Helpful Score: 2
I liked it with some reservations. I cared about the main characters, liked the group of friends. The mystery itself--meh. I really didn't care very much whodunnit and wasn't very impressed with the ending. Not enough action or explanations. However, I will read the next one because I see some potential.
As a side note, the author includes several recipes that I was just in the mood to try--fried chicken, sauteed summer squash and peach cobbler---I added some corn on the cob---wow, the recipes I tried were amazing! My family is blown away by the fried chicken in particular.
As a side note, the author includes several recipes that I was just in the mood to try--fried chicken, sauteed summer squash and peach cobbler---I added some corn on the cob---wow, the recipes I tried were amazing! My family is blown away by the fried chicken in particular.
Heather F. (AZmom875) -
Helpful Score: 2
As far as cozy Mysteries go this one is a 4.5. Not because the Mystery is all that complicated or all that intriguing.
But the characters and the parrot called Bluebird are very fun. I also do love books with ghosts, nothing too scary though. You have your basic, best friend, a love interest and of course a gay male best friend too. In this one you get a gay couple. They didnt stand out well enough in this book, I felt she was just adding some extra people. Maybe next book they will play more of a roll. Her love interest has secrets and guess what? It isnt the police chief as her love interest. I am so glad, that gets so old.
Glory owns a touristy shop, and the local football hero,KEVIN< dies in car accident. She gets roped into selling charity t-shirts. Of course during all this she starts to learn that things are not adding up.
I want to point out something for you to look for. Ready. Ok Glory is going to take her car into the shop. When she takes her car in she says twice KEVIN told her take the car in. She meant Jimmy. I kept thinking is this a clue? I think it was just an editing error. KEVIN is dead. I read this 3 times to make sure I didnt miss something.
Later we will meet another great character named Sly and his dog BOBO. I hope to see them in future books. I wonder how she will work that in?
I cant wait to learn more about Uncle Louis and our Love interests secrets in book two.
But the characters and the parrot called Bluebird are very fun. I also do love books with ghosts, nothing too scary though. You have your basic, best friend, a love interest and of course a gay male best friend too. In this one you get a gay couple. They didnt stand out well enough in this book, I felt she was just adding some extra people. Maybe next book they will play more of a roll. Her love interest has secrets and guess what? It isnt the police chief as her love interest. I am so glad, that gets so old.
Glory owns a touristy shop, and the local football hero,KEVIN< dies in car accident. She gets roped into selling charity t-shirts. Of course during all this she starts to learn that things are not adding up.
I want to point out something for you to look for. Ready. Ok Glory is going to take her car into the shop. When she takes her car in she says twice KEVIN told her take the car in. She meant Jimmy. I kept thinking is this a clue? I think it was just an editing error. KEVIN is dead. I read this 3 times to make sure I didnt miss something.
Later we will meet another great character named Sly and his dog BOBO. I hope to see them in future books. I wonder how she will work that in?
I cant wait to learn more about Uncle Louis and our Love interests secrets in book two.
Cheryl C. (moondance120) reviewed Murder Buys a T-Shirt (Haunted Souvenir Shop, Bk 1) on + 422 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Glory's inherited souvenir shop comes with a grumpy parrot and a ghost. Glory investigates a presumed accident in which the town's star football player is killed. She also tries to find out more about her late uncle. The storyline was nicely intertwined. Enjoyed the recipes. 3.5 stars
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 2
First Line: "No, Peter. It is not a good idea."
If only her interfering cousin Peter were the only fly in Glory Martine's ointment. Orphaned at the age of seventeen, Glory and Peter are joint inheritors of their uncle's souvenir shop in Keyhole Bay, Florida. Living in Alabama, Peter believes he's the "idea man" even though he hasn't got a clue about retail, or Southern Treasures, the souvenir shop stuffed with collectibles and mementoes of bygone days that Glory runs.
But Peter isn't the only problem. Bluebeard, a cantankerous parrot that Glory also inherited from her uncle, has been trashing the shop at every opportunity, and she's in a quandary. She's beginning to think that the shop is haunted by the ghost of her dead uncle, but she's too afraid that her friends will think she's nuts if she shares her concerns with them.
Then the local football hero dies in what everyone believes is a tragic accident involving a popular teenager who combined drinking with driving. When the talkative Bluebeard keeps insisting "It wasn't an accident!" Glory shares her worries with her best friend-- and her best friend takes it seriously. Now... how does Glory go about proving young Kevin Stanley's death wasn't an accident without spilling the beans about her resident ghost?
Being a fan of the Georgiana Neverall series written by this author (under the name Christy Evans), I looked forward to this start of a new series. I wasn't disappointed. Murder Buys a T-Shirt is a low-key, light and fun read. The setting of a small town in the Florida panhandle that depends on tourism hits all the right notes, and the characters are a quirky bunch that can sustain a series over several books. Just enough is revealed about Glory's uncle to make me want to know more, and the paranormal angle is deftly handled. In fact, a scene with Glory and Bluebeard toward the end of the book brought a tear to my eye.
If you're in the mood for some light-hearted fun that leaves you wanting more, I suggest you give this first book in the Haunted Souvenir Shop series a try!
If only her interfering cousin Peter were the only fly in Glory Martine's ointment. Orphaned at the age of seventeen, Glory and Peter are joint inheritors of their uncle's souvenir shop in Keyhole Bay, Florida. Living in Alabama, Peter believes he's the "idea man" even though he hasn't got a clue about retail, or Southern Treasures, the souvenir shop stuffed with collectibles and mementoes of bygone days that Glory runs.
But Peter isn't the only problem. Bluebeard, a cantankerous parrot that Glory also inherited from her uncle, has been trashing the shop at every opportunity, and she's in a quandary. She's beginning to think that the shop is haunted by the ghost of her dead uncle, but she's too afraid that her friends will think she's nuts if she shares her concerns with them.
Then the local football hero dies in what everyone believes is a tragic accident involving a popular teenager who combined drinking with driving. When the talkative Bluebeard keeps insisting "It wasn't an accident!" Glory shares her worries with her best friend-- and her best friend takes it seriously. Now... how does Glory go about proving young Kevin Stanley's death wasn't an accident without spilling the beans about her resident ghost?
Being a fan of the Georgiana Neverall series written by this author (under the name Christy Evans), I looked forward to this start of a new series. I wasn't disappointed. Murder Buys a T-Shirt is a low-key, light and fun read. The setting of a small town in the Florida panhandle that depends on tourism hits all the right notes, and the characters are a quirky bunch that can sustain a series over several books. Just enough is revealed about Glory's uncle to make me want to know more, and the paranormal angle is deftly handled. In fact, a scene with Glory and Bluebeard toward the end of the book brought a tear to my eye.
If you're in the mood for some light-hearted fun that leaves you wanting more, I suggest you give this first book in the Haunted Souvenir Shop series a try!
Kathy B. (FrenchProf) -
Helpful Score: 1
I would not consider myself a paranormal girl, but I'll definitely make an exception here. The parrot, Bluebeard, steals the show!! This book is set in the Florida panhandle which is a place near and dear to my heart. This was a great start to the series, and I'll have to get to the second one VERY soon.
Helpful Score: 1
I just couldnt get enough of this mystery --- Glory has inherited her great-uncles souvenir shop Southern Treasures along with a supersize headache. Nestled in Keyhole Bay, FL, the shop is stuffed not only with collectibles and mementos of times gone by, but with a ghost who, like her customers, refuses to let go of the past.and a cantankerous parrot, Blackbeard, who brings a great sense of humor to the whole story. The plot was followed through, the characters were developed, believable and very much like all your own friends and family.cant wait to glob on to the next one!
Alice J. (ASJ) -
Helpful Score: 1
Very good new cozy series. Ms Fifield does a good job introducing us to the characters and telling us a little about them and their town. I think we will learn a lot more about Uncle Louis as the series grow. Blackbeard the Parrot steals the show a great side character and she does a good job teaching us about parrot care too. I love the southern dinner menus as they are very different from my New England Cuisine. Looking forward to book two.
Linda (Angeleyes) -
Not really enamored with this story. It feels like a rip off of the Witchcraft series by Juliet Blackwell. They both had iffy childhoods, they both own stores and live above them. It just seems very similar. Glory has a parrot, Lily has a pig/gargoyle. Each has a fly in their ointment. It's an ok book but the plot doesn't really grab you.
I have book two and I'm going to give it another chance. We'll see how that one fairs.
I have book two and I'm going to give it another chance. We'll see how that one fairs.
Lynn P. (Bama-Booklover) -
A great summer read! A new series for me set in a small Florida tourist town. Glory inherited a souvenir shop from her uncle. She discovers his spirit is speaking to her through his parrot that came with the shop.
The book is an enjoyable tale of Glory and her circle of friends with a maybe romance about to bud along with the mystery of how a local high school football hero died. Was it murder or a case of wrecking his car when he was drinking and driving? It's a paranormal cozy at it's best.
I'm looking forward to reading the other three books of this series!
The book is an enjoyable tale of Glory and her circle of friends with a maybe romance about to bud along with the mystery of how a local high school football hero died. Was it murder or a case of wrecking his car when he was drinking and driving? It's a paranormal cozy at it's best.
I'm looking forward to reading the other three books of this series!
