Very cute and enjoyable read. Started out with too much detail before sliding into not enough detail. I also figured out who the murderer was before the murder happened, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. Overall, a quick and light cozy, and I look forward to the other books in the series.

Cute, but again, too much detail in some places while not enough detail in some of the important places. But still very enjoyable.

Spoiler

Emma's lesbian romance was a little ironic, since I spent the first book thinking that Penny and Victoria were going to sleep with each other. Victoria was mostly for decoration in this one and she didn't add anything to the story. Also, what was the point of the kids in the SUV that nearly ran Penny over? Did they catch them or not?

This is such an enjoyable series, with cute characters, a gorgeous location and the plots move along quickly.

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. On one hand, I liked that this incorporated new people and the plot was interesting. On the other hand, it meandered a lot (especially at the beginning) and the end felt anti-climatic. Also, I'm guessing the Shakespeare troupe were all Americans, but they didn't sound like it and it wasn't clear.

Still, this is a cute, enjoyable series and I love Aunt Bessie (who reminds me a bit of my grammy) and well worth a read.

Bit of a disappointment; all the misery porn got old fast and dragged the book down. The plot meandered more than a drunk walking a straight line, and the ridiculous ending had me flipping pages. The new sidekicks and new location were a great addition, and I enjoyed the sprinkles of humor throughout. And what ever happened with the gangster who was about to kick the bucket?

Overall, just ok, not sure I'll continue reading this series, I think it's jumped the shark.

The Dorothy Martin character was mentioned in another series I read (Penny Brannington) and remembered this book and gave it a try. Not sure what to think of it. On one hand, I liked the characters well enough and it was an intriguing plot. On the other hand, the writing was a little...overstated at times. The choice of wording had me rolling my eyes in a few places, and he utterly ridiculous ending was nearly too much to bear. Still, it has some charm to it, and if I ever stumble across the next book in the series, I'll give it a try, but I'm not bang on board with it just yet.

Nostalgia read; I originally read this about 30 years ago and was enthralled. Very dated now, but still a fun book to revisit.