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A Bird Lover's Mystery #3
The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice
A red-bellied woodpecker may lead to a yellow-bellied killer . . .
One morning when unwilling early bird Amy Simms grabs her binoculars for a closer look at the woodpecker who’s been waking her up, she can't believe her eyes. Across Ruby Lake, through a curtain of rain, she sees a body being tossed out of an upstairs window at the old McKutcheon place.
Or at least she thinks she does. The police chief finds no body—only a discarded dressmaker's dummy—and complains that Amy sent him on a wild-goose chase. She should probably focus on minding her store, Birds & Bees, but Amy can't help snooping. And when she turns up another body—a murdered member of her birdwatching group—Amy once again needs to wing it as a sleuth to zoom in on a killer . . .
Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Buried in Beignets
“Those who like their mysteries relatively nonviolent and delivered with a smile will thoroughly enjoy this little gem.” —Booklist
“A fun new cozy series. I would definitely read another, so I hope this is the first of many.” —Myshelf.com
One morning when unwilling early bird Amy Simms grabs her binoculars for a closer look at the woodpecker who’s been waking her up, she can't believe her eyes. Across Ruby Lake, through a curtain of rain, she sees a body being tossed out of an upstairs window at the old McKutcheon place.
Or at least she thinks she does. The police chief finds no body—only a discarded dressmaker's dummy—and complains that Amy sent him on a wild-goose chase. She should probably focus on minding her store, Birds & Bees, but Amy can't help snooping. And when she turns up another body—a murdered member of her birdwatching group—Amy once again needs to wing it as a sleuth to zoom in on a killer . . .
Praise for J.R. Ripley’s Buried in Beignets
“Those who like their mysteries relatively nonviolent and delivered with a smile will thoroughly enjoy this little gem.” —Booklist
“A fun new cozy series. I would definitely read another, so I hope this is the first of many.” —Myshelf.com
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2017
15 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Ripley
33 books230 followersBestselling author of fiction, crime fiction, thrillers, capers, cozies and more. Pseudonym for author Glenn Meganck
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 9, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Solid entertainment with likable characters and setting. It's a wonderful cozy mystery with twists. I haven't read the others in this series, but I had no trouble following along. Amy Simms is great, and her love of nature and sleuthing go hand in hand. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you are a cozy mystery fan and love red herrings that have you second guessing yourself.
Solid entertainment with likable characters and setting. It's a wonderful cozy mystery with twists. I haven't read the others in this series, but I had no trouble following along. Amy Simms is great, and her love of nature and sleuthing go hand in hand. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you are a cozy mystery fan and love red herrings that have you second guessing yourself.
April 23, 2017
I am delighted to find a series with bird watching for a background. Bird watching has been a lifetime recreational pursuit of mine. I find the birding information precise and I will continue reading the series. However, I have been disappointed with the story. The writing does not flow smoothly making the reading difficult. I was unhappy with Any in this book, she would leave customers to action a thought, Any 's actions often out her in needless danger and there were at least 5 partial romances. Romances are not a favorite reading. I consider giving it only 3 stars but feel it is 3.5 stars so rounded it off to 4.
Amy is awakened by a woodpecker early in the morning. Shining her binoculars she sees a person being thrown out of a window across Ruby's lake. When the police investigate, no body is found and trashed is below the window. Amy feels foolish and is determined to prove there was a murder commit. Will Ruby succeed! I recommend this book and series.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Lyrical Underground through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
Amy is awakened by a woodpecker early in the morning. Shining her binoculars she sees a person being thrown out of a window across Ruby's lake. When the police investigate, no body is found and trashed is below the window. Amy feels foolish and is determined to prove there was a murder commit. Will Ruby succeed! I recommend this book and series.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Lyrical Underground through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
April 1, 2017
Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees, a shop catering to birdwatching interests, is peering across Ruby Lake with her binoculars one morning. She is looking at the old McKutcheon house and sees a body fall from a window to the ground, dead. When the police are called to investigate, they don't find a body and believe Amy is just imagining things. The McKutcheon house is being run as a hostel, and guests there were cleaning, tossing items from windows to the ground. Although she is far from convinced that she imagined a murder, there is nothing more Amy can do. She goes forward with her scheduled birdwatching walking tour. One of the birdwatchers, Bessie Hammond, is an unpleasant woman who seems to get on everyone's nerves. The next day, Amy finds Bessie in the woods, sitting against a sycamore tree, her neck snapped. As she delves into Bessie's life, she finds a lurid tale of affairs and becomes more and more uneasy about Gus McKutcheon and his hostel. Gus has a variety of young foreign people living in the house for free, helping him restore it. He seems to be capitalizing on the local tale of the widow in the lake, a story in which one of his ancestors drowns in the lake. When people gather for the local vigil of waiting for the widow in the lake to appear, a second murder occurs. Amy is certain the two murders are connected but isn't sure how. With the help of her friend Kim, Amy continues to investigate. Can she solve the murder before the murderer catches up to her?
Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were some formatting issues on the Kindle app for iPad which will hopefully be resolved before the book is released. I do wish there were more descriptions and information on birdwatching included in the book, but the mystery was good. I did not solve the murders before the big reveal at the end. This is a good cozy book to curl up with, especially if you have birds to watch outside your window!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were some formatting issues on the Kindle app for iPad which will hopefully be resolved before the book is released. I do wish there were more descriptions and information on birdwatching included in the book, but the mystery was good. I did not solve the murders before the big reveal at the end. This is a good cozy book to curl up with, especially if you have birds to watch outside your window!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 16, 2017
Amy Simms is a great character in The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice.
This was a classic whodunit mystery and I was captivated from beginning to end.
When Amy is looking out her window through her binoculars, she sees something odd, she sees a body being tossed outside a window at the old McKutcheon place.
Rushing through the house, Amy heads off full steam in the rain, to the home, where she finds.......nothing.
No body, no evidence, not even a usable foot print. How can that be? Amy knows what she saw.
The police chief is annoyed, he wishes she would keep selling bird supplies and leave the detecting to him.
When another body turns up, Amy knows she is right, there is a murderer in their small town and she aims to solve this hysterical whodunit.
I really enjoyed this story. It was well written and I couldn't stop reading it, I was entertained from beginning to end.
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Books & NetGalley.
This book is available May 16, 2017
This was a classic whodunit mystery and I was captivated from beginning to end.
When Amy is looking out her window through her binoculars, she sees something odd, she sees a body being tossed outside a window at the old McKutcheon place.
Rushing through the house, Amy heads off full steam in the rain, to the home, where she finds.......nothing.
No body, no evidence, not even a usable foot print. How can that be? Amy knows what she saw.
The police chief is annoyed, he wishes she would keep selling bird supplies and leave the detecting to him.
When another body turns up, Amy knows she is right, there is a murderer in their small town and she aims to solve this hysterical whodunit.
I really enjoyed this story. It was well written and I couldn't stop reading it, I was entertained from beginning to end.
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Books & NetGalley.
This book is available May 16, 2017
January 30, 2018
I enjoyed this book but I don't think this series is for me, I'm not really interested in bird watching so I tend to gloss over that part. It doesn't mean it's a bad series because I have enjoyed the 2 books I've read, I just don't think I'm going to be continuing with it.
*Huge thanks to J.R. Ripley, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*
*Huge thanks to J.R. Ripley, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*
April 17, 2017
Amy Simms loves running her shop for bird lovers, Birds & Bees. But lately she's a bit tired because a woodpecker has been waking her up early every morning tapping on a tree outside her bedroom window. Imagine her surprise when she picks up a pair of binoculars to get a good look at her feathered nemesis only to see a murder in progress across Ruby Lake at the old McKutcheon house. Even though the police find nothing -- no body, no crime scene -- to prove anyone was killed, Amy still thinks something strange is going on at the old house. Her suspicions are confirmed when a local woman is found dead in the woods near the house. What's going on at the old McKutcheon house? Will the legend of a dead McKutcheon ancestor rising from the lake on the anniversary of her death really happen? And did Amy really see a murder?
The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice is the third book in the Bird Lovers Mystery series. I enjoy this series! Amy Simms is a fun, independent, spunky main character. The quirky group of supporting characters around her are great, especially her unwanted boarder, the curmudgeonly Esther Pelaster (AKA Esther Pester). This newest book in the series, in my opinion, is the best so far. The mystery was well-paced with plenty of twists and turns. There are lots of suspects and some great surprises. The theme of birds and bird watching doesn't overpower the mystery portion of the plot, but adds color and flavor to the story. I will definitely be reading more of this series! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys birds and cozy mysteries.
