Stranded

Ivy Malone and Abilene find themselves stranded in Hello, CO, when their RV breaks down on a mountain road. While waiting on costly repairs, Kelli Keifer offers them to stay in her Uncle Hiram's old house. He was murdered there two months before. The townspeople believe Kelli is responsible, but Ivy doesn't. So they move in. They're a little nervous about not being on the road. Always worried the Braxtons or Boone will catch up to them again. Abilene gets a job helping out the town vet. She really enjoys it! So much so that Ivy can tell Abilene may not want to return to the road. Ivy gets a job sorting Hiram's personal library that has been donated. Plus she ends up assisting with props for the yearly review. Being that she's so curious, she does some snooping and investigating into the murder. What she finds are lots of suspects she doesn't want to suspect. Who could have killed him and why? This is a fabulous cozy mystery series. I hope there will be more in the future! I love Ivy and her LOL (little old lady) status. She is such a hoot! Her curiosity puts her into many hilarious adventures. Abilene is a great character as well. I've really enjoyed her addition into the series. The people of Hello, CO, are great, too. The author has done such a great job of creating many different personalities. The plot has plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing and wanting to read more. I highly recommend this book and series.

Stranded on a winding mountain road in a broken-down motorhome . . . Then stranded in a town where a prominent citizen was murdered . . . And ending up a houseguest in his empty mansion . . . Right before getting roped into helping with the town's annual show, featuring a chorus line of can-canning grandmas! Just when I think Lorena McCourtney can't possibly come up with any more hilarious and hair-raising adventures for her senior sleuth, Ivy Malone, she does it again. The hijinks in this one are not to be missed. And the intriguing developments at the end. Wow! Let's just say my interest is piqued. I hope this isn't the last we'll hear about Ivy.

Thanks to her broken down RV Ivy Malone, that spunky little old lady, has found herself stuck in the town of Hello. Her and her sidekick Abilene are worried that they might be stranded in a boring little place but since it's Ivy, of course they soon find themselves in the middle of an unsolved murder. The townspeople believe that the murdered man's niece committed the crime, but Ivy isn't so sure. Thanks to the guys' multiple marriages, everyone appears to be suspect. Soon Ivy and Abilene don't have time to worry about the Braxtons or Boone as they are fully immersed into the town life of Hello. Between helping out (aka growing romance) the town vet for Abilene and sorting through the personal library and assisting the props for the yearly revue for Ivy, the two also fill their days looking for the real murderer. Using her investigative powers and her never failing invisibility ability, Ivy is able to once again draw the reader into another page turning, side aching adventure. Once again Ivy has another hilarious and suspenseful adventure. I laughed and I laughed while reading this book. Who knew grandmas wore thongs?!! There are so many times in this book where you'll be reading a paragraph and start to giggle from either the actions going on or Ivy's reaction to the situation. Abilene didn't have much of a presence as she had in the last book, but I was glad that her situation was happily resolved. Each book has had their own unique set of characters, but I must say this one has had my favorite. From Nutty Norman and his brain wave dance to the potbellied pig (Ivy's thoughts about pork chops were a hoot) to group of LOLs doing a chorus line, the townsfolk are lively and exciting albeit a bit on the judgmental side. And yet again, I wasn't aware of the real culprit until the very last chapter of the book. This is the type of book you just want to read while curled up in a blanket on a cold winter's day with a hot chocolate by your side. I really hope there will be another Ivy Malone book. What will happen with her and Mac??? This is one of the best book series I have ever read. Mystery, romance, humor-you name it, Ivy Malone's got it.

In Lorena McCourtney's fourth book of her Ivy Malone Mystery series, Stranded, Ivy Malone and her young companion, Abilene, are literally stranded in Hello, Colorado. The first chapter reels you in when their motor home breaks down in the middle of a winding mountain road in a blinding blizzard. They are towed to Hello, Colorado where Ivy Malone's curious ways lead her to become deeply involved in solving the town's latest murder. But solving murders is nothing new to widow-turned-detective Malone. When Ivy discovers her motor home requires a new engine, she is desperate and accepts the generosity of the town's biggest suspect, Kelli Keifer--the niece of the murdered victim. Ivy's not going along with the crowd. Kelli offers her uncle's old Victorian mansion to accommodate them while they wait on motor home repairs. While living in the old house once occupied by the eccentric but wealthy victim, Ivy has an irresistible opportunity to snoop. The book is brimming with entertaining and loveable characters but beware. When someone sets the old home on fire, the story heats up and Ivy's life could be in jeopardy. Like all cozy mysteries, every character in the book is a suspect with legitimate motivation. Ivy Malone is an adorable LOL (little old lady as she defines herself) and she kept me laughing with her humorous antics throughout the book. I'm not normally drawn to reading cozy mysteries, but I highly enjoyed this and recommend it for those looking for a good whodunit mixed with hilarious characters including a chorus line made up of LOLs.

Senior citizen Ivy Malone and her young traveling companion Abilene are on their way to Arizona when their RV breaks down outside the small town of Hello. Ivy is on the run from a criminal family the Braxtons, as her testimony is sending one of them to jail. Abilene is on the run from an abusive husband who has vowed to kill her. When they arrive in Hello, the resident mechanic tells them the vehicle needs a new engine. Unable to pay for the repair, Ivy gets a job at the library and Abilene obtains work training to be the vet's assistant. Lawyer Kelli Keifer invites both women to stay at her uncle Hiram's home now empty since he was murdered two months ago. The townsfolk believe she is the killer but Ivy who has taken an immediate liking to the attorney decides to find the real killer because she believes Kelli is innocent. There are plenty of other suspects with strong motives. Readers who like a warm, entertaining, small town cozy with no blood or gore will definitely enjoy STRANDED. The small town welcomes the new visitors and people go out of their way to make them feel at home. The support cast is well developed and fleshes out the ambience of the small town yet the focus stays on Ivy who demonstrates getting old doesn't mean immovable rocking chairs. The mystery itself is well crafted and readers should be very surprised when they learn who the killer is.