Keepsake Cove is an ideal location for a cozy mystery series. It is a small town on Maryland's Eastern Shore that has a cottage tourist industry based around collectibles shops. The owners of these shops are interesting folks whose further character development will add richness to the series.
Callie Reed is visiting with her Aunt Mel, owner of House of Melody, a music box shop, when Mel dies under mysterious circumstances. Callie doesn't believe that her totally healthy aunt had an accident, but has nonway of looking into it until Mel's will is read and Callie learns that Mel left her everything. A Fatal Collection follows Callie as she acclimates to life in Keepsake Cove and investigates Aunt Mel's death.
I enjoyed A Fatal Collection. The story drew me in from the beginning. Even though I guessed who the killer was, the killer's motive surprised me. I will definitely read book two.

A great start to a new mystery series set in Keepsake Cove where collectible shops line the street. In an overdue visit Callie reconnects with her aunt, only to find her dead on the floor of her music box store the next morning. Inheriting everything from her aunt, Callie decides to move to Keepsake Cove, keep her aunts store open, and find out why she really died. Great characters, good plot.

An enjoyable cozy mystery with an appealing setting and well described characters.
The death of Callie's Aunt Melodie leaves her grief stricken and suspicious that her death by fall was actually murder.
Along with some of the other Keepsake Cove proprietors who have become new friends Callie starts investigating while beginning a fresh start.
An absolutely delightful way to while away a few hours.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

Well written page turning mystery

This was the first time I've read Mary Ellen Hughes but it won't be the last. Callie was a wonderfully written and believable character. I especially enjoyed how the plot twisted and turned. It kept my attention from start to finish. There was a great cast of secondary characters. All which makes me look forward to the next book in the series.

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Callie’s life is taking a turn she doesn’t like much. She decides to take a break by paying an overdue visit to her aunt Melodie. She arrives at the quaint little town of Keepsake Cove, where her aunt lives and runs a music box shop, with hopes of clearing her mind and rejuvenating her life. But her life takes an unexpected turn even here when she finds the body of her aunt Melodie on the floor of the shop soon after arriving at Keepsake Cove. The place may have a fairytale-esque vibe, but there is a murderer lurking among them as Callie is sure that her aunt’s death was no accident.

I love Keepsake Cove. It is indeed a perfect ‘story’ town where people know and take care of each other. After her aunt’s death, the town sort of adopts Callie and take her into their folds. Each shop in the town has a charm of its own as do the residents of the town. I kind of liked Callie. Life gets overwhelming for her at a point when she decides to take a break. Haven’t we all had that feeling? Her refusal to take her aunt’s death as an accident kind of shows her presence of mind even in a shocking situation. As she hunts for the truth we see a side of her that is smart, intelligent and warm.

The style of storytelling suits the genre of cozy mysteries. It sets up the backdrop to perfection, develops a bunch of characters who start to feel like a family and a protagonist who is thoroughly likeable. The charming narrative only adds to the story. There are enough clues sprinkled in the pages for the readers to play along a game of whodunnit.

A charming and enjoyable read.

This makes a really good start for a new cozy mystery series. I liked the main character and thought that the storyline was great!

Callie Reed visits her aunt in Keepsake Cove, Maryland. This town is the location of manyunique collectible shops. Soon after her arrival, Callie discovers her aunt's body on the floor of her music box shop. Grief-stricken, Callie finds she can't accept Melodie's death being called accidental. How could her strong and healthy aunt take such a fatal fall? And why was she there in the middle of the night?

As Callie searches for the truth, signs seem to come from her late aunt through a favorite music box, urging Callie on. Or are they warnings? If Callie isn't careful, she could meet a similar deadly fate amid Melodie's collection.

I really enjoyed this easy and quick to read cozy. It was very enjoyable, and I look forward to the next book of the series.

A great cozy mystery to recommend to patrons. One of my favorites.