It isn't necessary to read the books in order. A reader could jump in with this book and still be able to follow the plot and characters relatively easily. As with most cozies, the books are light, enjoyable reads suitable for teens to adults. There is no bad language or detailed sexual situations.
The next book in this series, To Kill a Hummingbird, will be released in July 2017. I can't wait! :)
J.R. Ripley is a pseudonym of the author Glenn Meganck. For more information on the author and his books, check out his website at http://www.glennmeganck.com/
**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice is the third book in the Bird Lovers Mystery series. I enjoy this series! Amy Simms is a fun, independent, spunky main character. The quirky group of supporting characters around her are great, especially her unwanted boarder, the curmudgeonly Esther Pelaster (AKA Esther Pester). This newest book in the series, in my opinion, is the best so far. The mystery was well-paced with plenty of twists and turns. There are lots of suspects and some great surprises. The theme of birds and bird watching doesn't overpower the mystery portion of the plot, but adds color and flavor to the story. I will definitely be reading more of this series! I recommend it to anyone who enjoys birds and cozy mysteries.
It isn't necessary to read the books in order. A reader could jump in with this book and still be able to follow the plot and characters relatively easily. As with most cozies, the books are light, enjoyable reads suitable for teens to adults. There is no bad language or detailed sexual situations.
The next book in this series, To Kill a Hummingbird, will be released in July 2017. I can't wait! :)
J.R. Ripley is a pseudonym of the author Glenn Meganck. For more information on the author and his books, check out his website at http://www.glennmeganck.com/
**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
March 29, 2017
The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice is the third book in J. R. Ripley’s Bird Lover’s Mysteries series. This is a fun cozy, with a good plot, well-developed, quirky characters, and some humorous situations. The story flows at a steady pace, with twists and turns, and no shortage of suspects. I’m looking forward to reading future installments in this series.
Amy Simms lives on the third floor of an old three-story Victorian Queen Anne-style house in Ruby Lake, North Carolina with her mother. She has one cantankerous tenant, Ester Pilaster (a/k/a Esther the Pester) who she “inherited” from the previous owner, plus one apartment on the second floor. Paul Anderson, who has ties to her ex-husband, is a temporary tenant while his house is being renovated. Amy and her friend and business partner, Kimberly “Kim” Christy, are the owners of Birds & Bees, which is located on the ground floor. Early one rainy morning, Amy thinks she thinks she sees a body thrown out a window at the old McKutcheon house, which she thought was vacant, but investigators find no evidence of a crime. Amy is convinced she’s right and starts snooping, only to discover the body of Bessie Hammond propped at the base of a tree with a broken neck. Jerry Kennedy, the Chief of Police, and his team are investigating but Amy just can’t keep her nose out of things and finds herself in some sticky situations.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Amy Simms lives on the third floor of an old three-story Victorian Queen Anne-style house in Ruby Lake, North Carolina with her mother. She has one cantankerous tenant, Ester Pilaster (a/k/a Esther the Pester) who she “inherited” from the previous owner, plus one apartment on the second floor. Paul Anderson, who has ties to her ex-husband, is a temporary tenant while his house is being renovated. Amy and her friend and business partner, Kimberly “Kim” Christy, are the owners of Birds & Bees, which is located on the ground floor. Early one rainy morning, Amy thinks she thinks she sees a body thrown out a window at the old McKutcheon house, which she thought was vacant, but investigators find no evidence of a crime. Amy is convinced she’s right and starts snooping, only to discover the body of Bessie Hammond propped at the base of a tree with a broken neck. Jerry Kennedy, the Chief of Police, and his team are investigating but Amy just can’t keep her nose out of things and finds herself in some sticky situations.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
May 9, 2017
Delightful cozy for a bird lover, but fun for all. Pleasant small town with the usual mix of interesting characters, plus a new group of foreigners added. Entertaining series. I am eager to read the next one. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley for my voluntary review.
April 13, 2017
The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice is the third installment in the A Bird Lovers Mystery series featuring Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees, located in Ruby Lake, North Carolina. Business is bustling for the specialty shop and Amy is enjoying her new relationship with lawyer Derek Harlan.
On a foggy morning, woken by a red bellied woodpecker nicknamed Drummy, Amy thinks she sees two men fighting across the lake at the old McKutcheon mansion. When one of the men appears to throw the other out of the window, she immediately calls the police only to be quickly rebuffed by Chief of Police Jerry Kennedy. Chief Kennedy and Amy have a tenuous relationship, he resents her interference in his investigations and she resents his ineptitude.
The recently vacant McKutcheon home has a mysterious past. It is rumored that during the Civil War Era, Mary McKutcheon's husband was murdered and she put a curse on his killers. After the last man died a horrible death, Mary walked into the lake and drowned herself. Now the locals claim that her ghost rises from the depths of the waters each year on the anniversary of Mr. McKutheon's death. Distant relative Gus McKutcheon has now turned the rundown home into a hostel with a group of transients working on repairs in exchange for room and board.
Amy has a bad feeling about Gus and his tenants and she sets out to discover what she actually saw that foggy morning. Things take a turn when a member of her bird watching group is found bludgeoned to death, and Amy begins to wonder if the two incidents are connected. With the town abuzz over the approaching widow of the lake anniversary, Amy relies on best friend Kim Christy and elderly tenant Esther "the Pester" to drum out the truth.
A terrific series with a well developed cast of characters, a close knit picturesque community and a touch of romance.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground, a division of Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.
On a foggy morning, woken by a red bellied woodpecker nicknamed Drummy, Amy thinks she sees two men fighting across the lake at the old McKutcheon mansion. When one of the men appears to throw the other out of the window, she immediately calls the police only to be quickly rebuffed by Chief of Police Jerry Kennedy. Chief Kennedy and Amy have a tenuous relationship, he resents her interference in his investigations and she resents his ineptitude.
The recently vacant McKutcheon home has a mysterious past. It is rumored that during the Civil War Era, Mary McKutcheon's husband was murdered and she put a curse on his killers. After the last man died a horrible death, Mary walked into the lake and drowned herself. Now the locals claim that her ghost rises from the depths of the waters each year on the anniversary of Mr. McKutheon's death. Distant relative Gus McKutcheon has now turned the rundown home into a hostel with a group of transients working on repairs in exchange for room and board.
Amy has a bad feeling about Gus and his tenants and she sets out to discover what she actually saw that foggy morning. Things take a turn when a member of her bird watching group is found bludgeoned to death, and Amy begins to wonder if the two incidents are connected. With the town abuzz over the approaching widow of the lake anniversary, Amy relies on best friend Kim Christy and elderly tenant Esther "the Pester" to drum out the truth.
A terrific series with a well developed cast of characters, a close knit picturesque community and a touch of romance.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley via Lyrical Underground, a division of Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.
August 12, 2020
Why did I read this book? I admit, I was attracted by the title; I love cozy mysteries, especially when they have clever titles, so although it is the third book in a series and I have not read any of the others, I found this at the library and decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately the book was not as good as its title. For some reason I just couldn't get a handle on the main character, Amy. She didn't seem all that with it, if you ask me. Many of the other characters were just not that likable to me. And there were some odd turns of phrase, mostly involving the lifting of brows. His brow lifted, she raised her brow, etc. etc. Maybe it's a regional expression or something but I found it odd. And the fact that I became distracted by such things does not speak well for either the writing or the plot. I'm not trying to trash the book, but over all it was just not my cup of tea. Towards the end I actually began skimming a bit to finish it faster, which is never a good sign. So despite some very clever titles in the rest of the series (Die, Die Birdie; How the Finch Stole Christmas), I don't think I will be reading any more of them.
May 30, 2017
This is a new series to me and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it.
I was able to follow it without reading the previous books, but I will definitely read them now.
I enjoyed the characters and the whodunit was well written.
I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of the book.
I was able to follow it without reading the previous books, but I will definitely read them now.
I enjoyed the characters and the whodunit was well written.
I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of the book.
May 19, 2017
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****
Ok, so this didn't really work for me - the main character gave me the pip and pretty much everyone else had something they did that annoyed me too. The mystery was seemed a bit over complicated - or at least it seemed so in its execution. Never mind.
Ok, so this didn't really work for me - the main character gave me the pip and pretty much everyone else had something they did that annoyed me too. The mystery was seemed a bit over complicated - or at least it seemed so in its execution. Never mind.
September 19, 2021
Rates goofy .. it could be on Oprah's list... Bad choice.
