard in getting involved in things. She is not that physical so has taken her lumps and accepts her limitations. BUT she also does not run out and push herself into events that she should not involve herself in without a certain logic to her actions. Unlike many characters in these types of books who have no hesitation to go against law enforcement and act like super Marples or similar fictions amateur sleuths Glory just pays attention and looks into things quietly. She still gets into trouble but as in this latest story, her efforts just seem to attract the bad guys because they are so committed to getting away with whatever that any interest from non law enforcement personnel draws them to the scene. Glory has great supporting helpers and friends and he private life and store actions make this a very enjoyable read.

[Joy Landers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing story about a souvenir shop owner who continuously finds herself stumbling into open murder cases. I found the writing style difficult to read. I prefer that all dialogue for a character be contained in a single paragraph. This book had a single character's dialogue stretched out into two, three, and sometimes four paragraphs, confusing me as to who was talking. And being the type of person who has to read someone in the correct voice, I found it terribly exhausting to continuously go back and reread passages because I had read it as a different character. The plot was good and it had moments of humor, but very exhausting to read

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointed in this book. I have read the previous souvenir shops and enjoyed them but this one was too cozy, too pat. Certainly not enough mystery. Wedding, lost love, a coffee shop, then in the background, a murder that I think the author didn't know what to do with. Often times the author allows the book to write itself and this seems to be the case here with too many directions and two-dimensional characters.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is 4th in the series about Glory who owns a souvenir shop in Florida. She has ordered a quilt made for her best friends's wedding, when she drives out to get it she finds the lady and her husband have disappeared. She later learns that two men have been found dead and her suppliers are blamed and held. She believes they are innocent and sets out to prove it. Interesting side stories of her friend's wedding and family and her own life and future ownership of a coffee shop.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This one was a bit of an odd duck of a cozy, but a nice change of pace for someone who reads a lot of them. We get more Bluebeard and Glory ties up some of the more irritating loose ends in her life.

Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/115076...

[Kristin Whitehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. I like the characters and that the series is growing and not stagnant. It has a mystery but the point of the cozies is more the characters.

[Sillylittlefishey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read but the mystery really seems to take a backseat to Glory's personal life...

[Bexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this cozy mystery. Loved the happy ending.

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

aww, I've been enjoying this series and am sad to read on here that this is the final book. I've enjoyed the characters - they really do make it feel cozy. I'm glad that some of the longer plot arcs were wrapped up. there was more of a focus on the characters' personal lives and Glory's business, with little investigation or mystery. there was a quirk with the dialogue where the same characters' speech was often spread across multiple paragraphs
"like this,
"with the same person speaking on a new line."
it stood out to me because it seemed so unnecessary.
I gave an additional star just out of appreciation for the series.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glory is helping BFF Karen get ready for her wedding. When she goes to pick up the special quilt she ordered as a present, she can't find the quilter. A few days later she is stunned to find out that 2 bodies are found dead in the quilter's property.

I found this mystery a little odd, as it's usually the MC who finds the body, but in this story the murders are really off off stage. Still, it was a good mystery, I love all the characters and the recipes, and Bluebeard the parrot/ghost is a hoot. A lot happens in Glory's life, which may explain why the murders were almost storyline B.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am REALLY sorry to come to the end of this series! Although most of the loose ends are tied by the end of the book, I'd really like to see these stories continue. The characters are fun (and believable) and the parrot just makes the book. Hints of social issues, women in business, all common and current issues, are just barely mentioned, but they are good examples of things working the way they should. I love these books!

[Brittany Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming ending to a charming series. My biggest frustration was that the majority of this last book in the series focused way too heavily on various plot points in the life of the main character and very little on the actual murder mystery element. The murder felt like an after thought - rushed. With a climax, final exposition and resolution smashed into a mere 15 pages I found myself really dragging to finish it.

[Janet Balliet]

When Glory tries to collect Karen's wedding gift, no one is home at the noth county cabin. When Karen is called there by her police scanner & Glory goes with her, there are 2 dead bodies! But not the couple that Glory ordered the quilt from. When they contact Golry, she talks them into returning & talking to the sheriff, But he arrests them!. Golry & the wife's grandmother must find the ones responsibele!

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glory is trying to get everything ready for a wedding of her friends. She wants to give something special to her friend for the wedding however when she goes up to pick up the wedding present the person she had contacted for the present is not present and not sure what happen to her. She finds a body instead.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great ending book in the series. The last of the unanswered questions and mysteries were answered. A couple of new characters were introduced but did not take away from the main characters.

This four book cozy mystery series is worth the read.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable novel about a Florida souvenir shop with quirky Southern characters and a talking parrot with a mystery theme. Ties up some questions from the previous three books in the series.

[Dantegideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are all very similar. They’re a lot more about the daily life of the protagonist than about solving a mystery. I enjoyed the pace and the details.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An owner of a souvenir shop and her haunted parrot help solve crimes...

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read with good characters, somewhat lame story this time though

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't want this great series to end!

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak plot. Not sure why the main character was even involved.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really quick read. Good and keeps your attention.