Set in fictional Keepsake Cove, MD, A Fatal Collection is a fairly standard cozy mystery entry. The setting: a small community with a tourist-based economy. The shop owners are believable and have the expected conflicts - both personality and more. When our main character's aunt is found dead, it's ruled accidental, but Callie doesn't buy it and she soon finds a handful of likely suspects and a love interest or two.

I like the author's writing style and have read her books previously. The plot flows along nicely around some of the first in a series complications with introducing a cast of characters, creating conflict, picking out suspects and making the reader care enough about the murder and solving it. It's quite well balanced even if the hints of a love triangle were frustrating at first.

The music box shop is a fun career for our unlikely investigator, but it's possible that the tourist trap setting is getting overplayed a little in the cozy genre. As a fan of the genre and the author, I'll be picking up the next in the series and would not hesitate to recommend this book to someone looking for a new cozy mystery series.

Callie Reed had come to spend a few days with her Aunt Melodie. When she had awoken in the morning she wasn't there in the house. So she went looking for her.
I read this in one sitting. The descriptions were excellent and vivid. The characters were intriguing and realistic. The plot kept you on your feet, it was even paced and flowed smoothly. Callie felt her aunt had been murdered, but she couldn't figure out who could have done it. I loved that this was a truly good mystery and not one that you knew who the bad guys were, right off the bat. I was very surprised at the end. Ms. Hughes is a new author for me and I must admit, I would not mind reading more of her work.

Keepsake Cove is an enchanting town filled with irresistible collectible shops and a cafe that serves delicious meals. I can easily picture myself strolling through the streets and oohing and aahing in the shops. It backs up to a small bay area and the storefronts remind one of beautiful scenes from a Dickens novel. The protagonist, Callie, arrives to visit her Aunt Melodie, 'Mel', who owns a lovely music box shop, House of Melody. Callie's Grandpa Reed loved music boxes and his extensive collection gave his daughter, Mel, the start she needed for her specialty shop.

Early the next morning after Callie arrives in town, she horrifyingly finds her Aunt's cold and lifeless body in the shop. Aunt Melodie was happy, young, and healthy--how could this have happened? The bones of this story are strong, and I feel like this debut series will rapidly grow.

I certainly enjoyed following along this light cozy mystery tale embellished throughout with visits to the beautiful, unique shops the author vividly describes for readers. Callie does her best to seek answers to her beloved Aunt's demise. My heart warmed at the way Aunt Mel's friends and fellow shopkeepers wrapped Callie in friendship and as much protection as possible while the murderer in their midst was sought and captured. Aunt Mel's cat, Jagger, immediately takes to Callie and they comfort each other. There is a slight para-element in the plot which I found to be a whimsical and mystical touch. I love all kinds of collectibles and eagerly look forward to Mary Ellen Hughes next book in this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy from NetGalley.

A great start to a new series! The mystery kept me guessing, the characters were likable and well developed and the story line flowed. Can't wait for the next book. A must read for cozy lovers and collectors alike.

I enjoyed my first visit to Keepsake Cove and hope to read more from the series in the future.
This is a great cozy mystery and I'll admit it took me a bit to decide who I thought the suspect would end up being. I figured it out towards the end, but it was still a surprise in a way.
The story flows nicely and the author's description of the town and shops definitely sounds like a place I'd love to come across while traveling.

When problems crop up in Callie Reed's personal life, she decides to take a long overdue trip to Keepsake Cove in Maryland to visit her Aunt Melodie. But the visit soon turns tragic when Callie finds her aunt's dead body the next morning, the apparent victim of an accidental trip and fall. Callie is further surprised to learn that her aunt has made her the sole beneficiary of her estate, including her cottage and the adjacent shop, House of Music. Callie quickly decides to sever ties with her former life, including her now ex-boyfriend, Hank, and settle into the picturesque Keepsake Cove. Learning the ins and outs of the music box retail business and its customers, as well as meeting the town's sometimes unique residents, keeps Callie busy but there is still a nagging suspicion that her aunt's death wasn't an accident, a idea hinted at by the occasional unexplained music coming from her aunt's favorite music box. This was a great start to the first book in a new series. The main characters are quirky and interesting and I enjoyed the relationships Callie was beginning to develop with them. I loved the descriptions of the various shops and shop owners. There were several suspects and motives floated, although I have to admit I "sussed" to the identity and motive earlier than the reveal. That said, this did not take away anything from the plot and Callie's learning of the truth. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this advance reading copy received through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed A Fatal Collection, the first book in the new Keepsake Cove series. It's a well written cozy with a good plot and interesting characters. Keepsake Cove is a town with shops that sell collectibles of all kinds, and it sounds like a place I'd love to visit.

Callie Reed comes to Keepsake Cove to visit her aunt Melodie, who owns a music box shop. While she's there her aunt falls and is killed. Callie is suspicious of her aunt's sudden death, but it was ruled an accident. She inherits the shop and decides to stay in town, and starts to meet her fellow shop owners including Brian, who owns the restaurant across the street and Delia, her neighbor and her aunt's closest friend. Callie also inherits a part- time employee named Tabitha, who is psychic, and a music box that plays at random, but significant, times. As Callie gets to know the shop owners and her customers, disturbing events shake up the small town.

I highly recommend this book, and am looking forward to next book in the series.

Thanks to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

A good start to a new cozy mystery series!

Callie (Calliope) Reed has come to visit her aunt Melodie and her music box store in the village of Keepsake Cove where every shop sells some type of collectable. The day after arrival Callie finds her aunt dead in her store. The death is ruled an accident and Callie soon learns that she has inherited her aunt’s music box shop and quaint cottage. Callie starts settling into her new life in Keepsake Cove, but can’t shake the feeling that her aunt’s untimely demise was more than just an unfortunate accident. While starting her new life as music box shop owner and making new friend in the Cove, Callie tries to solve the mystery behind her aunt’s death.

I truly enjoyed this first book in the Keepsake Cove series. The town of Keepsake Cove seemed charming and the cast of characters diverse and entertaining. I liked the fact that this wasn’t they typical cozy who dunnit murder and more of an introduction to the town and it’s residents whit an accidental death that becomes less accidental along the way.

I look forward the next book in this cozy series!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Cute town, wish I could visit. Looking forward to more character development in future books, wish there was more background on the music boxes, very enjoyable.

A Fatal Collection by author Mary Ellen Hughes is a typical, and well-written, cozy mystery. We start with Callie's visit to Keepsake Cove, Maryland, to visit her aunt at her music box shop. After Aunt Melodie's untimely death, Callie must work to unravel the mystery behind it, as she doesn't believe it was an accident. Nice first entry into a series (Keepsake Cove Mystery Series), the story kept me guessing, and I enjoyed the location of the fictional town (which I'd love to visit!) and meeting it's residents. I'm looking forward to reading future installments by Ms. Hughes, and will check out her other books. A+

What an enjoyable cozy mystery! This story takes place on Maryland's eastern shore in a town called Keepsake Cove. A quaint town full of collectible shops and friendly neighbors. The main character, Callie, returns only to shortly discover the death of her aunt, owner of a music box shop which Callie inherits. Is her aunt's death the result of a fatal fall or is something else happening in this picturesque town? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope the author, Mary Ellen Hughes, will continue the Keepsave Cove mysteries.

Callie is visiting her aunt in Keepsake Corners - a beach town where many collectible shops are together in one area - when her aunt is murdered. Callie is surprised that she inherits the shop and decides to stay. She makes new friends as she tries to figure out who killed her aunt. The characters in this novel are interesting and the settings are picturesque. I love it when a book takes me out of my everyday life and puts me into the setting with the characters. That's what this book did for me - I enjoyed it thoroughly and highly recommend it.