January 13, 2020
OK..here we have a bird lover's mystery. The owner of a bird shop...no she doesn't sell birds, she sells everything for the birder...anyway, it's a fairly new shop, and how it survives, I'll never know. In the complete book, the owner is probably in the store less than 2 full days. Instead she rushes out and leaves it to her mother (who has a debilitating disease), an old, crusty, mean woman who happens to be a tenant of the shop owner, her cousin, who she doesn't trust, and, even to a newly hired girl, who after one afternoon of training is left in charge while the owner goes "sleuthing".
Birds are mentioned--on one bird-watching hike, and a couple other times when the owner throws in a few specific birds for background. They do seem to be mostly just an excuse for the title of this series.
Birds are mentioned--on one bird-watching hike, and a couple other times when the owner throws in a few specific birds for background. They do seem to be mostly just an excuse for the title of this series.
July 5, 2019
This is an entertaining bird watching series by J. R. Ripley. The setting is North Carolina, crazy characters add to the tale and the ending clearly hints of more bird stories in the future. copy right 2017 227 pages
May 28, 2017
I'm really enjoying this great cozy mystery series by J.R.Ripley! Fun characters, great plots, and a good mystery to be solved.
did-not-finish
December 2, 2021Gave up early on this one, it just didn't grab me, I'm sure other people will love it but the characters didn't interest me from the start.
May 17, 2017
A Bird Lover's Mystery. This is the third book in this series set in North Carolina. The first is Die,Die Birdie and the last one we read was Towhee Get Your Gun.
Amy Simms, owner of Birds and Bees, has no use for her alarm clock now that she has her very own red-bellied woodpecker waking her up at the crack of dawn. The rat-a-tat -tat is waking up the entire neighborhood.
When Amy stumbles from her bed and grabs her binoculars to check out her little friend, nicknamed Drummy, a storm is brewing outside and the rain is beginning to pour down. Just as she is about to put down the binoculars she glances once more across Ruby Lake and sees a light at the old Mckutcheon house. No one has lived there in forever.
Peering hard through the rain she can vaguely make out two people struggling in the upstairs window. And then one of the people toss the other one out of the window.
The police say it is just her imagination, but Amy isn't convinced of that. And we know she is going to set out to prove she was right. That's our Amy. When she leads a group of birdwatchers on a hike the next day she makes a detour but finds nothing. The group in itself is an odd bunch. And when another body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.
The little town of Ruby Lake is hiding secrets. Some deadly. Who would have guessed such a small town could have so much drama simmering underneath the lovely small town charm.
I always enjoy the Bird Mystery series. Amy is becoming more confident and I love the characters, especially the ones in the Senior Center.
I always thought of bird watching as a rather dull activity. Until this series. Now all of a sudden I'm searching Pintrest for woodpeckers and the different types and which are male and which are female. And learning that not all birds like nesting in cozy houses but rather ledges. Who knew?
I've read a sneak peek at the next one too. Yes, it's good.
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington for the early read!
Amy Simms, owner of Birds and Bees, has no use for her alarm clock now that she has her very own red-bellied woodpecker waking her up at the crack of dawn. The rat-a-tat -tat is waking up the entire neighborhood.
When Amy stumbles from her bed and grabs her binoculars to check out her little friend, nicknamed Drummy, a storm is brewing outside and the rain is beginning to pour down. Just as she is about to put down the binoculars she glances once more across Ruby Lake and sees a light at the old Mckutcheon house. No one has lived there in forever.
Peering hard through the rain she can vaguely make out two people struggling in the upstairs window. And then one of the people toss the other one out of the window.
The police say it is just her imagination, but Amy isn't convinced of that. And we know she is going to set out to prove she was right. That's our Amy. When she leads a group of birdwatchers on a hike the next day she makes a detour but finds nothing. The group in itself is an odd bunch. And when another body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.
The little town of Ruby Lake is hiding secrets. Some deadly. Who would have guessed such a small town could have so much drama simmering underneath the lovely small town charm.
I always enjoy the Bird Mystery series. Amy is becoming more confident and I love the characters, especially the ones in the Senior Center.
I always thought of bird watching as a rather dull activity. Until this series. Now all of a sudden I'm searching Pintrest for woodpeckers and the different types and which are male and which are female. And learning that not all birds like nesting in cozy houses but rather ledges. Who knew?
I've read a sneak peek at the next one too. Yes, it's good.
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington for the early read!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews