Scandal at the Gala

Sweetfern Harbor #8

by Wendy Meadows

Sweetfern Harbor Bed and Breakfast Cozy Mysteries can be read in one to two hours. It is perfect for those moments when you are waiting at an appointment or want to enjoy a quick read.
It’s finally her time to make a difference.

Brenda Sheffield Rivers can hardly contain her excitement when the local hospital invites her to host a fundraiser at Sheffield Bed and Breakfast for cancer research. With so many ideas – she is spoilt for choice!
After planning an elaborate Masquerade Gala, the night is full of dancing, juggling, music, card playing and good vibes. Until a guest slumps over the casino table – dead.
This is more than just a sugar rush.
All suspicion points to a new face, Cary Buckley, who has just opened a new real estate office in the town. Detective Mac Rivers launches an investigation into this death, but Cary is insisting that he was only stepping in to help out the dessert caterer, Hope Williams.
Everyone here is wearing a mask – masquerading more than just the truth.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Amazon

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2018

About the author

Wendy Meadows is a USA Today bestselling cozy mystery author who creates the perfect escape for readers who love amateur sleuths, small-town secrets, and mysteries you can solve with a cup of tea in hand.

Her beloved series—including Sweetfern Harbor, Alaska Cozy Mysteries, and Travel Writer Mysteries—feature quirky characters, family bonds, and charming whodunits with no gore, just gentle intrigue that keeps you guessing.

When she's not plotting her next puzzle, she's spoiling her pets, enjoying time with her two adult children, and hunting for the perfect hybrid tea rose to inspire her peaceful settings.

Join her cozy community and get a free ebook plus behind-the-scenes peeks into her stories and characters.

Reviews

[Valorie Hunter]

A great book!!!!

I truly love this series, I can't get enough of the characters in these books. I feel like I am right there with them.
Brenda is a remarkable woman. Mac her very handsome man is great.
As they prepare for the big fundraising gala for the hospital and guests arrive for the weekend who knew something sinster was lurking.
The night of the Masquerade Gala everything's going well, people were dancing and she even had a
casino room for the husband's wouldn't get bored and want to leave, but the winnings would be donated the the fundraiser.
As Mac was playing poker and friend of William had been invited was also playing he seems like he wasn't feeling well and as he took a drink of his drink, he slumped over.
What happened to him, Mac called for help, the questions started.
There were quite a few suspects, and who knew who.
It was kept from the ballroom and everyone had on masks, which made things even harder.
Once Brenda started investigating and Mac, Spence and Chief Ingram started their question of people in the room it is a lot to sift through.
There is abandonment, poverty, resentment, revenge, and murder.
Now you have to read for details.

[Sue]

Brenda and the staff at Sheffield B&B have been invited to host a cancer research fundraiser for the local hospital. She decides on a masquerade ball with casino tables and gets the help of Phyllis’s husband William to put together a guest list of potential donors. The night starts out perfect until a guest slumps over at one of the casino tables and ends up dead. Brenda and Mac are able to temporarily hide the situation so that the gala is not ruined but soon go into investigation mode.

The dead man was a wealthy man with the potential for lots of enemies such as his old business partner. And what about the new face in town? Cary Buckley opened a real estate office in the downtown area but has raised suspicions in Brenda since the moment she met him.

This is a perfectly plot out whodunit mystery with lots of potential suspects, twists and turns, and adventure.

[Bobbi]

More fun at the Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. Brenda and crew plan an elegant costume ball to raise money for the hospital and despite their careful planning a murder is committed. The interaction between Brenda and her husband Mac as they solve crimes is truly entertaining. I have read several books in this series and they are all well-crafted and fun to read. Really enjoy reading Ms. Meadows books and following each new one she publishes. This is a good mystery and you will enjoy reading this book. Also, you will fall in love with Sweetfern Harbor because of its charm and its residents.
I received and ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion.

[Rosemary Hughes]

I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobooks of this title.
A death a a Gala Social event, could have put a damper on the evening, but for quick thinking and resourcefulness of the detective that was onsite, when the poor man collapsed.
Then began tedious task of testing and cataloguing all items within the room where the person had been seated.
Yes, our super detective sleuth, Brenda gets into the action, with a lot of hunches, followed by investigating through the various suspects backgrounds.
Yes, it's another intriguing case, but I don't know if I would like to stay at a B&B with so many crimes associated with it.

[Krystyna]

Poison. The perfect weapon for a snake.

A great read. A masquerade ball to raise funds for the local hospital leaves a nasty aftertaste when one of the guests is poisoned. Who poisoned him? Even though the killer is apprehended, a jail break out has them searching for an his partner. Will they find them? The characters get stronger with every book and the way their lives carry on and evolve is well worth reading. A good tight plot but just one criticism - why did one of the "baddies" get off. Would have liked everyone involved to actually pay for the crime.

[Valerie]

I'm really enjoying this series. I really like how Brenda's opinion is welcome by her husband Mac and The Chief of police.
This time Brenda is asked to throw a gala for the hospital. It's all going good until a guess slumps over dead at the card table. Now they have to figure if it's murder or natural causes
This was a great addition and a quick read.
I voluntarily agreed to review this book. My review is my own honest opinion.

[Leah]

I have read several in this series of cozy mysteries now and really enjoy them . They are quick but entertaining reads that can be easily finished in a couple of hours .
I love the characters and the settings in the books . Each book is different so it isn't a repetitive series . The author keeps you guessing until the end, I don't think I've guessed the outcome in any of the books I've read so far !
Can't wait for the next one !

I received an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review

[Karen]

Scandal at the Gala, book 8, by Wendy Meadows is quick, easy and fun read. It is also a stand-alone, not dependent on reading the series in order. However, I would suggest to read it as part of the series, meaning in order. Character development and dialogue are on point. As a result the reader can easily become invested in the storyline and the read overall. My RECOMMENDATION is Read the book and enjoy. – Tex.

[Carol Palmer]

This is 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.

I would have given this book a full 4 stars if it had a stronger ending. In fact, when I got to the last page, I thought I'd skipped something and went back and re-read the last 10 pages! It just didn't seem to have a definite finish, in which you know exactly who is guilty of what. The rest of the book was tight and made sense. I'm not sure what happened -- it felt like the author just got tired of writing and kind of um... just quit.

[Virginia Bast]

Very good

I just love the characters in this small town. The mystery was good. This one I kinda figured out early. I like that the characters have moved on in time but are their for each other and the families expand. Thank for another great story. I look forward to the next one. Stay well.

[Christinaraven]

A cute fun cozy mystery that I enjoyed reading. The bad guy was not a surprise but it was entertaining reading how he was figured out by the gang. I really enjoyed visiting with the town and seeing how happy the married couples were. Just a fun story to read before bed that did not make me think hard but allowed me to escape and enjoy.

[Dee Riley]

Another awesome e-book by Wendy Meadows. The hospital has asked Brenda to host a fundraiser. Allie, Phyllis, and Brenda put their heads together to decide what colors, decorations and etc.. Yes, there’s a mystery involved as always, but you’re gonna have to read the book to find out what happened Yes I recommend this book

[Shannon]

Weak, and messy

This was an incredibly thin motive with very little actual mystery to solve behind it all. There were also a whole lot of missing words throughout the book, which is always frustrating.

[Kathy]

Great read

I love my visit to sweetfern harbor and can't wait till the next book if you love a great cozy with characters you will love and a story that will keep you turning the page than this one by Wendy Meadows is a must read

[Elizabeth Evans]

Another great cozy mystery

I love the sweetfern harbour mysteries and this one was awesome! Brenda gets involved and with her special talent gets to investigate and help husband Mac and his police department solve her another mystery! Please write more I love them!

[Nancy Nicholson hughes]

I enjoyed reading this mystery. Characters are like everyday people. Murder is an act of revenge. What I like most of these books are they aren’t gory. You can still get a good night’s sleep.I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Jessica Florio]

Scandal at the Gala

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and an interesting twist to it. The Sheffield Bed and Breakfast sounds wonderful. Thanks for a great plot. Looking forward to the next book

[Janet Wilson]

Very little mystery, Mostly some romance.

This book added very little to the saga of Brenda, Mack, Phyllis and William. Unfortunately it was quite disappointing. An easy read but not anything to write home about!

[Lynn K Mooney]

Intricate plot with consequences. Very engaging.

Great storyline and character interactions. Sad that someone had to die during the gala for such selfish reasons. But that is life in its rawest form.

[David J. Belliveau]

Very Enjoyable

I gave this book a five star because it deserved it. The author is very talented and continues with an interesting storyline with each book. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Betty J.]

Nice cozy mystery

Enjoyable story and plot. You can read as stand alone but think it is more enjoyable if you have more knowledge of characters from previous books. Easy and enjoyable few hours of reading. Held my interest.

[Linda]

This is another story where I felt the narrator took away from the story. All in all it was a decent cozy mystery. I had a hard time following some of the story, but I think that was because of the narrator. I'll continue to listen to others in the series.

[Francine]

A fun book

Another great book in this series! A little different from the others as we get to hear the thoughts of the murderer & follow his actions. Looking forward to reading the next book!

[VICTORIA STEWART]

Great read!

I just got back into this series and I'm glad. Well written fast paced mystery. Sweetfern Harbor has great characters in a beautiful setting. I'm looking forward to the next book!

[Nickie]

Another great one

👍 great story. I love reading about the B&B. Its great being a guest there. Brenda always figured it out.

[Kitten Peters]

Great series

Quick read that keeps you turning the pages. A masquerade ball leads to murder . Brenda finds lots of information about who she thinks the culprit is.

[Suzanne Homeier-poe]

I love Wendy Meadows books

I love this book. Thank you Wendy for such a great read. This was a great cozy. I did see some of the twist but I didn't see Lucy as a culprit..

[Barbara Lee]

Hidden faces

Moved along well with good characterization. Suspense was maintained and developed well. Look forward to further interaction with the characters.

[Susan]

another really good episode, can't wait to read the next...

[gary c lehn]

Great series...........

I'm enjoying this series of stories about the adventures of Debra and Mac, the couple who are always dabbling in mysterious of murder and mayhem.