Review of Margaritas, Mayhem, & Murder by Mary Cunningham

Welcome to the book blast for Margaritas, Mayhem, & Murder by Mary Cunningham! It's the first book in the Andi Anna Jones mystery series. I knew I needed to hop on this tour, because the title mentions margaritas, I share a name with the MC, and I get to review it on my birthday. How fun is that? So please, check out an excerpt and my review of this mystery. Leave comments and questions for Mary. And be sure to visit the rest of the tour to see even more excerpts and reviews, and for more chances to enter the giveaway.

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I also received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Margaritas, Mayhem, & Murder

Andi’s step-mother is a real piece of work! But is Ruby a murderer?

Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent/amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her father’s widow and books a 60th birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will lead to the murder of a has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby will be the main suspect.

Flirting with more than danger after arriving in Mexico, Andi connects with the charming local sheriff, Manual Rodriquez. After an embarrassing night involving the sheriff, too many margaritas, and a Mariachi band, a chance to check out an eyewitness to the murder leads her to Las Vegas.

In Vegas, a mysterious meeting in the Bodies Exhibition, a body preserving in the prep-room, and an evasive owner of a dance studio, give Andi clues to help Ruby. But when Andi is mercilessly drugged and locked in a storage room, she realizes dear old step-mom isn’t the only one in jeopardy.

Buy links

Amazon * B & N Nook * Smashwords * Google Play * Kobo 

**My thoughts**

If you're into super quirky characters, fast-paced dialogue, and just general chaos and craziness, then this amateur mystery is right up your alley! Andi is a travel agent who gets thrust into being a bit of a detective after her crazy stepmother gets arrested in Mexico for murder. Ruby is highly annoying, so I wouldn't have blamed Andi if she had left her there!  But you can tell that she has a heart of gold and wants to help. Plus there's that whole promising your father on his deathbed that you would do so thing.

In fact, Andi seems to be surrounded by a bunch of wacky people when she heads south. Ruby's closest friends are just as bizarre. Her lawyer Bart is another one you want to smack against the back of his head, and yet he seems to be relatively adept at his job. Then there is a hottie detective working on the case who gets Andi's knickers all tied up in knots. Andi's sister Georgia is neurotic every time she calls to check in. Ellie, who has been left behind to care for the travel agency, is always crazy busy. And then there are all of the strange characters who keep popping up as the mystery unravels. Who killed the lounge singer? It would make for a great TV show.

It's truly a crazy cast of characters barreling down a twisting highway in a super fast read you can easily polish off in one evening.

About Mary Cunningham

Author, Mary Cunningham, grew on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn”.

Childhood experiences, and a recurring dream about a mysterious attic, inspired characters, Cynthia and Augusta Lee, for her award-winning middle-grade series, Cynthia's Attic. The setting is in her childhood home in Southern Indiana. Family stories and ancestors comprise the storylines. There are currently five books in the series: The Missing Locket, The Magic Medallion, Curse of the Bayou, The Magician’s Castle, and Legend of Lupin Woods.

Through a horrifying stint as a travel agent, the character, Andi Anna Jones, travel agent/amateur sleuth, inspired her latest adult mystery series. Book # 1, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder was released Nov. 30, 2017. The author is currently writing Book # 2 of the series, along with another middle-grade series, The Adventures of Max and Maddie, a historical time-travel, and the biography of a former Army brat/University of Connecticut women’s basketball player who started a non-profit foundation to create scholarships for children of deployed veterans.

Cunningham is a member of The Georgia Reading Association, and the Carrollton Writers Guild.

When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, she enjoys golf, swimming and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband and adopted, four-legged, furry daughter, Lucy.

Review Blurbs for Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder!

“If Evanovich's Stephanie Plum were a travel agent, she'd fit right in working this case alongside Andi, a wanna-be detective readers are sure to love.” —Regan Black, USA Today bestselling author of the Escape Club Heroes and Knight Traveler novels.

Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder...WOW. Snappy dialog, quirky characters, opens with a curious bang and yanked me through the pages. A fun, fantastic read. —Jean Rabe, USA Today Bestselling author, Piper Blackwell Mysteries.

“Grab a margarita and hold on tight; you're in for a wild ride.” —Karen MacInerney, Agatha Award nominee and author of the Dewberry Farms Mysteries

“Charming, lively, and unpredictable, Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder excels in a vivid story mystery fans will relish.”—Diane Donovan, Senior Editor Midwest Book Review


Website Links

Website: https://www.marycunninghambooks.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/marycunninghambooks/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MaryCunningham

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marycunningham1/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/367223.Mary_Cunningham

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BLNEK4

Mary will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway